Chapter VI: Seclusion
(20) Respond to sneezing: The Prophet said : He who sneezes will say : God's praise in all circumstances and one who hears it will say : May God have mercy on you. The sneezer will then say :
May God guide you and make your mind pure. Once the Prophet replied to a sneezer and did not reply to another. When asked the reason he said : One has praised God and another remained silent. The Prophet said : When a Muslim sneezes thrice, respond to him. If he increases more than thrice, it is a disease. When the Prophet sneezed, he used to shut up his mouth with his hand or cloth. The Jews sneezed before the Prophet with the hope of getting a reply 'May God show you mercy. He used to say : Say : May God guide you. The Prophet said : Sneezing comes from God and yawing for the devil . When one of you yawn, let him place his hand upon his mouth. Moses said : O Lord, art Thou near me, so that I may hold secret conversation with Thee ? Art thou distant, so that I may speak loudly to Thee ?
He said : I am with one who remembers Me. He said : We are sometime in such a condition that to remember Thee is impertinence, such as in the state of impurity or at the times of calls of nature. He said : Remember me at all times.
(21) Help at the time of distress and calamities: God says :
Remove evil with what is good. God says : They remove evil by good deeds. Hazrat Abu Abbas explained this evil by saying :
Those who treat with salam and modesty in lieu of harm and harsh treatment. God says : If God would not have repelled one people by another, cloister, etc. would have been destroyed.
Hazrat Ibn Abbas said that the meaning of another is a people with hope, fear, modesty and humble behavior. The Prophet said : O Ayesha, the worst man on the Resurrection Day will be a man whom the people forsake for fear of his harm. He said : If a man keeps patience to save his honour after hearing abusive words, it will be an act of charity for him.
(22) Give up the company of the rich and take the company of the poor and show kindness on the orphans. The Prophet said : O God, let me live as a poor man let me die as a poor man and resurrect me with the poor. Whenever Hazrat Solaiman saw a poor man, he sat with him and said : A poor man is sitting by the side of a poor man . It has been reported that nothing could
VoHI Love and Brotherhood 129