When the time drew near to breathe the spirit into Adam, as Allah decreed, He commanded the angels: "When I breathe My spirit into him prostrate before him." Allah breathed His spirit into Adam and when it reached his head Adam sneezed. The angels said: "Say all praise belongs to Allah." Adam repeated: "All praise belongs to Allah." Allah said to him: "Your Lord has granted you mercy."
(Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir)
Sneezing Unit Study Ideas
- Why Do We Sneeze?
- Islamic Etiquette for Sneezing:
- The Command to Respond to a Sneeze
- When Someone Sneezes Repeatedly
- Covering Your Mouth When Sneezing
- What to Do When a Non-Muslim Sneezes
- Printable - Duaas for Sneezing (see below)
Why Do We Sneeze?
Find out what causes us to sneeze from these sites:
- “Sneezing” – Kids’ Health – (written for younger kids) - what causes sneezing, what happens when you sneeze, interesting facts about sneezing, sneezing in different cultures
- “What Makes Me Sneeze?” – Kidshealth.org
Duaa for Sneezing
Sneezing in Prayer
Fatwa no. 16903
Q: If a person sneezes while offering salah (Prayer), should they say “Alhamdu lillah [All praise is due to Allah]“? Also, if a person yawns while offering Salah, do they have to say Isti`adhah (saying: “A`udhu-Billahi mina Al-Shaytan -ir-Rajim [I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan]“)?
A: If a person offering Salah sneezes, they should say, “Alhamdulillah” in a low voice; because there are authentically reported Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that indicate the permissibility of saying so. As for Isti`adhah after yawning, there is no origin for it in the Shari`ah (Islamic law). However, the person who yawns should hold themselves from yawning as much as they can, but there is no problem if they say Isti`adhah while yawning in or outside Salah.Source: alifta.com
Source: Salaf us Saalih.com (originally from Alifta.net)
Question:
One of the people being led in prayer next to me sneezed and then said, “all praise is for Allah (al-Hamdullilah)” while in prayer. Is this permissible to do in prayer, and how should one respond?
Answer:
When one being led in prayer sneezes, then it is prescribed for that person to praise Allah. This is based on the narration of Mu’aadh bin Rifaa’ah bin Raafi’ from his father, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said,
“I prayed behind the Prophet, peace be upon him, when I sneezed and said al-Hamdullilah, Hamdan Katheeran, Tayeeban Mubaarakan feeh, Mubaarkan ‘alayhi Kamaa Yuhibu Rabbanaa wa Yardhaa (All praise is for Allah, many pure blessings, blessings upon him as our Lord loves and is pleased with).” So when the Prophet finished praying, peace be upon him, he asked who had spoken during prayer but no one answered. Then he asked a second time who had spoken so Rifaa’ah said, “I did Messenger of Allah.” Then he asked him what he had said and Rifaa’ah told him. The Prophet, peace be upon him said: (By the One who my soul is in His hand, I saw thirty or so angels scrambling to see which one would take it up to heaven.)
This narration is related by at-Tirmidhee who said it was a good narration as well as an-Nisaa’ee. Therefore this companion praised Allah after sneezing while he was in prayer and the Prophet, peace be upon him, approved this action, so this proves its permissibility.
From the Legal Rulings of His Eminence ash-Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin ‘Abdullah Aali ash-Shaykh from the magazine Majallat-ul-Buhooth al-Islaamiyyah pages 42-43.
Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee – may Allah guide him
