(10.) His Habits as to Sneezing and Yawning.

It was one of the Prophet's habits that when he made 'Atsa,' that is, when he sneezed, he made a moderate noise, covering his blessed face with his robe-sleeve and putting his blessed hand before his nostrils. He used to say, 'God loves sneezing, but detests yawning: let every one who sneezes say, " Praise be to God! " and let him who hears him rejoin, "God have mercy on him!"' Once two persons sneezed in that Excellency's presence, and one of them who said, 'Praise be to God!' heard from his Excellency the reply, 'God have mercy on thee!' but the other, who had omitted to say, 'Praise be to God!' did not hear any reply from that prince. The Prophet also said, 'To any one sneezing, reply up to three times, "God have mercy on thee! "and never think it a mere cold, even if it be more than three times.'

(11.) His Habits as to Walking and Riding.

The walking of that prince was a perfect motion, that is, he was not exceedingly slow, dragging his legs, like the proud and affected; nor did he show excessive haste and anxiety, like the light-minded and foolish. That prince's walk appeared so measured and grave as if he was descending from a height. Sometimes he walked as if his blessed feet did not touch the earth, or as if the ground turned from under his feet. When walking with his friends, they sometimes walked in front, he following behind. At one time he walked in sandals, at another time he dispensed with them and walked barefooted. On some war expedition that prince knocked his blessed toe against a stone so that blood flowed from it.

At home and on journeys that prince would ride with and without a saddle, on horses, camels, mules, and donkeys. He was mostly mounted alone, but occasionally he had some one mounted behind him as his Redif (= reserve), or even before him. Sometimes he had one of his pure wives mounted behind him. Most generally he rode on horses and camels.

(12.) His Habits as to Waking and Sleeping.

That prince and his noble companions did not manifest too much concern about their habitations and dwellings, but contented themselves with structures sufficient to keep out heat and cold, sheep and cattle, and the gaze of the eyes of men. When night set in, that prince took an ablution, put off the clothes he had worn by day, and put on his night-robes. Then he blew on the palms of his blessed hands, and, after repeating a verse from the Koran, rubbed his limbs with them. He lay on his right side, putting the palm of his right hand under his right cheek, and saying, 'O God, in Thy name I die and live,' or, according to another account, 'In Thy name, O Lord, I lie down and rise again.' He sometimes lay on his night-clothes, sometimes on a carpet, sometimes on a mat, sometimes on sacking, and even on the dry earth. When he slept, he had under his head a leather cushion, filled with date-palm fibres.

To that prince dreams were shown in his sleep which he narrated and interpreted to his friends. Sometimes also his friends told him their dreams, and requested him to interpret them. That prince also said, 'When one of you has a dream which appears to him bad, then let him spit three times to his left side, and ask protection from God against the evil of that dream and Satan; and let him turn himself to lie on the other side, and not tell his dreams to any one, so that the evil it portended may not come to pass. But if he sees a good dream, let him tell it to a friend or to a man of understanding.' When that prince rose from sleep, he used to say, 'Praise be to God, who has made us alive after we were dead: to Him we move and wake.' In no condition did he omit the mention of God.

(13.) His Habits in administering Medicines to the Sick.

Amongst all his other habits, that prince also was wont to administer medicines to the sick. Intermittent fever he medicinally treated with cold water. It is narrated that when intermittent fever seized that Excellency, he caused a skin of water to be brought and poured over his blessed head