I visited Abu Musa, as he was in the house of the daughter of Fadl b. 'Abbas. I sneezed but he did not respond to it (by saying): Allah may have mercy upon you. Then she sneezed and he (Fadl b. 'Abbas) said: May Allah have mercy upon you. I came back to my mother and informed her about it, and when he came to her she said: My son sneezed in your presence and you did not say:" Allah may have mercy upon you, and she sneezed and you said for her:" May Allah have mercy upon you." Thereupon he said: Your son sneezed but he did not praise Allah and I did not beg mercy of Allah for him and she sneezed and she praised Allah and so I said: May Allah have mercy upon you, as I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When any one of you sneezes he should praise Allah and the other should say: May Allah have mercy upon you, and if he does not praise Allah, no mercy should be begged for him.
The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts
Sahih Muslim - Hadith 2992
Hadith Commentary
This narration from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari demonstrates the proper etiquettes of sneezing in Islam. The companion observed differential treatment when he sneezed versus when the woman sneezed, revealing an important religious principle.
The key distinction lies in uttering "Alhamdulillah" (praise be to Allah) after sneezing. When one sneezes and praises Allah, it becomes obligatory upon the listener to respond with "Yarhamukallah" (may Allah have mercy upon you). However, if the sneezer neglects to praise Allah, the response is not required.
This teaching emphasizes that divine blessings and mercy are connected to proper remembrance of Allah. The companion's mother initially perceived this as personal discrimination, but Fadl ibn Abbas clarified it was purely based on religious observance, not personal preference.
The wisdom behind this etiquette teaches Muslims to connect everyday actions with divine remembrance and to base interactions on religious principles rather than personal feelings or social hierarchies.