6 reasons to say “Alhamdulillah” after Sneezing

Ever wondered why it is a sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to say Alhamdulillah after sneezing? We are going to share 6 reasons behind it.

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6 Etiquettes of Sneezing in Islam

There are certain etiquettes of saying Alhamdulillah after sneezing; 

1- At the time of sneezing, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to cover his face with his hand or with his garment, and muffle the sound with it. – Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2745

2- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When one of you sneezes he should say Alhamdulillah الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ“. – Riyad as-Salihin 879

3- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When a Muslim sneezes and says Alhamdulillah, it becomes obligatory on others who listen to him to say Yarhamuk-Allah يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ.” – Riyad as-Salihin 878

4- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When someone says Yarḥamukallāh to you then you should say يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ. – Hisn al-Muslim 188

5- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Reply three times to the sneezing person with Yarhamuk-Allah يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ. If he (sneezes) more, no need to reply. – Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2744

6- No need to say Yarhamuk-Allah if the person who sneezes does not say Alhamdulillah. – Sunan Ibn Majah 3713

Why do we say Alhamdulillah after sneezing?

There are certain scientific reasons we should thank Allah by saying Alhamdulling after sneezing;

1- Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses.

2- When you sneeze, your heart skips a beat but does not stop completely, and therefore, you should say Alhamdulillah that Allah did not stop your heart from beating. – UAMS Health

3- Sneezing is a fast action that releases 100,000 germs from our body in one go. – Success Signals a Guide to Reading Body Language.

4- It is that it is said that our soul would depart from our body through the nose. We should say Alhamdulillah after sneezing as he didn’t take our soul.

5- It also helps to reboot our nervous system clears the nose and allows breathing in healthy air.

6- Lastly, we should say Alhamdulillah after sneezing as it is said in a Hadith that “Allah likes sneezing and dislikes yawning”. If Allah has given us something he likes, we should be thankful to Him. – Sahih al-Bukhari 6223