196 – Abu Hurayrah reports that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Yawning is from Satan, so whenever one of you feels the urge to yawn, let him suppress it as best he can.” This was related by Muslim and by al-Tirmidhi, who added the words, “in the prayer.”⦗1⦘
Glossary of the ḥadīth
• “from Satan”: Yawning arises when the stomach is full, the body feels heavy, and the senses grow sluggish—all of which lead to sleepiness and laziness.
• “yawned” (tathāʾaba) is on the morphological pattern tafāʿala. Al-Miṣbāḥ states: tathāʾaba—also colloquially with a hamzah—means “he was overtaken by ath-thawbāʾ,” an involuntary opening of the mouth that expels the vapors congested in the heart’s muscles; it occurs because of lethargy or drowsiness.
• “let him suppress it” (fal-yakẓim), with the imperfect verb’s yāʾ pronounced with fatḥah and the ẓāʾ with kasrah, is jussive due to the imperative lām. Al-kaẓm denotes closing the mouth by pressing the lips together; kaẓama/yakẓimu follows the pattern ḍaraba/yaḍribu.
Points derived from the ḥadīth
- Yawning is an involuntary movement of the mouth that comes on when lethargy or sleep approaches, prompting the person to open his mouth.
- Because yawning results from laziness and fatigue, it is attributed to Satan, who seeks to keep the Muslim from fulfilling his religious duties and attaining moral perfection.
- An open mouth while yawning is unsightly; hence the yawner is encouraged to suppress it by clenching his teeth and lips as far as he can. If he cannot, he should cover his mouth so that it is hidden from the view of those present.