When any of you yawns, let him put his hand over his mouth, for indeed, the devil enters
Narrator in the source: Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah
Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any of you yawns, let him put his hand over his mouth, for indeed, the devil enters."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Muslim
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 5280 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَن أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِذَا تَثَاءَبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيُمْسِكْ بِيَدِهِ عَلَى فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَدْخُلُ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed anyone who yawns, opening his mouth due to laziness, fullness, or similar reasons, to place his hand over his mouth to close it. This is because the devil enters if the mouth is left open, and placing the hand prevents him from entering.
Lessons from the hadith
- If a person feels the urge to yawn, he should suppress it as much as possible by keeping his mouth closed. If he is unable to keep his mouth closed, he should put his hand over his mouth to cover it with his hand.
- Adherence to the etiquettes of Islam in all situations because they are the epitome of perfection and morals.
- Caution against all the devil's access points to man.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح مسلم (4/ 2293) (2995). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 151). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (4/ 436). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص529). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 679).