Question:
I have understood that if someone sneezes more than three times, we should not say “Yarhamukallah” after that. But what if we already know from the first sneeze that the person is sneezing due to cold or illness—should we still say “Yarhamukallah” three times? Many people understand that if someone sneezes three times and says “Alhamdulillah,” after that we do not say “Yarhamukallah”.
Answer:
The rule is: When someone sneezes and says “Alhamdulillah,” the listener should say “Yarhamukallah.” If you sneeze and say “Alhamdulillah,” I should say “Yarhamukallah.”
But if a person sneezes repeatedly due to illness, then after a certain point, we do not continue saying it. In Sahih Muslim, a man sneezed in front of the Prophetﷺ. The Prophetﷺ said, “Yarhamukallah.” Then he sneezed again. The Prophetﷺ said, “This man has a cold.” He did not continue saying “Yarhamukallah.”
So the issue is not strictly about counting three times. In that narration, after the second sneeze, the Prophetﷺ recognized it as illness and stopped responding.
There is another hadith in Ibn Majah that mentions saying it up to three times, and after that, if he sneezes more, it is due to illness. However, the narrations differ slightly. The chain of transmission shows that in the stronger narrations, the Prophetﷺ stopped even after the second sneeze when it was clear the person had a cold.
So the real criterion is not strictly “three times.” The real criterion is whether it is a normal sneeze or due to illness. If it is clearly due to cold—if the person is visibly sick, with a runny nose, speaking nasally—then even from the first sneeze, you are not required to say “Yarhamukallah.”
If someone is clearly suffering from a cold and sneezes, even if he says “Alhamdulillah,” you are not obliged to respond with “Yarhamukallah,” because it is due to illness. The Prophetﷺ considered the reason for the sneeze, not merely the number.
So, the correct understanding is that the issue is illness, not counting up to three or four. If it is due to illness, you need not respond—even if it is the first sneeze.