The short answer
What to say when someone sneezes in Islam: the sneezer says Alhamdulillah, the person who hears says Yarhamukallah, and the sneezer answers Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum. Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 sets out these three turns in that order, graded sahih (authentic) in the collection. The report says nothing about the heart, so that question is answered separately below.
What is the complete exchange?
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 sets out three turns. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports them from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. A hadith is a transmitted report attributed to the Prophet.
- The person who sneezes says Alhamdulillah.
- Their brother or companion, another Muslim who hears the sneeze, says Yarhamukallah.
- The person who sneezed, answering, says Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 (the three turns)
إِذَا عَطَسَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَلْيَقُلْ لَهُ أَخُوهُ أَوْ صَاحِبُهُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ. فَإِذَا قَالَ لَهُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ. فَلْيَقُلْ يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ
Alhamdulillah. Yarhamukallah. Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
The sneezer says Praise be to Allah. The person who hears says May Allah have mercy on you. The sneezer answers with a prayer that Allah guides the listener and sets their affairs right.
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6224
What do the phrases mean?
Yarhamukallah asks Allah to have mercy on the other person. The exchange starts with praise and ends with a prayer for guidance and an improved condition. These are plain-English glosses of the wording in Sahih al-Bukhari 6224.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Alhamdulillah | Praise be to Allah. |
| Yarhamukallah | May Allah have mercy on you. |
| Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum | May Allah guide you and put your affairs right. |
You may also see Yarhamukallah written as "yarhamuk allah". That spacing does not add another turn to the exchange. The Arabic source gives the wording to learn.
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6224
What did the Prophet do when a sneezer did not praise Allah?
In Sahih al-Bukhari 6221 he did not say the mercy prayer to the man who did not praise Allah. The report describes two men sneezing in the Prophet's presence. Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet said the mercy prayer to one of them and not to the other. Asked why, the Prophet said that the one had praised Allah when he sneezed, and the other had not.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6221
عَطَسَ رَجُلاَنِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَشَمَّتَ أَحَدَهُمَا وَلَمْ يُشَمِّتِ الآخَرَ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ فَقَالَ " هَذَا حَمِدَ اللَّهَ، وَهَذَا لَمْ يَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ
Two men sneezed in the Prophet's presence. He said the mercy prayer to one of them and not the other. When asked, he said that one praised Allah and the other did not.
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6221
The report describes that case only. It does not cover someone who spoke too softly to be heard, forgot the words, or is still learning them. For a personal question about the ruling, ask a scholar you trust.
Does your heart stop when you sneeze?
No. General medical information from Cleveland Clinic says an ordinary sneeze does not stop the heart, although it can slow the heart rate for a short time (source M). This is medical information, not a religious ruling or a diagnosis.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 gives the exchange and says nothing about the heart. Linking the exchange to a heart explanation would add something the report does not say.
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6224
If sneezing brings on symptoms that worry you, such as fainting or dizziness, speak to your GP. The exchange does not depend on any medical claim.
How can I learn the replies?
Our practice dialogue uses the source's sequence. It is a learning aid, not an additional report.
| Speaker | Practice line |
|---|---|
| Person who sneezed | Alhamdulillah. |
| Companion | Yarhamukallah. |
| Person who sneezed | Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum. |
Read the turns together, then cover one line and recall it. Swap roles so that you learn both replies. The longer final phrase can be practised separately before you return to the whole exchange.
To learn Alhamdulillah on its own, use the Alhamdulillah lesson. The Bismillah and Assalamu alaikum lessons cover other everyday words without mixing their situations with sneezing.
I knew Alhamdulillah and Yarhamukallah from home, but nobody had told me there was a reply after that. At a friend's house his dad sneezed, I said Yarhamukallah, and he said something back I did not catch. On the walk home my friend wrote it on my hand.
Try it: four questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1Which phrase begins the exchange?
Answer: Alhamdulillah. The sneezer says Alhamdulillah first. Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 gives that order. Source 1
2Who says Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum?
Answer: The person who sneezed, answering the companion. The report gives this reply to the sneezer, after the companion has said Yarhamukallah. Source 1
3Does Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 say the heart stops when someone sneezes?
Answer: No, the report does not mention the heart. The report gives the exchange only. The separate medical source explains that an ordinary sneeze does not stop the heart. Source 1
4In Sahih al-Bukhari 6221, why did the Prophet say the mercy prayer to only one of two sneezers?
Answer: One had praised Allah when sneezing and the other had not. The report gives that reason when the Prophet was asked. It gives no other reason. Source 2
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
The Prophet told a person who sneezes to say al-hamdu lillah; the one who hears says yarhamuk Allah, and the sneezer replies yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6224 Book 78, Hadith 248
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 2
Two men sneezed in the Prophet's presence. He said the mercy prayer to the one who praised Allah when he sneezed, and did not say it to the other, who did not praise Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6221 Book 78, Hadith 245
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- M
Does your heart stop when you sneeze? General medical information, used only for the medical answer on this page. It is not a religious source and not a ruling.
Cleveland Clinic, "Does Your Heart Really Stop When You Sneeze?" (13 February 2026) Read on 27 October 2026.
Next
- AlhamdulillahPhrase lesson
- Jazakallah khairDua lesson
- Backbiting in IslamManners lesson
- Anger in IslamGuide
For your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
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