Responding to a Sneeze

Dar al-Ifta Ahl al-Sunnah

Mufti Abu Muhammad Ali Asghar Attari Madani

1. Responding to a sneeze

Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: as written in Bahār-e-Sharīʿat, if someone sneezes and does not utter hamd, replying is not necessary. The question is regarding a person who sneezes and say اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه quietly. Those around him do not hear him say it, and they remain unaware as to whether he has said اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه or not. In this scenario, is it necessary to reply to the sneeze?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: Replying to a sneeze is necessary when the person who sneezed says اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه in an audible tone. Therefore, if a person sneezes and says اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه quietly, to the extent that nobody around him hears this, it will not be necessary to reply. However, the scholars mention another point in this discussion. They say that if you are unaware if a person has said اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه or not, the following conditional answer should be given, “If you have said اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه, then I say یَرْحَمُکَ الـلّٰــه in reply.”

It should remain clear that if a person sneezes and says اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه among a large group of people, it is enough for one of them to say یَرْحَمُکَ الـلّٰــه in reply. In this manner, the duty (wājib) of replying shall be fulfilled on behalf of them all, and it is not necessary for each one of them to reply.

A hadīth mentions:

فاذا عطس فحمد الله فحق علی کل مسلم سمعه ان یشمته

“Whenever someone sneezes and praises Allah upon it, it is necessary for everyone who heard it to reply.”^[1]

We find in Lamʿāt al-Tanqīḥ:

فان لم یحمد لم یستحق الجواب، وان اخفی بحیث لم یسمعہ الحاضر لم یلزمه ایضاً

“If the person who sneezed did not praise Allah, they are not deserving of a reply. If they praised Allah quietly, such that those around them did not hear, it is still not necessary to reply.”^[2]

It is stated in Radd al-Muḥtār:

اذا عطس رجل ولم یسمع منه تحمید یقول من حضرہ یرحمک الله ان کنت حمدت الله تعالٰی

“If someone sneezed and was not heard to praise Allah afterwards, those present should say, ‘If you praised Allah, then یَرْحَمُکَ الـلّٰــه.’”^[3]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

2. Joining the congregation when the imam is in the second prostration of the first unit of salah

Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: a person comes to the masjid, finding the imam in the second prostration of the first unit of salah. He has missed participating in the first unit altogether, and will make up for this once the imam has offered salam. Can this person join the imam whilst the latter is in the second prostration? If he joins, will he have to perform the first prostration that he missed or stand up with the imam?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: If a person finds the imam performing the second prostration of a unit in salah, he should join in the following manner: whilst standing, he should firstly say takbīr taḥrīma, then recite takbir again whilst going into prostration, joining the imam. In this case, it is not mandatory for the follower to make up the first prostration, which the imam has already performed. Rather, when he makes up the unit he missed, the prostrations of this unit will be fulfilled.

In such a case, it is not sinful for a person to wait for the imam to stand before joining salah. Nevertheless, it is recommended (mustaḥabb) to join salah in whatever state the imam is in, and to not wait.

It is narrated:

قال رسول الله صلی الله تعالی علیه وسلم اذا اتی احدکم الصلاۃ والامام علی حال فلیصنع کما یصنع الامام

“When any of you come for salah and the imam is in any state, he should do what the imam is doing.”^[4]

A hadith reads:

فما ادرکتم فصلوا وما فاتکم فاتموا

“Offer whatever you find of salah with the imam and make up whatever you missed.”^[5]

Imam Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه adds:

فیه استحباب الدخول مع الامام فی ای حالة وجدہ علیھا

 “We come to learn from this blessed hadith that a person should join salah in whatever state he finds the imam to be; this is recommended.”^[6]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

3. Uttering, “I take an oath by Allah and His Messenger that I will not do this”

Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: on page 302 of Bahar-e-Sharīʿat’s second volume, the 14^th ruling mentioned is, “It is not considered an oath to say, ’I take an oath by Allah and His Messenger that I will not do this.’” Why is this not considered an oath despite the word “oath” being used?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَاب

A: There are several conditions for a recognised oath to be enacted. One of them is to mention the name of Allah, alongside whatever an oath is being taken upon, uninterruptedly. If there is an interval between the two, an oath is not enacted. Within the statement found in Bahar-e-Sharīʿat, “I take an oath by Allah and [I take an oath] by His Messenger,” the phrase “I take an oath by His Messenger” cannot become an oath. Between the phrases of “I take oath by Allah” and “I will not do this,” the phrase “and I take oath by His Messenger” has caused a break. For this reason, this entire sentence cannot be considered an oath.^[7]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم