Chapter 5
Etiquette of sneezing
34523: If he sneezes or hears a donkey braying
whilst praying, should he say the dhikr narrated in the Sunnah?
Question:
If a person sneezes whilst praying, should he say
"Al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allaah)"? And if he hears
a donkey braying, should he say "A'oodhu Billaahi min
al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (I seek refuge with Allaah from
the accursed Shaytaan)?".
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to sneezing, it is narrated in the Sunnah
that a worshipper should say al-hamdu
Lillaah if he sneezes.
With regard to seeking refuge with Allaah from
the accursed Shaytaan when hearing a donkey braying
(whilst one is praying), there is no report in the Sunnah to
that effect.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen said:
If a person sneezes whilst praying, he should say
Al-hamdu Lillah, as was narrated in the saheeh report of
the story of Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam (may Allaah
be pleased with him) when he started to pray with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then a
man among the people sneezed and said, "Al-hamdu
Lillaah." Mu'aawiyah said to him,
"Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you)." The people glared at
Mu'aawiyah, denouncing him for speaking. He said: "May my
mother be bereft of me!" then they started to beat their hands
on their thighs, indicating to him to be quiet, so he was
quiet. When the prayer was over, the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called him.
Mu'aawiyah said: May my father and mother be sacrificed for him.
By Allaah, he did not scold me or beat me or rebuke me.
He said: "This prayer should not include anything of
people's talk; rather it is tasbeeh (saying `Subhaan Allaah' _
glory be to Allaah), takbeer (saying `Allaahu akbar' _ Allaah
is Most Great) and reciting Qur'aan."
Narrated by Muslim, 537; Abu Dawood, 930.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not tell off the one who sneezed and said
Al-hamdu Lillaah whilst praying, which indicates that if a
person sneezes during the prayer he should say al-hamdu
Lillaah, because there is a reason for doing so. But that does
not apply to every dhikr for which the reason for saying
it occurs whilst one is praying.
Fataawa Ibn `Uthaymeen, 13/342.
And he was asked:
Is it permissible for one who is praying to say
al-hamdu Lillaah if he sneezes, and to seek refuge with Allaah if
he hears a donkey braying? Is there a difference
between obligatory prayers and naafil prayers in that regard?
He replied:
With regard to saying al-hamdu Lillaah if he sneezes
and seeking refuge with Allaah if he hears a donkey
braying, that is permissible according to the view favoured
by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him), but it is makrooh according to the well
known view of the madhhab of Imam Ahmad. The more
correct view is that favoured by Shaykh al-Islam with regard
to saying al-hamdu Lillaah if one sneezes. With regard
to seeking refuge with Allaah when hearing a
donkey braying, it is better not to do that. The difference
between them is that saying al-hamdu Lillaah when sneezing
is mentioned in the Sunnah, and because it is prescribed
by a specific command, unlike when a donkey brays,
which is does not concern him, and the worshipper should
not let himself be distracted by sounds outside the prayer.
With regard to the above, it makes no difference
whether the prayer is a prescribed (obligatory) prayer or a
naafil (supererogatory) prayer."
Fataawa Ibn `Uthaymeen, 13/342. And Allaah
knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
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3488: Saying "Yarhamuk Allaah (May Allaah have
mercy on you)" to one who sneezes
Question:
If a Muslim sneezes and does not say "Al-hamdu
Lillaah (praise be to Allaah), does he deserve to have others say
" Yarhamuk Allaah " to him? Is it better to say "
Yarhamuk Allaah " to him or not to say it? Has anything
concerning this been narrated from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) or not?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. He does not deserve that, and it
is makrooh to say "Yarhamuk Allaah" to him. It was
reported in the two Saheehs of al-Bukhaari and Muslim that
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
`Two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said
"Yarhamuk Allaah" to one of them and not to the other. The one
to whom he did not say it said, "So and so sneezed and
you said, `Yarhamuk Allaah' to him, and I sneezed but
you did not say it to me." The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "He said `Al-hamdu
Lillaah', and you did not."
According to Saheeh Muslim, Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say, `When one of you sneezes and says
"al-hamdu Lillaah", then say
"Yarhamuk Allaah" to him, but if
he does not say "al-hamdu Lillaah", then do not
say "Yarhamuk Allaah" to him.'"
In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is reported from Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "When any one of you sneezes, let him say
`Al-hamdu Lillaah' and let his brother or companion say to
him, `Yarhamuk Allaah.' If he says `Yarhamuk
Allaah' to him, let him say, `Yahdikum Allaahu wa yusliha
baalakum (May Allaah guide you and reform your thinking).'"
From Fatawa al-Imaam al-Nawawi, p. 67
(www.islam-qa.com)
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2750: Why do Muslims say "Al-hamdu Lillah" after
they sneeze?
Question:
Assalamu Alikum,
I was wondering if you could explain why Muslims
say, "Alhumdulliah" after they sneeze? Please reply as
soon as possible...Thank You…
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It was proven in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah likes the act
of sneezing and dislikes the act of yawning, so if any one
of you sneezes and praises Allaah (says "al-hamdu
Lillaah"), it is a duty on every Muslim who hears him to say to
him, "Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you)."
As for yawning, it is from the Shaytaan, so if any of
you feels the urge to yawn, he should suppress it as much
as he can, for when any one of you yawns, the
Shaytaan laughs at him." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/505)
It was also reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If any one of you
sneezes, let him say `Al-hamdu Lillaah,' and let his brother or
his companion say, `Yarhamuk Allaah.' And if he says to
him, `Yarhamuk Allaah,' let him say, `Yahdeekum Allaahu
wa yusliha baalakum (May Allaah guide you and correct
your thinking).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/502)
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that
two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said
"Yarhamuk Allaah" to one of them, but not to the other. The one
to whom he did not say it said: "So and so sneezed, and
you said `Yarhamuk Allaah' to him; I sneezed but you did
not say it to me." He said, "He praised Allaah (said
`al-hamdu Lillaah') and you did not." (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
10/504)
Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When one
of you sneezes and praises Allaah, then say
`Yarhamuk Allaah' to him, but if he does not praise Allaah then
do not say it." (Reported by Muslim 2992)
Sneezing brings a person the blessing of relief by
releasing vapours that were trapped in the head which, if they
were to remain there, would cause him pain and sickness.
For this reason, Islam tells him to praise Allaah for
this blessing and for the fact that his body is still intact
after this jolt that shook him like an earthquake… for
sneezing causes a disturbing movement in the body… It was
said (concerning the origin of the word
"tashmeet" [which is translated here as "saying
`yarhamuk Allaah', but the original meaning is to tell someone to rejoice at
another's `misfortune']): this is telling him to feel joyful
because he has annoyed the Shaytaan by praising Allaah for
the blessing of sneezing and its association with things
that Allaah likes. When a person mentions Allaah and
praises Him, this annoys the Shaytaan in several ways,
for example: the act of sneezing itself, which Allaah
likes; his praising Allaah for it; the Muslims praying for
mercy for him; and his prayer for them to be guided. All of
this annoys the Shaytaan and makes him upset, so the
believer is told to rejoice over this annoyance of his enemy.
Praying for mercy for the one who sneezes is called
tashmeet because it implies that he should rejoice over
the annoyance of his enemy. This is a good meaning
which people should bear in mind when they sneeze or
say `yarhamuk Allaah' to one who sneezes, and they
should appreciate the blessing of sneezing for the body and
mind, and understand why Allaah likes it. Praise be to Allaah
as is His due for He is the Most Generous and Majestic.
The scholar Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali (may Allaah
have mercy on him) reported that Imaam Ibn Hubayrah
said: "Al-Raazi reported from some doctors: sneezing is not
a sign of the onset of sickness, unless it is accompanied
by catarrh." Ibn Hubayrah said: "If a person sneezes, this
is an indication of good health, sound digestion and
physical strength, so he should praise Allaah. This is why
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) commanded us to praise Allaah."
It is also important to know that the Muslim should
submit to the texts and act in accordance with them, without
trying too hard to understand precisely why a text commands
or forbids something. He should believe that Allaah is
the Wise and Aware, Who doe not prescribe anything for
His slaves unless it is in their best interests, in this world
and the next, even though it may not cross their minds
and some people may understand part of the wisdom
behind it whilst others will never know. The Muslim's basic
rule is to follow the commands, and if he has some
knowledge of the reason behind the commands, then praise be
to Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.
For further details on the rules concerning sneezing,
see: Al-Aadaab al-Shara'iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 2/334;
Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/438; Ghadhaa'
al-Albaab by al-Safaareeni, 1/441
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
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