Children’s hadīth

Who Was the First to Sneeze

Mawlana Muhammad Jawayd Attari Madani

The final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:

اِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ العُطَاسَ

“Allah indeed loves the sneeze.”^{^[1]}

Sneezing is also referred to as ʿaṭasa in Arabic.

Sneezing is a good thing. It clears the mind and freshens the disposition.

The first person to sneeze was Prophet Ādam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام, after which he said, al-ḥamdu lilāh rabbi’l ʿālamīn (اَلْحَمْدُ لِلہِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَ). Allah then declared, “I created you solely for My praise.”^{^[2]}

When you sneeze, remember to cover your mouth with a tissue or your arm, bow your head, and try to keep the sound as low as possible. It is not nice to make a loud noise when sneezing. Also, when you sneeze be careful not to let the mucus from your mouth or nose fall on someone else. After sneezing, say, al-ḥamdu lilāh (الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ). If someone else sneezes and says this, respond by saying, yar ḥamukallāh (یَرْحَمُکَ اللہ).

Protection for teeth: Whoever says, al-ḥamdu lillāhī ʿalā kulli ḥāl (اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ عَلٰی کُلِّ حَال), after sneezing and then runs his tongue over all his teeth, he will, if Allah wills, be protected from dental diseases.^{^[3]} May Allah grant us the ability to act upon the etiquettes of sneezing.