Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #35

Etiquette of yawning

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (4/439-440) of Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله]

Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Allaah likes sneezing and dislikes yawning, so if someone sneezes and then praises Allaah (by saying: al-Hamdulillaah), then it is obligatory on every Muslim who heard him, to say:

يرحمك الله

(Yarhamuk-Allaah)

May Allaah be merciful to you.

But as regards yawning, it is from Shaitaan, so one must try one's best to stop it, if one says 'Ha' when yawning, Satan will laugh at him.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6223, 6226)]

Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

And as for yawning, then it is from Shaitaan and that is why Allaah dislikes it. Why? Because yawning is an indication of laziness (slothfulness) and that is why the yawning increases when a person is sleepy which shows the person’s disinclination (to continue further) and this is why Allaah dislikes it.

So when a person yawns, the first thing he should do is try to stop it, i.e. by suppressing it. The scholars have said that when you want to suppress it, you should bite your lower lip, not that you bite it severely to hurt it, but bite it only to the extent that your mouth does not open. The most important is that you stop it, either by this method or other than it, and if you fail to suppress it (this way) then you should place your hand over your mouth. [1]

And what some of the scholars - Allaah have mercy on them - have mentioned about that you should place the back of the hand over the mouth; then there is no basis for this. Rather one should place the inside of his hand (the palm) over his mouth to block it (completely).

The reason for this is that when a person yawns, the Shaitaan laughs at him, because the Shaitaan knows that this is the sign of the person’s slothfulness and slackness. Shaitaan loves that the son of Aadam be lazy and slack - we seek Allaah’s refuge for us and for you from this - and he hates the person who is active, hardworking and is always full of energy. So when you feel a yawn coming, you should try to suppress it and stop it, and this is the Sunnah, and this is better, but if you fail to stop it, then place the hand over the mouth.

But should one say:

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

(A`oodhu billaahi min al-shaitaan al-rajeem)

I seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaitaan?

No, because nothing such is reported from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us what to do when there is a yawn coming, but he did not inform us to say such and such. Rather he صلى الله عليه وسلم said to stop it or to cover the mouth with the hand, but he did not instruct us to say: “A`oodhu billaahi min al-shaitaan al-rajeem”. And what has become famous with some of the people is that when they yawn they say: “A`oodhu billaahi min al-shaitaan al-rajeem”, this has no basis. Acts of `Ibaadah are based on the Sharee`ah and not on desires.

Some people said: “Does not Allaah says:

{وإما ينزغنك من الشيطان نزغ فاستعذ بالله إنه سميع عليم}

{And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitaan then seek refuge with Allaah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower} [Surah al-A`raaf (7): 200]

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that the yawning is from Shaitaan, so isn’t this evil?”

We say: No, you have misunderstood the Verse. The Verse means, the inclination to do evil or to leave of the Obligatory (acts of `Ibaadah), this is all evil suggestion from Shaitaan, as Allaah تعالى said in this verse, Shaitaan wants to tempt them towards evil. So Shaitaan’s temptation is to draw people towards sins and discourage them from righteousness, so if you feel such temptations then say: “A`oodhu billaahi min al-shaitaan al-rajeem”. But as for yawning, then the practical Sunnah in this is to suppress it as much as possible and if one is unable to, then to place the hand over the mouth.

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[1] The Hadeeth on placing the hand over the mouth when yawning:

Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Sneezing is from Allaah and yawning is from the devil. So when one of you yawns, let him put his hand over his mouth; but when he says, ‘Ah, ah,’ the devil laughs from inside his mouth. And Allaah likes the sneeze but dislikes yawning. When a man who yawns says, ‘Ah, ah,’ the devil laughs inside his mouth.” [Tirmidhee (2746) and graded as “Hasan-Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]