on the night he was taken on the Night Journey, with two cups—one containing wine and the other milk. He looked at them and chose the milk. Gabriel (peace be upon him) then said to him, “Praise be to Allah, who guided you to the natural disposition. Had you chosen the wine, your nation would have gone astray.”1 Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasāʾī narrated in their Sunan collections, with an authentic chain of transmission, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) that whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) acquired a new garment, he would call it by its name—whether a turban, shirt, or cloak—and then say: “O Allah, praise belongs to You. You have clothed me with it. I ask You for its good and the good for which it was made, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil for which it was made.”2

—Praising Allah is especially emphasized when a person sneezes. Sneezing is a tremendous blessing that Allah has bestowed upon His servants, for it expels what has become congested in the nose and whose retention might cause the person discomfort or harm. A person is therefore especially urged to praise Allah for this blessing. Al-Bukhārī narrated in his Sahīh from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When one of you sneezes, let him say, ‘Praise be to Allah.’ Let his brother or companion then say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ When he says, ‘May Allah have mercy on you,’ let the one who sneezed reply, ‘May Allah guide you and set your affairs aright.’”3

It is recommended for a Muslim to praise Allah upon seeing someone afflicted by a disability or something similar. Al-Tirmidhī narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sees a person afflicted and says, ‘Praise be to Allah, who has spared me from that with which He has afflicted you and has greatly favored me over many of those whom He created,’ will not be afflicted by that trial.”4