Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 3713
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ عَطَسَ رَجُلاَنِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَشَمَّتَ أَحَدَهُمَا - أَوْ سَمَّتَ - وَلَمْ يُشَمِّتِ الآخَرَ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَطَسَ عِنْدَكَ رَجُلاَنِ فَشَمَّتَّ أَحَدَهُمَا وَلَمْ تُشَمِّتِ الآخَرَ فَقَالَ " إِنَّ هَذَا حَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَإِنَّ هَذَا لَمْ يَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
It was narrated that Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah said: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, from Sulayman al-Taymi, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: ‘Two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He invoked mercy for one of them—or said tasmit—but did not do so for the other. Someone asked, “Messenger of Allah, two men sneezed in your presence, and you invoked mercy for one but not the other?” He replied, “This one praised Allah, whereas that one did not.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic gives an alternative wording, fa-shammata aḥadahuma—or sammata. The customary response to a sneeze is an invocation of mercy.
قَالَ عَطَسَ رَجُلاَنِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَشَمَّتَ أَحَدَهُمَا - أَوْ سَمَّتَ - وَلَمْ يُشَمِّتِ الآخَرَ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَطَسَ عِنْدَكَ رَجُلاَنِ فَشَمَّتَّ أَحَدَهُمَا وَلَمْ تُشَمِّتِ الآخَرَ فَقَالَ " إِنَّ هَذَا حَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَإِنَّ هَذَا لَمْ يَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ " .
The source explicitly offers an alternative verb, shammata or sammata, for the response given to one sneezer.
Should the variant be represented with the customary meaning ‘invoke mercy’ or retained as a transliterated alternative?