My husband sneezed. I said: "Bless you".

Someone around mentioned that I must say: "yer7amak Allah" (May Allah have mercy on you) instead of "bless you".

We had an arguement that took us nowhere :rolleyes:

Islamically, does it really matter what language you use or what words you use when they all eventually mean the same thing?

Haha. This is argument #281 on my 'arguments with my husband' file.

I still say bless you. And he still hates it.

It's all the same in the end. The whole "bless you" "and yerhamek allah/hamdulillah" thing are born of "superstitions".

People think your heart stopped (heart failure) and restarted everytime you sneeze. They still do, even though medical sciences proves it to be false.

What can you do? :hmm:

Bless you doesn't hold the same meaning of: may God show you mercy.

If your husband wants you to use the known Du'aa, then say it, won't kill you, you'll make your husband happy and also be a way of praying for him.

the bless you is a superstition.
it comes from the old wives tale that when a baby sneezed, the devil was trying to play with it. so you say 'God bless you' to ward off the devil.
that's as far as i know.

nothing wrong with saying 'God bless you', although sometimes i do say 'Go and grab a tissue, and don't sneeze on me you so and so'.

Well, here's something that is NOT a myth:
When you sneeze the sneeze comes out at a speed of 150 km/hr. THAT could break your neck!

And...For Muslims the saying, 'Yerhamk Allah' we do NOT consider it a superstitious act. It is done based on an instruction from the prophet PBUH.

It means the same to me, since you mean well. It's all to do with your intentions. I don't think language matters when it comes to religion.

Well, here's something that is NOT a myth:
When you sneeze the sneeze comes out at a speed of 150 km/hr. THAT could break your neck!

And...For Muslims the saying, 'Yerhamk Allah' we do NOT consider it a superstitious act. It is done based on an instruction from the prophet PBUH.
Ok so if it could break your neck.. why doesn't it?

Why hasn't anyone ever broken his neck and died from a sneeze?

And why did the prophet instruct that? What's the reasoning behind it?

And another question.. does God only understand Arabic?

does God only understand Arabic?


I think I wrote: 'May God show you mercy'. Which is what Yerhamkom Allah means.

Islamically, does it really matter what language you use or what words you use when they all eventually mean the same thing?

You should follow the prophet teachings, here is the hadeeth with complete explanation:

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Ash-Shaikh 'Abdur-Rahmaan As-Sa'dee's explanation of the hadeeth regarding the Muslim's rights Abu Hurayrah (radhiyallaahu 'anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim are six." It was said, "And what are they Oh Messenger of Allaah?" He replied, "When you meet him, give him the greeting of peace, when he invites you, respond to his invitation, when he seeks your advice, advise him, when he sneezes and praises Allaah, supplicate for mercy upon him, when he becomes ills, visit him, and when he dies follow him (i.e. his funeral)."

This hadeeth was reported by Muslim.These six rights, whoever establishes them in dealing with the Muslims, then his establishing things other than them (from the obligations) are even more important (or necessary). And his doing these things results in him fulfilling these obligations and rights, which contain an abundance of good and tremendous reward from Allaah.

The First Right:
"When you meet him, give him the greeting of peace." For verily the greeting of peace is a cause of love, which results in producing faith (Al-Eemaan), which results in the person entering the Paradise. This is as Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "By the o*ne in Whose Hand is my soul, you all will not enter into the Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love each other. Shall I not direct you to something that if you do it, you will love each other? Spread the greeting of peace amongst yourselves."

The greeting of peace is from the virtuous characteristics of Islaam. For verily each of the two people who meet each other supplicates for the other for safety from evils, and mercy, and blessing that brings about every good. And what follows this is a cheerful face and appropriate words of greeting which result in unity and love, and it removes feelings of estrangement and cold disassociation. Thus, giving the greeting of peace is the right of the Muslim, and it is obligatory upon the person who is greeted to return greeting with a similar greeting or o*ne that is better than it. And the best of the people are those who start the greeting of peace first.

The Second Right:
"When he invites you, respond to his invitation." This means that when he invites you with an invitation to some food and drink, then fulfill the request of your brother who has drawn near to you and honored you with the invitation. Respond to his invitation (i.e. accept it), unless you have an excuse.

The Third Right:
His statement, "And when he seeks your advice, advise him." This means that if he seeks consultation with you regarding some action, as to whether he should do it or not, then advise him with that which you would like for yourself. Thus, if the action is something that is beneficial in all aspects, then encourage him to do that, and if it is something harmful, then warn him against it. And if the action contains both benefit and harm, then explain that to him and weigh the benefits against the harms. Likewise, if he consults with you concerning some dealing with someone among the people, or whether he should marry a woman off to someone, or whether he should marry someone, then extend your pure and sincere advice to him, and deal with him from the view point of what you would do for you own self. And avoid deceiving him in any matter of these things. For verily whoever deceives the Muslims, then he is not of them, and indeed he has left off the obligation of being sincere and advising. And this sincerity and advising is absolutely obligatory, however it becomes more emphasized when the person seeks your advice and he requests from you that you give him a beneficial opinion. For this reason the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) specifically mentioned it in this important situation. The explanation of the hadeeth, "The religion is sincerity", has already been mentioned previously (in this book) in a manner that suffices without us having to repeat the discussion here.

The Fourth Right:
"And when he sneezes and praises Allaah, then pray for mercy upon him." This is due to the fact that sneezing is a favor from Allaah, in the expelling of this congested air that is blocked in certain parts of the body of the human being. Allaah makes it easy for this air to have a passage out where it can exit, and thus the sneezing person feels relief. Thus, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) legislated that the person praise Allaah for this favor, and he legislated for his (Muslim) brother to say to him, "May Allaah have mercy upon you." He also commanded the person who sneezed to answer his (Muslim) brother by saying to him, "May Allaah guide you and set right your affairs." Therefore, whoever does not praise Allaah, then he does not deserve for others to pray for mercy upon him, and in this case he cannot blame anyone except himself. For he is the one who has caused himself to lose the two blessings: the blessing of praising Allaah, and the blessing of his brother's supplication for him that is a result of the praising.

The Fifth Right:
His statement, "And when he becomes ill, visit him." Visiting the sick is from the rights of the Muslim, and especially for the person who has a highly stressed and emphasized right upon you, like the relative, and the friend, and so forth. It is from the best of the righteous deeds. And whoever visits his Muslim brother, he remains engulfed in the mercy (of Allaah), and when he sits with him the mercy (of Allaah) covers him. And whoever visits the sick Muslim at the beginning of the day, the Angels send prayers of blessing upon him until evening comes, and whoever visits him at the end of the day, the Angels send prayers of blessing upon him until morning comes. It is desired for the person who visits the sick to supplicate for him to be cured and to make him feel at ease. He should ease his worries by giving him glad tidings of well-being and recovery (i.e. be positive). He should remind him of repentance and turning to Allaah, and he should give him beneficial admonition. He should not sit with him too long (i.e. over staying his welcome), rather he should o*nly sit with him long enough fulfill the right of visiting, unless the sick person is positively effected by many people coming in to see him and many people coming to sit with him. Thus, for each situation there is a different statement (i.e. advice o*n how to deal with it).

The Sixth Right:
His statement, "And if he dies, follow him (his funeral)." For verily whoever follows the funeral until the deceased's body is prayed over, then he will receive a Qeeraat of reward. (Translator's note: A Qeeraat is an amount equivalent to the size of the Mountain of Uhud in Madinah.) And if he follows the funeral procession until the body is buried, then he will receive two Qeeraats of reward. And following the funeral procession contains (fulfillment of) a right for Allaah, a right for the deceased, and a right for the living relatives of the deceased.Ash-Shaikh 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin Naasir As-Sa`dee (Rahimahullaah)

I think I wrote: 'May God show you mercy'. Which is what Yerhamkom Allah means.
and what's 'bless you' in arabic?

Barak Allah Feek = Bless you

Ok so if it could break your neck.. why doesn't it?

Why hasn't anyone ever broken his neck and died from a sneeze?

And why did the prophet instruct that? What's the reasoning behind it?

And another question.. does God only understand Arabic?
That's the whole point!
If it COULD and it NEVER DOES, that's a bless! Which is why you say, 'May God have mercy on you' or 'yerhamak Allah'. That could be one of the reasons behind the instruction.

The prophet's saying regarding what one should say to anyone who's sneezing was said in Arabic and it LITERALLY translates to, 'May Allah have mercy on you' not 'bless you' so (as far as I can tell) if you use the English wording it looks alright even though the Arabic wording is much faster to say, only two words: Yerhamak Allah. It's ridiculous to argue, really.

its not only about neck-breaking... there are other amazing things about sneezing. one's eye can pop out if he/she forced it open while sneezing; due to the pressure caused by speedy air out; if you noticed, every creature on this planet -including us- automatically shut its eyes; thats probably a "blessing" so that your eyes remain safe of harm! you dont need science to observe this phenomenon!

Another thing... ever felt how it feels like when you try to stop your sneezing air from reaching your throat? it really hurts; and yet never works. if anyone could stop himself from sneezing the air out; then he/she has simply could stop himself from living any longer... it could kill someone; and again, you dont need science to test how that works; i bet everyone has partially gone through this! so its -again- a great "blessing" that there is no wall in our throats to stop the sneezing!

"Bless You" is just a matter of realizing how great and blessful this life is; given that someone just sneezed and passed through all the deadly risks regardless of how small and tiny the action of sneezing is! and i believe god understands english; but he listens to your heart, not to your toungue :P lol. anyways, i usually say it in arabic.

Thalia, God understands more than one language.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/sneezing.htm

http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/blessyou.asp

I'd say bless and yerhammuk allah, depends on who am I speaking to.
I don't see what's the big deal. :os

Who woud have thought sneezing was so potentially dangerous. :rolleyes:

Do you also say yerhamok allah when something comes flying to your face and you automatically close your eyes? I mean.. you could be blinded!

There's also something called "reflexes".

I do understand though. People have for many years been fascinated with things they never quite understood too well.

Never mind me. I'm always looking for the explanation behind things. I still say Bless you, even though I think it's "for nothing".. It's still good manners to say it.

Just like I think it's bad manners to burp and not say "sorry" to the people unfortunate enough to be around you at the time.

Its sunnah and doesnt take a min or even a second to say it .. so I dont see any harm in saying the way its supposed to be said .. if you dont feel like it .. dont .. I doubt its a sin.

I tend to say it in Arabic, but I do "bless you" sometimes. I may correct someone if they say bless you, though:p

Who woud have thought sneezing was so potentially dangerous. :rolleyes:

Do you also say yerhamok allah when something comes flying to your face and you automatically close your eyes? I mean.. you could be blinded!

There's also something called "reflexes".

I do understand though. People have for many years been fascinated with things they never quite understood too well.

Never mind me. I'm always looking for the explanation behind things. I still say Bless you, even though I think it's "for nothing".. It's still good manners to say it.

Just like I think it's bad manners to burp and not say "sorry" to the people unfortunate enough to be around you at the time.

Well I understand where you come from. I was just stating the Muslim side of it or at least what seems to be the Muslim side of it to me. Whether you think it's dumb, stupid or something that's done purely out of superstition is obviously your own choice...

However, let's use your seemingly sarcastic example to explain this:
When something comes 'flying' at your face, you feel 'panic' and in that case you say, 'La Illah Illa Allah' ('There is no God but Allah') according to Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari references of Sunna :)

If you do get blind, something happened which you're not very 'happy' with but who knows what God had in store and in that case you say, 'God had made fate and whatever He wills He does' ('Qadar Allah wa ma Sha'a Fa'al). You would be at loss if you go, 'WHY! WHY AM I BLIND! WHY! HA, GOD? WHY AM I BLIND? WHAT DID I DO TO GET BLIND!' and you'll live your life in misery, denial and depression. You'll never get out of it. Religion (in general) puts the way out through faith and Islam (in particular) puts it through both faith coupled with dua'a and acceptance through literally 'communicating' with Allah SWT and remembering Him at all times.

You can get a du'aa almost for every situation in life, the small collection I own alone contains about 132 dua'a from the Sahih hadith and Sunna for 132 different situations. That doesn't mean we don't 'understand' what sneezing is just because we say 'Yerhmak Allah'. It's in the hadith and it's the Sunna of the prophet PBUH and the Qura'n instructs Muslims:
Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.

'Engaging much in the Praise of Allah' is making the remembering of Allah SWT with you in every situation, whether it be sneezing, traveling, when rain falls, when there's no rain, when you start eating, when you finish eating, everytime you can feel His grace and presence, that is His blessing and His greatness.

The Qura'n often mentions people who mention Allah's name while they are 'on their sides', i.e: even while they are about to sleep!

And by the way, my Pashtun friends tell me that if you ever burp/fart in a Pashtun gathering and you say, 'Sorry', you're being impolite. I hope they're not joking cause that way I can hit north Pakistan and be the politest person they ever saw :hyper:

Why would an Arab Muslim say “Bless you” to another Arab Muslim?
The hadith says “Yara7muk Allah” very clearly… it is not about the worldly meanings… it is also about following the Sunnah and mentioning Allah’s mercy…

We sneeze so much at work because of handling dusty military records I need to just tape record God Bless You since we say it so much.

Here is something funny about us….

In Arabic the subject and the verb can be placed interchangeably…
So “Ahmed goes to school” and “Goes Ahmed to school” have the same meangins , colloquially we use both but linguistically it has to do with the emphasis, if the action then the verb first and if it is the actor then the subject first… so it is exchangeable except for

Yarahmak Allah = God bless you ‘said after sneezing”
Allah Yarhmak = God have mercy on you, said for the dead.

The reply
Yahdeek Allah= May Allah bless you with the true guidance, used to wish guidance only.
Allah Yahdeed= the same but used for someone viewed led into error.

So here they are not interchangeable, the usage matters and they coulod be offensive if misused.

I say bless you to English speaking peeps.. And Yer7amak/ch Allah to the Arabs ;p

And that's for obvious reasons..
No english person is gonna understand yer7amak/ch Allah! ..
But Hopefuly those Arabs do, Cause I'd use it on everyone of em ;)

Saying Yar7amuka Allah is better than bless you.

Well, God bless all of y'all whether you sneezed or not!

Interesting replies :) Well, I don't always say "bless you", I do say "yar7amah Allah" sometimes too. It just depends on what comes out right then and there. And anyway, as some of you mentioned, it's all in the intentions and what you truly mean.

Myself, as a Muslim, I believe that Allah blesses everyone. I don't have to remind the person sneezing about that lol! I just thought there was something concrete and solid about what to say when someone sneezes.

Myself, as a Muslim, I believe that Allah blesses everyone. I don't have to remind the person sneezing about that lol! I just thought there was something concrete and solid about what to say when someone sneezes.

And this hadeeth is not something solid and concrete:

The rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim are six." It was said, "And what are they Oh Messenger of Allaah?" He replied, "When you meet him, give him the greeting of peace, when he invites you, respond to his invitation, when he seeks your advice, advise him, when he sneezes and praises Allaah, supplicate for mercy upon him, when he becomes ills, visit him, and when he dies follow him (i.e. his funeral)."

It is one of the rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim, it is amazing how muslims ignore the prophet sunnah and come up with words like "bless you" by following others blindly!

^ It doesn't say that I have to say "Yar7amak Allah"! My intentions are honest and that's what Allah cares about and is going to judge me upon :)

And as you said, it's sunnah, so it's not a MUST!

What does it says then?

Maybe you should read it in arabic.

Fllowing the sunnah shows your love to the prophet teachings and you will get more deeds.

when he sneezes and praises Allaah, supplicate for mercy upon him

So I can say: "May Allah have mercy on you" (in English), and that would be okay? You mean, as long as I say the word: "Allah" then I am fine!!

The words shouldn't be an issue!

"May Allah have mercy on you" is not same as "bless you", right?

But if you are saying to arabic person why say it in english, aren't you proud of your language?

They are the same thing! Atleast they mean the same thing and my intentions are honest.. and between me and Allah, that's what matters..

I did mention above that I say it in Arabic as well as English. It just depends on what comes out of me that time.. it's nothing to do with whether or not I am proud of my mother tongue language and I don't have to explain why I say it the way I do :D

No they are not the same thing, unless you can prove it? :D

i dont think there is any harm saying it as our prophet said, why not following the sunna, he didnt say "bless you" he said "yer7hamak allah" then 5alas it yer7mak allah".why then saying different words ???
lol

as briki said I don't see what's the big deal

No they are not the same thing, unless you can prove it? :D

Maybe you can sneeze one day in front of me, I'd say "bless you" and the effect will still be the same. That's the only way I could prove it :cute:

I say bless you to English speaking peeps.. And Yer7amak/ch Allah to the Arabs ;p

And that's for obvious reasons..
No english person is gonna understand yer7amak/ch Allah! ..
But Hopefuly those Arabs do, Cause I'd use it on everyone of em ;)

Same here .....