ʿAbdullah used to give a religious talk to the people on every Thursday. Once a man said, "O Aba ʿAbdur-Rahman! (By Allah) I wish if you could preach us daily." He replied, "The only thing which prevents me from doing so, is that I hate to bore you, and no doubt I take care of you in preaching by selecting a suitable time just as the Prophet ﷺ used to do with us, for fear of making us bored."  

كَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يُذَكِّرُ النَّاسَ فِي كُلِّ خَمِيسٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّكَ ذَكَّرْتَنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ يَمْنَعُنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ وَإِنِّي أَتَخَوَّلُكُمْ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ كَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بِهَا مَخَافَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا  

'Ammar delivered to us the sermon. It was short and eloquent. When he (, Ammir) descended (from the pulpit) we said to him: 0 Abd al-Yaqzn, you have delivered a short and eloquent sermon. Would that you had lengthened (the sermon). He said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: The lengthening of prayer by a man and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding (of faith). So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for there is charm (in precise) expression.  

أَبُو وَائِلٍ خَطَبَنَا عَمَّارٌ فَأَوْجَزَ وَأَبْلَغَ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ قُلْنَا يَا أَبَا الْيَقْظَانِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتَ وَأَوْجَزْتَ فَلَوْ كُنْتَ تَنَفَّسْتَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ طُولَ صَلاَةِ الرَّجُلِ وَقِصَرَ خُطْبَتِهِ مَئِنَّةٌ مِنْ فِقْهِهِ فَأَطِيلُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَاقْصُرُوا الْخُطْبَةَ وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا  

While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man in the company sneezed. I said: Allah have mercy on you! The people stared at me with disapproving looks, so I said: Woe be upon me, why is it that you stare at me? They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to observe silence (I became angry) but I said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said the prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a leader who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom). I swear that he did not scold, beat or revile me but said: Talking to persons is not fitting during the prayer, for it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring his Greatness. and recitation of the Qur'an or words to that effect. I said: Messenger of Allah. I was till recently a pagan, but Allah has brought Islam to us; among us there are men who have recourse to Kahins. He said, Do not have recourse to them. I said. There are men who take omens. That is something which they find in their breasts, but let it not turn their way (from freedom of action). I said: Among us there are men who draw lines. He said: There was a prophet who drew lines, so if they do it as they did, that is allowable. I had a maid-servant who tended goats by the side of Uhud and Jawwaniya. One day I happened to pass that way and found that a wolf had carried a goat from her flock. I am after all a man from the posterity of Adam. I felt sorry as they (human beings) feel sorry. So I slapped her. I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and felt (this act of mine) as something grievous I said: Messenger of Allah, should I not grant her freedom? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Bring her to me. So I brought her to him. He said to her: Where is Allah? She said: He is in the heaven. He said: Who am I? She said: Thou art the Messenger of Allah. He said: Grant her freedom, she is a believing woman.  

بَيْنَا أَنَا أُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ فَقُلْتُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَرَمَانِي الْقَوْمُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ فَقُلْتُ وَاثُكْلَ أُمِّيَاهْ مَا شَأْنُكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَىَّ فَجَعَلُوا يَضْرِبُونَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى أَفْخَاذِهِمْ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُمْ يُصَمِّتُونَنِي لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَبِأَبِي هُوَ وَأُمِّي مَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَبْلَهُ وَلاَ بَعْدَهُ أَحْسَنَ تَعْلِيمًا مِنْهُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا كَهَرَنِي وَلاَ ضَرَبَنِي وَلاَ شَتَمَنِي قَالَ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الصَّلاَةَ لاَ يَصْلُحُ فِيهَا شَىْءٌ مِنْ كَلاَمِ النَّاسِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ التَّسْبِيحُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَقِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِجَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَقَدْ جَاءَ اللَّهُ بِالإِسْلاَمِ وَإِنَّ مِنَّا رِجَالاً يَأْتُونَ الْكُهَّانَ قَالَ فَلاَ تَأْتِهِمْ قَالَ وَمِنَّا رِجَالٌ يَتَطَيَّرُونَ قَالَ ذَاكَ شَىْءٌ يَجِدُونَهُ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَلاَ يَصُدَّنَّهُمْ قَالَ ابْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ فَلاَ يَصُدَّنَّكُمْ قَالَ قُلْتُ وَمِنَّا رِجَالٌ يَخُطُّونَ قَالَ كَانَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطَّهُ فَذَاكَ قَالَ وَكَانَتْ لِي جَارِيَةٌ تَرْعَى غَنَمًا لِي قِبَلَ أُحُدٍ وَالْجَوَّانِيَّةِ فَاطَّلَعْتُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَإِذَا الذِّيبُ قَدْ ذَهَبَ بِشَاةٍ مِنْ غَنَمِهَا وَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ آسَفُ كَمَا يَأْسَفُونَ لَكِنِّي صَكَكْتُهَا صَكَّةً فَأَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَعَظَّمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَىَّ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ أُعْتِقُهَا قَالَ ائْتِنِي بِهَا فَأَتَيْتُهُ بِهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا أَيْنَ اللَّهُ قَالَتْ فِي السَّمَاءِ قَالَ مَنْ أَنَا قَالَتْ أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ