The Manners Of Sneezing:
1) Saying ‘May Allah Have Mercy On You’ To The Person Who Sneezed
2) One Should Say, ‘May Allah Have Mercy On You,’ Only After The Sneezer Praises Allah (Swt)
3) The Sunnah Is For The Sneezer To Speak First, By Saying, “All Praise Is For Allah,” or, “All Praise Is For Allah, Upon Every Condition [That One Finds Himself To Be In].”
4) When One Hears Someone Sneeze, It Is Sunnah For Him To Say, “Yarhamukallah (May Allah have mercy on you).”
5) After the sneezer hears someone say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ it is Sunnah for him to then say, ‘May Allah guide you and rectify your situation,’ or, ‘May Allah have mercy on us and you, and may He forgive us and you.’
6) One Should Try To Keep The Sound Of His Sneeze As Low As Possible
7) One Should Say, “May Allah Have Mercy On You” For Three Sneezes; If The Other Person Sneezes More Than That, Then He Has A Cold
8) If Someone From The People Of The Dhimmah (Jews And Christians Who Live Under The Protection And Safety Of The Muslims, By Agreement) Sneezes, It Is Permissible For A Muslim To Then Say To Him, “May Allah Guide You And Rectify Your Situation.”
The Manners Of Yawning

The Manners Of Sneezing And Yawning

The Prophets (Pbuh) said, “Verily, Allah loves sneezing and detests yawning; so if one of you sneezes and [then] praises Allah, it is a right upon every Muslim who hears him to say to him, ‘Yarhamakullah (May Allah have mercy on you).’ As for yawning, then verily, it is from the Shaitaan only; so if one of you yawns, then let him ward it off (i.e., ward off and stifle the yawn) as much as he is able to…” [Bukhaaree, 2626]

First, The Manners Of Sneezing:

1) Saying ‘May Allah Have Mercy On You’ To The Person Who Sneezed

 Sneezing is a blessing of Allah (Swt) upon His slaves, and when one is given a blessing from Allah (Swt) he should praise Allah (Swt) and thank Him for it. The matter is no different in regard to sneezing, for when a person sneezes, it is legislated for him to praise Allah (Swt) by saying, “Alhamdulillah (All praise is to Allah).” Al-Baraa Ibn `Aazib (R.A)  said, “The Prophet (Pbuh) ordered us with seven [commands] and forbade us from seven [prohibited matters]: he (Pbuh) ordered us to follow funerals (by praying the funeral prayer and then following the corpse until the burial is completed), to visit the sick, to answer (i.e., accept the invitation of) a person who invites [one to partake of a meal, for example], to help the one who is wronged, to fulfill one’s oath, to return greetings of peace, and to do Tashmeet of a person who sneezes [i.e., to say, ‘Yarhamukallah (may Allah have mercy on you),’ when he says, ‘Alhamdulillah (All praise is to Allah),’ after he sneezes]…” It is compulsory to say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ to a person who sneezes; however, it is a compulsory duty on the group of people that hears the sneezer say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ and not upon every single individual from them. What this means is that at least some of them must say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ and that, if some of them say it, saying it is no longer compulsory on the rest of them. Though this is the ruling that scholars mention, no one should refrain from saying, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ to someone who sneezes, for the Prophet (Pbuh) said, “So if one of you sneezes and [then] praises Allah, it is a right upon every Muslim who hears him to say to him, ‘Yarhamakullah (May Allah have mercy on you).”

2) One Should Say, ‘May Allah Have Mercy On You,’ Only After The Sneezer Praises Allah (Swt)

Anas (R.A) said, “Two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (Pbuh) he (Pbuh) Shammata (i.e., said, ‘Yarhamukallah – May Allah have mercy on you’) to one of them but not to the other. The [latter] man said, ‘0 Messenger of Allah, you Shammatta (i.e., said, ‘May Allah have mercy on you’) to him but not to me?’ The Prophet (Pbuh) said, “Verily, he praised Allah, and you did not praise Allah.” [Muslim, 2991]

And in another Hadeeth, Abu Moosa Al-Ash’aree (R.A) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) say, “When one of you sneezes and then praises Allah, then Shammitooh (i.e., then say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you’); and if he does not praise Allah, then do not Tushamitooh (i.e., do not say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’).” [Muslim, 2992]

Question: For one to say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ does he have to actually have heard the sneezer say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ or is it enough for him to know (and not hear) that the sneezer said it?

Answer: The stronger view in this matter is that it is sufficient for one to be sure that the sneezer said, ‘All praise is to Allah’; it is not so important to hear a person say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ as it is for that person to actually have said it. One example of this occurring is for a deaf person to see someone sneeze and then read his lips to know whether he praised Allah or not.

Question: When a person who sneezes forgets to praise Allah (Swt) should those who heard him remind him to say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ so that they can then invoke Allah (Swt) to have mercy on him?

Answer: Some scholars, such as An-Nakha’ee and An-Nawawee, maintain that one should remind him; they say that do so is a form of cooperating with others in matters of righteousness, of sincerely advising others, and of ordering others to what is good. Yet other scholars, such as Ibn Al-‘Arabee and Ibn Al-Qayyim, maintain that he should not be reminded. Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said, “The outward action in the Sunnah supports the view of Ibn Al-Arabee: the Prophet (Pbuh) did not say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ to the person who sneezed without then saying, ‘All praise is to Allah’; nor did the Prophet (Pbuh) remind him to praise Allah (Swt). This was a form of reproach for the man: he was made to be deprived of the blessings of supplication, because he deprived himself of the blessings of praising Allah…Had reminding a person who forgets to say ‘All praise is to Allah’ [after sneezing] been Sunnah, the Prophet (Pbuh) would have been the first to apply this practice and teach it to others (but he did not do so, even though a suitable situation presented itself to him; hence, it is Sunnah to not remind a person who sneezes to say ‘All praise is to Allah’)…”

3) The Sunnah Is For The Sneezer To Speak First, By Saying, “All Praise Is For Allah,” or, “All Praise Is For Allah, Upon Every Condition [That One Finds Himself To Be In].”

Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported that the Prophet (Pbuh) said, “When one of you sneezes, then let him say, ‘Alhamdulillah (All praise is to Allah).”

Abu Daawood’s narration is worded thus: “Then let him say, ‘All praise is to Allah, upon every condition.'” [Ahmad, 8417]

4) When One Hears Someone Sneeze, It Is Sunnah For Him To Say, “Yarhamukallah (May Allah have mercy on you).”

This ruling is based on the preceding Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (R.A) in which he related that the Prophet (Pbuh) said, “When one of you sneezes, then let him say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ and let his brother or companion say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ …”

5) After the sneezer hears someone say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ it is Sunnah for him to then say, ‘May Allah guide you and rectify your situation,’ or, ‘May Allah have mercy on us and you, and may He forgive us and you.’

In the previously related Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (R.A) the Prophet said, “When one of you sneezes, then let him say, ‘All praise is to Allah,’ and let his brother or companion say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ And when he (the brother or companion) says, ‘May Allah have mercy on you, then let him (the sneezer) say, ‘May Allah guide you and rectify your situation.”‘

And in another Hadeeth, Naa’fai related from Ibn ‘Umar (R.A) that, “When ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (R.A) would sneeze, and when it would then be said to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ he (R.A) would say, ‘May Allah have mercy on us and you, and may He (Swt) forgive us and you.”‘ [Maalik, 1800]

6) One Should Try To Keep The Sound Of His Sneeze As Low As Possible

When one sneezes, the sound he makes is often loud and annoying to others; it is therefore recommended for him to keep the sound of his sneeze as low as possible, by placing his hand or his clothes over his face. When one sneezes, a great deal of spray (at least most of the time) comes out of his mouth, which is another reason why he should place his hand over his mouth. Abu Hurairah (R.A) related this Hadeeth: “When the Prophet (Pbuh) would sneeze, he (Pbuh) would cover his face with his hand or with his garment, and with it (i.e., with his hand or garment) he would lower the sound of it (i.e., of the sneeze).”

7) One Should Say, “May Allah Have Mercy On You” For Three Sneezes; If The Other Person Sneezes More Than That, Then He Has A Cold

Salamah Ibn Al-Akwa’ (R.A) reported that he (R.A) heard the Prophet (Pbuh) say after a man sneezed in his presence, “May Allah have mercy on you.” The man then sneezed again, and the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said to him, “The man is suffering from a cold.” [Ahmad, 16066]

Other narrations indicate that one should say ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ for three sneezes. Abu Hurairah (R.A) said, “Shammit (i.e., say, ‘May. Allah have mercy on you’) to your brother three times; if he [sneezes] more than that, then he has a cold.’ [Abu Daawood, 5034] An-Nawawee said, “Concerning the issue in question, scholars disagree. Ibn Al-‘Arabee Al-Maalikee said: It has been said that it should be said to him the second time, ‘You are suffering from a cold’; others said that, ‘You are suffering from a cold,’ should be said to him the third time; yet others maintain that it should be said to him on the fourth time. The strongest view in the matter is that, ‘You are suffering from a cold,’ should be said to him the third time. One is in effect saying, ‘You are not from those to whom Tashmeet (to say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you’) should be said after this, because what you are afflicted with is a cold and a sickness, and not the mildness of a simple sneeze.”‘ That the Prophet (Pbuh) said, “The man is suffering from a cold,”

suggests that others should then invoke Allah (Swt) to cure him, for a cold is a kind of sickness.

8) If Someone From The People Of The Dhimmah (Jews And Christians Who Live Under The Protection And Safety Of The Muslims, By Agreement) Sneezes, It Is Permissible For A Muslim To Then Say To Him, “May Allah Guide You And Rectify Your Situation.”

Abu Moosa (R.A) said, “The Jews would feign sneezing in the presence of the Prophet (Pbuh) hoping that hem would say to them, “May Allah have mercy on you.’

But he (Pbuh) would [instead] say, ‘May Allah guide you and rectify your situation.”‘ [Abu Daawood, 5038] Therefore, it is permissible to invoke Allah (Swt) to guide them to the truth – if they praise Allah after they sneeze – but one should not invoke Allah (Swt) to have mercy on them or to forgive them, for they are not worthy of such supplications.

Related Issue: It is permissible for a person who sneezes during prayer to say, ‘Alhamdulillah (All praise is for Allah),’ but it is not permissible for those who hear him (if they too are praying) to respond with, Yarhamukallah (May Allah have mercy on you). [Fataawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Daaimah, 2677/7/30]

The Manners Of Yawning

When one feels the need to yawn, he should try to suppress it, for it is from the Shaitaan (the Devil). Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported, in a Hadeeth that we have hitherto mentioned, that the Prophet (Pbuh) said, “…As for yawning, then it is from the Shaitaan only…”

An-Nawawee said, “Yawning usually occurs when the body is heavy, full, relaxed, and inclined towards laziness. It is ascribed to the Shaitaan because he is the one who invites people to follow lusts. [Another] intended meaning here is a warning against doing that act which results in yawning: eating too much and too frequently.”

As for suppressing a yawn, doing so is recommended. Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said, “Yawning is from the Shaitaan (the Devil), so if one of you yawns, then let him hold it back as much as he can; for indeed, when one of you says, ‘Haa (in the act of yawning),’ the Shaitaan laughs.”

Ahmad related it with this wording: “Then let him hold it back as much as he can, and let him not say, ‘Ahh Ahh,’ for indeed, when one of you opens his mouth, the Shaitaan laughs at him or [laughs] because of him.” [Muslim, 2994]

Abu Sa’eed AI-Khudree (R.A) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said, “When one of you yawns, then let him hold his hand over his mouth, for indeed, the Shaitaan [otherwise] enters.”

Ahmad related the Hadeeth thus: “When one of you yawns during prayer, then let him place his hand over his mouth, for verily, the Shaitaan enters with a yawn.” [Ahmad,  10930] One can suppress a yawn by controlling one’s mouth, making an effort not to allow it to open; by putting pressure on one’s lips with one’s teeth; by placing one’s hand or garment over one’s mouth; or by doing something similar to achieve the same effect.

Related Issue: Some people resort to seeking refuge from the Shaitaan (the Devil) when they yawn; this practice is wrong from two angles: First, a person who does so has innovated by introducing the saying of an invocation which the Prophet (Pbuh) did not legislate (i.e., the Prophet (Pbuh) did not legislate it for that occasion). Second, he forsakes a Sunnah practice that the Prophet (Pbuh) commanded every Muslim to perform upon yawning; that practice is to suppress the yawn as much as one can, with one’s garment or hand, or through the use of any other means.