Praise be to Allaah.
Saying “Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you)” to a
person who sneezes, if he says “Al hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah),” is a
communal obligation, in the sense that if one person says it, the obligation
is waived for the others. If no one among those who hear him says it, then
all have sinned, because of the report narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: “There are five things that the Muslim must do
for his brother: returning the greeting of salaam, saying ‘Yarhamuk Allah’
to one who sneezes…”
Narrated by Muslim (4022)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: Our companions and others differed concerning visiting one who is
sick, saying “Yarhamuk Allah” to one who sneezes and initiating the greeting
of salaam. What the texts indicate is that these things are waajib
(obligatory), and it is said that it is a communal obligation.
End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 1/443
Secondly:
If a person sneezes more than three times, you should not say
“Yarhamuk Allah” to him; rather you should pray for well-being for him,
because of what is narrated in al-Muwatta’ (1521) from ‘Abdullah ibn
Abi Bakr from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: “If he sneezes, say ‘Yarhamuk Allah’ to him;
then if he sneezes, say ‘Yarhamuk Allah’ to him; then if he sneezes, say
‘Yarhamuk Allah’ to him; then if he sneezes, say: ‘You have a cold.”
‘Abdullah said: I do not know whether that is after the third or fourth
time.
And it was narrated that Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “The one who sneezes may be told Yarhamuk-Allaah
three times; if he sneezes more than that, he has a cold.” Narrated by Ibn
Maajah (3704); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a person
sneezes several times in a row, the Sunnah is to say “Yarhamuk Allah” each
time until he reaches three. We narrated in Saheeh Muslim, Sunan
Abi Dawood and at-Tirmidhi from Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ (may Allah be
pleased with him) that he heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) say, when a man sneezed in his presence, “Yarhamuk Allah.” Then he
sneezed again, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: “The man has a cold.” This wording is the report narrated by
Muslim.
As for the report narrated by Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhi,
they said: A man sneezed in the presence of the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) whilst I [the narrator] was
watching, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: “Yarhamuk Allah.” Then the man sneezed a second or third time and
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“Yarhamuk Allah, this is a man who has a cold.”
At-Tirmidhi said: A saheeh hasan hadeeth. End quote from
Kitaab al-Adhkaar, 1/273
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked: Is it obligatory to say “Yarhamuk Allah” to one who sneezes once, and
if he sneezes three times to repeat that three times or more?
He replied: If he sneezes three times and you say “Yarhamuk
Allah” each time, then after the third sneeze you should say to him: “
‘Aafaaka Allah (may Allah grant you well-being); because that is a cold,
so say: May Allah grant you well-being; you have a cold. All you have to say
is: May Allah grant you well-being, and you may add: You have a cold.
End quote from Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, no. 127
And Allah knows best.