It was reported by Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: “Allah likes the act of sneezing and dislikes the act of yawning, so if any one of you sneezes and praises Allah (says “al-hamdu Lillaah”), it is a duty on every Muslim who hears him to say to him, “Yarhamuk-a Allah (May Allah have mercy on you).” As for yawning, it is from the Shaitan (the Devil), so if any of you feels the urge to yawn, he should suppress it as much as he can, for when any one of you yawns, the Shaitan laughs at him.” (Al-Bukhari)
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), who said “Yarhamuk-a Allah” to one of them, but not to the other. The one to whom he did not say it said: “So and so sneezed, and you said ‘Yarhamuk-a Allah’ to him; I sneezed but you did not say it to me.” The Prophet said, “He praised Allah (said ‘al-hamdu Lillaah’) and you did not.” (Al-Bukhaari)
Indeed, sneezing releases vapors that were trapped in the head which, if they were to remain there, would cause him pain and sickness. That is why Islam tells Muslims to say Alhamdulillah and praise Allah the Almighty for this blessing.
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