The one who sneezes
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Alhamdu lillah.
Praise be to Allah.
Plain text (no diacritics)
الحمد لله
Dua for Sneezing
A sneeze is an unnoticed blessing — the expulsion of what harms the body. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Allah loves sneezing and dislikes yawning' (al-Bukhari), and gave it a sunnah of three steps shared between two people.
One subtlety: it is conditional on praise. 'If one of you sneezes and praises Allah, respond to him; if he does not praise Allah, do not respond' (Muslim). The response is the reward of a remembrance, not a social courtesy.
Whoever hears him
يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ
Yarhamukallah.
May Allah have mercy on you.
Plain text (no diacritics)
يرحمك الله
The reply
يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ
Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
May Allah guide you and set your affairs right.
Plain text (no diacritics)
يهديكم الله ويصلح بالكم
The three steps
- 1 — The one who sneezes says: 'Alhamdulillah.'
- 2 — Whoever hears says: 'Yarhamukallah' — may Allah have mercy on you.
- 3 — The one who sneezed replies: 'Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.'
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Common questions
Should I respond to someone who sneezed without praising Allah?
No — 'if he praises Allah, respond to him; if he does not, do not' (Muslim). You may gently remind him.