by Asma bint Shameem
Have you ever noticed that as soon we stand up for prayer, want to read the Qur’aan, or some other act of worship, we suddenly get this irrepressible urge to start yawning? And it’s not like it is our bedtime either!
It’s the middle of the day, we were fine a few minutes ago and now, all of a sudden, we get this irresistible desire to yawn.
Why is that?
That’s because yawning comes from the Shaytaan and promotes laziness.
So we should resist it as much as we can.
We should cover our mouths when we cannot resist and end up yawning.
🍃 The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“As for yawning, it is from Shaytaan, so if any of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as he can, for if any of you yawns, the Shaytaan laughs at him."
(al-Bukhaari, 6226)
🍃 And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“Shaytaan enters when a person yawns. (Ahmad: Saheeh al-Jaami, 426)
🍃 And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam also said:
"Sneezing is from Allaah and yawning is from Shaytaan.
If any of you yawns, let him place his hand over his mouth.
If he says Ah, ah! (makes a noise when yawning), Shaytaan laughs from inside him."
(al-Tirmidhi, 2746; hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami, 4130)
So if we feel the urge to yawn during prayer or otherwise, we should resist it.
But if we end up yawning we should cover our mouth and not say “Ahh” (don’t make a sound when yawning; rather do it quietly without a sound from your mouth).
🍃 Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“If you want to suppress it, then bite your lower lip, not a strong bite that it cuts, but in order to join the lips together such that the mouth does not open. So what is important is to suppress it whether by this way or other than it.
If you are not able to suppress it, then place your hand on your mouth.
As for what some of the Scholars, may Allaah have mercy upon them, mention to place the back of your hand, then there is no origin for it. Verily, you place your palm to cover your mouth…
So if you feel like yawning, if you are able to suppress it or prevent it, this is the Sunnah and this is better.
If he is not able to, then place your hand on your mouth”.(Sharh Riyaadh as-Saliheen 1/1001)
🍃 Hafidh Ibn Hajr said:
“And in meaning, [by] placing the hand on the mouth or the thawb on the mouth or what will obtain the purpose. And the hand was only specified if the yawn cannot be suppressed by other than it”. (Fathul-Bari 10/612)
🔺Should we say Aa’oodhu Billaah when yawning?
There’s no specific hadeeth of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam that shows that we have to say a “specific” dhikr when resisting yawning.
One may say “Aa’oodhu Billaahi min ash-Shaytaanir Rajeem, just because you know that yawning is from the Shaytaan.
But don’t think it’s a Sunnah to say it or that there is any special virtue attached to it.
So don’t make it as a regular habit every single time you yawn.
Rather we may say it sometimes.
But that’s just to seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan.
🍃 Shaykh ‘Abd al-Muhsin al-‘Abbaad said:
“If a person seeks refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan on the grounds that yawning is from the Shaytaan, although he does not believe that this is a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam, then there is nothing wrong with that.
But if he believes that this is Sunnah or thinks that it is prescribed for a person to say such and such when yawning, this is not correct.
But if he remembers that yawning is from the Shaytaan, so he seeks refuge with Allaah l from the Shaytaan because of that, without believing that this is Sunnah, there is nothing wrong with that.“
(Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood 492/17)
🔺How is yawning from the Shaytaan?
🍃 Hafidh Ibn Hajr said:
“Ibn Battaal said:
“Yawning was attributed to Shaytaan with the meaning of attributing pleasure and want. That is, Shaytaan loves to see a person yawn because his image changes [i.e. face] so he laughs at him. It does not mean that Shaytaan causes yawning…”
[Fathul-Bari (10/612)]
🔺Why does Shaytaan laugh when we yawn?
🍃Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“That is, Shaytaan knows that this indicates his laziness and sluggishness and Shaytaan loves that a human being be lazy and sluggish.
We seek refuge with Allaah from it.
And Shaytaan dislikes a person being energetic, serious, always firm, strong, and with energy”. (Sharh Riyaadh as-Saliheen 1/1001)
🔺How does Shaytaan Enter a person? Does that happen in reality?
🍃 Hafidh Ibn Hajr said:
“As for the narration in Muslim that Shaytaan enters, (then it) is carried to mean that he enters in reality and even if he runs inside the blood stream, he does not have dominance over it as long as the person mentions Allaah.
As for the one who yawns, he is not remembering Allaah in that situation, so Shaytaan dominates over him by entering in him in reality.
It is also carried to mean that the word ‘enter’ is used to intend dominance over him.
This is because the purpose of entering something is to gain dominance over it”. (Fathul-Bari 10/612)
As for the Shaytaan “urinating” in the mouth, there’s no specific hadeeth that mentions that, Allaahu Alam.
However there are ahaadeeth that mention Shaytaan urinating in a person’s ear if he sleeps and misses Fajr prayer.
Abdullah radhi Allaahu anhu said:
“It was mentioned before the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam that there was a man who slept the night till morning (after sunrise).
The Prophet ﷺ said, "He is a man in whose ears (or ear) Shaytaan had urinated."
(Saheeh al-Bukhaari 3720)
And Allaah knows best
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