Riyad as-Salihin

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When one of you sneezes and praises Allah (i.e., says Al-hamdu lillah), you should invoke Allah's Mercy upon him (i.e., say Yarhamuk-Allah); but if he does not praise Allah, you should not respond." .

When two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ), he responded to one with "Yarhamuk-Allah (may Allah have mercy on you)" and did not respond to the other. The latter said to him: "You invoked a blessing on this man but did not do so in my case." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "He praised Allah (i.e., he said 'Al-hamdu lillah') but you did not.".

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sneezed, he would cover his mouth with his hand or a piece of cloth - thereby suppressing the sound..

The Jews used to intentionally sneeze in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) hoping that he would say to them: 'Yarhamukum-ullah (may Allah have mercy on you),' but he would respond with: "Yahdikum-ullahu wa yuslihu balakum (may Allah guide you and render sound your state of affairs).".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When one yawns, he should put his hand over his mouth, otherwise the devil will enter.".

I asked Anas: "Did the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) use to shake hands?'' He said: "Yes.'' .

When the people of Yemen came, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The people of Yemen have visited you. They are the first to introduce the tradition of handshaking.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Two Muslims will not meet and shake hands without having their sins forgiven (by Allah ) before they depart.".

A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! When a man meets a brother or a friend, should he bow to him?" He said, "No." The man asked whether he should embrace and kiss him? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "No." He asked whether he should hold his hand and shake it? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "Yes.".

A Jew asked his companion to take him to the Prophet (ﷺ); and when they came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), they asked him about the nine clear signs (given to Prophet Musa). Safwan narrated the long Hadith which concludes: They kissed the hands and feet of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: "We testify that you are a Prophet."

"We came near the Prophet (ﷺ) and kissed his hand."

Zaid bin Harithah came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was in my house. Zaid knocked at the door. The Prophet (ﷺ) rose to receive him, trailing his garment. He embraced and kissed him..

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Do not belittle any good deed, even your meeting with your brother (Muslim) with a cheerful face.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) kissed his grandson Hasan bin 'Ali in the presence of Aqra' bin Habis. Thereupon Aqra' remarked: "I have ten children and I have never kissed any one of them." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cast a glance upon him and said, "He who does not show mercy to others, will not be shown mercy.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has ordered us to visit the sick, to follow the funeral (of a dead believer), respond to the sneezer (i.e., by saying to him: Yarhamuk-Allah after he says: Al-hamdu lillah), to help those who vow to fulfill it, to help the oppressed, to accept the invitation extended by the inviter; and to promote greetings (i.e., saying As-Salamu `Alaikum). .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim (i.e., he has to perform five duties for another Muslim): to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an invitation, to respond to the sneezer .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious will say on the Day of Resurrection: 'O son of Adam, I was ill but you did not visit Me.' He would say: 'O my Rubb, how could I visit you and You are the Rubb of the worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a slave of Mine was ill but you did not visit him? Did you not realize that if you had visited him (you would have known that I was aware of your visit to him, for which I would reward you) you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked food from you but you did not feed Me.' He would submit: 'My Rubb, how could I feed You and You are the Rubb of the worlds?' He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a slave of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him? Did you not realize that if you had fed him, you would certainly have found (its reward) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked water from you but you did not give it to Me.' He would say: 'My Rubb, how could I give You (water) and You are the Rubb of the worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Such and such a slave of Mine asked you for water to drink but you did not give it to him. Did you not realize that if you had given him to drink you would have found (its reward) with Me?"'.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Visit the sick, feed the hungry, and (arrange for the) release of the captive.'' .

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who visits his brother in Faith, will remain engaged in picking the fresh fruits from the garden of Jannah till he returns.".

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "When a Muslim visits a sick Muslim at dawn, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him till dusk. If he visits him in the evening, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him till the morning; and he will have (his share of) reaped fruits in Jannah.".

A young Jewish boy who was in the service of the Prophet (ﷺ) fell ill. The Prophet (ﷺ) went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him, "Embrace Islam." The little boy looked at his father who was sitting beside him. He said: "Obey Abul-Qasim (i.e., the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ))." So he embraced Islam and the Prophet (ﷺ) stepped out saying, "Praise be to Allah Who has saved him from Hell-fire." .

When a person complained to the Prophet (ﷺ) about an ailment or suffered from a sore or a wound, the Prophet (ﷺ) would touch the ground with his forefinger and then raise it (Sufyan bin `Uyainah, the narrator, demonstrated this with his forefinger) and would recite: `Bismil-lahi, turbatu ardina, biriqati ba`dina, yushfa bihi saqimuni, bi 'idhni Rabbina' (With the Name of Allah, the dust of our ground mixed with the saliva of some of us would cure our patient with the permission of our Rubb.'' .

When the Prophet (ﷺ) visited any ailing member of his family, he would touch the sick person with his right hand and would supplicate: "Allahumma Rabban-nasi, adhhibil-ba'sa, washfi, Antash-Shafi, la shifa'a illa shifa'uka, shifaan la yughadiru saqaman .

I said to Thabit (May Allah had Mercy upon him) Should I not perform Ruqyah (i.e., recite supplication or Quranic Ayat and blow) over you, such supplication as was practised by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" He said: "Please do so." Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) supplicated: "Allahumma Rabban-nasi, mudh-hibal-ba'si, ishfi Antash-Shafi, la shafiya illa Anta, shifa'an la yughadiru saqaman .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited me during my illness and supplicated, "O Allah! Cure Sa'd. O Allah! Cure Sa'd. O' Allah! Cure Sa'd.".

I complained to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about a pain I had in my body. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Place your hand where you feel pain and say: 'Bismillah (With the Name of Allah)' three times; and then repeat seven times: 'A'udhu bi'izzatillahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa 'uhadhiru (I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that afflicts me and that which I apprehend)."'.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who visits a sick person who is not on the point of death and supplicates seven times: As'alullahal-'Azima Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azimi, an yashfiyaka (I beseech Allah the Great, the Rubb of the Great Throne, to heal you), Allah will certainly heal him from that sickness.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) visited a bedouin who was sick. Whenever he visited an ailing person, he would say, "La ba'sa, tahurun in sha' Allah .

Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "O Muhammad (ﷺ)! Do you feel sick?" He (ﷺ) said, "Yes." Jibril supplicated thus (i.e., he performed Ruqyah): "Bismillahi arqika, min kulli shay'in yu'dhika, min sharri kulli nafsin aw 'ayni hasidi, Allahu yashfika, bismillahi arqika. .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If a person says: 'La ilaha illallahu wallahu Akbar (There is no true god except Allah and Allah is Greatest)', his Rubb responds to him and affirms: '(Yes!) There is no true god except I, and I am the Greatest.' When he says: 'La ilaha illallahu Wahdahu la sharika Lahu (There is no true god except Allah, the One, He has no partner).' Allah (SWT) affirms: '(Yes!) There is no true god except I. I have no partner.' When he says: 'La ilaha illallahu Lahul mulku wa Lahul-hamdu (the sovereignty belongs to Him and all the praise is due to Him).' He (SWT) affirms: '(Yes!) There is no true god except I, Mine is the praise and to Me belongs the sovereignty.' When he says: 'La ilaha illallahu wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah (There is no true god except Allah, and there is no might and power but with Allah).' He (SWT) affirms: '(Yes!) There is no true god except I, and there is no might and power but with Me."' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) added, "He who recites this during his illness and dies, will not be touched by the Fire (Hell).".

When `Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) came out after visiting the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during his last illness, the people asked: "How is Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), O Abul-Hasan?'' He replied: "Praise be to Allah, he (ﷺ) is feeling better.'' .

While the Prophet (ﷺ) was reclining against me (during his last illness) I heard him saying: "Allahumma-ghfir li, warhamni, wa alhiqni bir Rafiqil-A`la (O Allah, forgive me, bestow Your Mercy on me and let me join with the exalted companions.'' .

I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was at the point of death. He had a drinking bowl with water in it. He would dip his hand into the bowl, and wipe his face. Then he would supplicate, "O Allah! Help me over pangs and agony of death.".

A woman belonging to the Juhainah tribe came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) after having conceived from Zina. She submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! I am liable to Hadd (punishment ordained by Allah), so execute it.'' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called her guardian and said, "Treat her well and bring her to me after delivery.'' He acted accordingly. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded to tie her clothes firmly around her and then stoned her to death. He (ﷺ) then offered funeral prayer for her. .

I visited the Prophet ({ﷺ) while he was suffering. I said: "(O Messenger of Allah!) You suffer too much.'' He said, "Yes, I suffer as much as two men of you.'' .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to visit me when I had a severe pain. I said: "I am suffering from such trouble as you are observing. I am a wealthy man and the only heir of mine is my daughter." (Then Sa'd narrated the whole incident)..

"Oh, my head." (It was hurting due to pain.) Thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Rather it is I who says: 'Oh, my headache."' (Then Al-Qasim narrated the complete narration)..

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He whose last words are: `La ilaha illallah' (There is no true god except Allah) will enter Jannah.'' .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Exhort your dying men to recite: 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no true god except Allah).".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) when his eyes were open soon after he died. He closed them (the eyes) for him and said, "When the soul is taken away, the sight follows it." Some members of his family began to weep. He (ﷺ) said: "Do not supplicate for yourselves anything but good, for the angels say 'amin' to what you say." Then he said, "O Allah! Forgive Abu Salamah, raise his rank among those who are rightly-guided and grant him a successor from his descendants who remain behind. Grant him pardon and us, too. O Rubb of the worlds. Make his grave spacious for him and give him light in it." .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When you visit a sick or a dying person, you should utter good words because the angels say `Amin' at what you say.'' She added: When Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) died, I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, Abu Salamah has died." He (ﷺ) directed me to supplicate thus: "Allahummaghfir li wa lahu, wa a`qibni minhu `uqba hasanatan ." So I supplicated as he directed, and Allah gave me a man who was better for me than Abu Salamah (i.e., the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)). (The Prophet (ﷺ) married Umm Salamah afterwards.) .

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "When a person suffers from a calamity and utters: 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. Allahumma ujurni fi musibati, wakhluf li khairan minha (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. O Allah! Compensate me in my affliction, recompense my loss and give me something better in exchange for it), then Allah surely compensates him with reward and better substitute." Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: When Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) died, I repeated the same supplication as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had commanded me (to do). So Allah bestowed upon me a better substitute than him (I was married to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ))..

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a man's child dies, Allah, the Exalted, asks His angels, 'Have you taken out the life of the child of My slave?' and they reply in the affirmative. He (SWT) then asks, 'Have you taken the fruit of his heart?' and they reply in the affirmative. Thereupon He asks, 'What did my slave say?' They say: 'He praised You and said: Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return).' Allah says: 'Build a house for my slave in Jannah and name it Baitul-Hamd (the House of Praise)."'.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Allah, the Exalted, says: 'I have no reward except Jannah for a believing slave of Mine who shows patience and anticipates My reward when I take away his favourite one from the inhabitants of the world."'.

A daughter of the Prophet (ﷺ) sent a message to him that her son was at his last breath, and requested him to come to her. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent back the informer saying: "To Allah belongs what He takes and what He gives, and everything has a limited period (in this world). So ask her to endure patiently, and expect the reward of Allah.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited Sa'd bin 'Ubadah during his illness. He was accompanied by 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas and 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with them). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to weep. When his Companions saw this, their tears also started flowing. He (ﷺ) said, "Do you not hear, Allah does not punish for the shedding of tears or the grief of the heart, but punishes or bestows mercy for the utterances of this (and he pointed to his tongue).".

A grandson (child of the daughter) of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was presented to him while the child was at his last breath. Tears began to flow from the eyes of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Sa'd said to him: "What is this, O Messenger of Allah?" He (ﷺ) said, "It is mercy which Allah has placed in the hearts of his salves. Allah bestows His Mercy on the merciful among His slaves.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to his son Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him) when he was breathing his last. The eyes of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began shedding tears. 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah, you too weep?" He (ﷺ) said, "O Ibn 'Auf! It is mercy." Then he began to weep and said, "The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Rubb. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your departure.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who washes a dead body and conceals what he notices of physical defects, he will be forgiven forty times.'' .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever follows the funeral procession and offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever attends it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirat.'' It was asked, "What are two Qirat?'' He (ﷺ) replied, "Equal to two huge mountains." .