Sneezing and Yawning

كتاب الْعُطَاسَ والتثاؤب

Chapter 1: The Sneeze

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah loves sneezing and hates yawning. When one of you sneezes and praises Allah Almighty, it is a duty for every Muslim who hears him to say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Yawning comes from Shaytan. When one of you yawns, he should control it as much as possible. When a man says, 'Aawh!,' Shaytan laughs at him."

Chapter 2: What to say when you sneeze

Ibn 'Abbas said, "When one of you sneezes and says, 'Praise be to Allah,' the angel says, 'The Lord of the Worlds.' When you say, 'The Lord of the Worlds,' the angel says, 'May Allah have mercy on you.'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah,' and his brother or companion should say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then he should say, 'May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'"

Chapter 3: Wishing mercy on the sneezer

'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Ziyad ibn An'am al-Ifriqi said, "My father told me that they were taking part in a sea raid in the time of Mu'awiya. He said, 'Our ship was right up against the ship of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. When it was time for our midday meal, we invited him and he came over. He said, "You invited me, but even though I am fasting, I cannot avoid accepting your invitation because I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'A Muslim owes six things to his brother. If he neglects any of them, he has neglected an obligatory duty owed to his brother. He should return his greeting when he greets him. He should accept when he gives him an invitation. He should ask for mercy on him when he sneezes. He should give him good counsel when he asks him for advice.'"'"

Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "There are four things that one Muslim owes another Muslim

to visit him when he is ill, to be with him when he dies, to accept whenhe invites him, and to ask for mercy on him when he sneezes."

Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed us to do seven things and forbade us seven. He instructed us to visit the sick, to join funeral processions, to bless people who sneeze, to fulfil our oaths, to help the wronged, to return the greeting, and to accept invitations. He forbade us gold rings, silver vessels, red (silk) saddle clothes, Qassi (silk and flax) garments, thick brocade, embroidered silk, and pure silk."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A Muslim owes another Muslim six duties." He was asked, "And what are they, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "To greet him when he meets him, to accept when he gives him an invitation, to give him good counsel when he asks for advice, to wish mercy on him when he sneezes and says, 'Praise be to Allah,' to visit him when he is ill, and to join the funeral procession when he dies."

Chapter 4: When you hear a sneeze, you should say, "Praise be to Allah"

'Ali said, "When someone hears a sneeze and says, 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, in every situation,' he will never get a toothache or earache."

Chapter 5: How to wish for mercy on a person when you hear a sneeze

Abu Salih reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah.' When he says, 'Praise be to Allah, ' his brother or companion should say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then let the person who sneezed say, 'May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah loves the sneeze and dislikes yawning. When one you sneezes and praises Allah, it is a duty for every Muslim who hears him to say, 'May Allah have mercy on you.;' As for the yawn, it comes from Shaytan. When one of you yawns, he should repress it as much as possible. When one of you yawns, Shaytan laughs at him."

Ibn 'Abbas said, "When someone is wished mercy, he should say, 'May Allah protect us and you from the Fire. May Allah have mercy on you.'"

Abu Hurayra said, "We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a man sneezed and praised Allah. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then another man sneezed but the Prophet did not say anything to him. The man, 'Messenger of Allah! you responded to the other man, but did not say anything to me!' The Prophet replied, 'He praised Allah and you were silent.'"

Chapter 6: When someone does not praise Allah, do not wish mercy on him

Similar to 930, but from Anas.

Abu Hurayra said, "Two men sat in the presence of the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and one of them was from a noble family than the other. The nobler of the two sneezed and did not praise Allah, so the Prophet did not ask for mercy for him. Then the other man sneezed and praised Allah, so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked for mercy on him. The noble man said, 'I sneezed in your presence and you did not ask for mercy for me. This other than sneezed and you asked for mercy on him.' The Prophet said, 'This man mentioned Allah, so I mentioned him. You forgot Allah, so I forgot you.'"

Chapter 7: What should someone who sneezes say first?

Nafi' said that when 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar sneezed, they said to him, "May Allah have mercy on you," and Ibn 'Umar said, "May He have mercy on us and you. May He forgive us and you."

'Abdullah said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' Let anyone responding to him say 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then the person who sneezed should say'May Allah forgive me and you.'"

Iyas ibn Salama related that his father said, "A man sneezed in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet said, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then the man sneezed again and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'This man has a cold.'"

Chapter 8: Someone who says, "May Allah have mercy on you if you praised Allah."

Makhul al-Azdi said, "I was beside Ibn 'Umar when a man sneezed on one side of the mosque. Ibn 'Umar said, 'May Allah have mercy on you if you praised Allah.'"

Chapter 9: Do not say, "Ab"

Mujahid said, "When a son of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, either Abu Bakr or 'Umar, sneezed, he said, 'Ab!' Ibn 'Umar said, 'What is this "Ab"? Ab is the name of one of the shaytans who comes between the sneeze and the praise.'"