1. The one who sneezes
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Alḥamdulillāh
All praise is for Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224
Yarhamukallah, what to say when someone sneezes.
When you sneeze, say alhamdulillah. Whoever hears you replies yarhamukallah, "may Allah have mercy on you", and you answer yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
2. The one who hears repliesReply
يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ
Yarḥamukallāh
May Allah have mercy on you.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224
3. The sneezer answersReply
يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ
Yahdīkumullāhu wa yuṣliḥu bālakum
May Allah guide you and set your affairs right.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
Meaning, use and source.
The sunnah for a sneeze has three steps. The one who sneezes says alhamdulillah. Whoever hears it says yarhamukallah ("may Allah have mercy on you"). The sneezer then replies yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum ("may Allah guide you and set your affairs right").
All three come in one hadith: the Prophet ﷺ said, "When one of you sneezes, let him say alhamdulillah, and let his brother or companion say to him yarhamukallah. When he says yarhamukallah to him, let him say yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6224).
The forms of yarhamukallah
- Yarhamukallah to a man.
- Yarhamukillah to a woman.
- Yarhamukumullah to a group, or politely to anyone.
The sneezer's answer, yahdikumullah, uses the plural "you" even for one person, as in the hadith. Other wordings are reported from the Companions, such as yaghfirullahu lana wa lakum ("may Allah forgive us and you").
Only if they say alhamdulillah
Two men sneezed near the Prophet ﷺ. He said yarhamukallah to one and not the other. When asked why, he said: "This one praised Allah, and that one did not" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6225, Sahih Muslim 2991). So you reply only when you hear the sneezer praise Allah. It is good to gently remind someone, especially a child, to say alhamdulillah.
Repeated sneezes, and sneezes from non-Muslims
Reply to the first three sneezes. After that, the Prophet ﷺ said the person has a cold (Sahih Muslim 2993), and you can make dua for their health instead. When non-Muslims sneezed near the Prophet ﷺ he answered them with "yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum", a dua for guidance (Jami at-Tirmidhi 2739).
Is it obligatory to reply?
Hanafi position
When you hear a Muslim sneeze and say alhamdulillah, replying yarhamukallah is wajib. If several people hear it, one reply is enough for all.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Replying is a sunnah. In a group, one person's reply fulfils the sunnah for all (sunnah kifayah).
- Maliki and Hanbali
- Replying is obligatory, and in a group one reply covers everyone (fard kifayah) in the better-known view. Some scholars of both schools held it is due from each person who hears.
Spellings
You will see yarhamukallah, yarhamuk Allah, yarhamakallah and yar hamukallah. The careful transliteration is yarḥamukallāh, with the ḥ said from the throat.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6224.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6225; Sahih Muslim 2991.
- Sahih Muslim 2993.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 2739, graded hasan sahih.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wal-Ibahah, on tashmit al-atis. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What do you say when someone sneezes in Islam?
If they say alhamdulillah, reply yarhamukallah: may Allah have mercy on you.
What does the sneezer say back?
Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum: may Allah guide you and set your affairs right.
What does yarhamukallah mean?
May Allah have mercy on you. To a woman it is yarhamukillah, and to a group yarhamukumullah.
Do I reply if the person does not say alhamdulillah?
No. The Prophet ﷺ replied only to the one who praised Allah. You can remind them to say it.