Answer
Short Answer:
- There should be no confusion stemming from the fact that people yawn during Ramadaan even though the devils are chained up at that time, because what is meant by saying that it is from the Shaytaan is that he likes it. The fact that he likes it and approves of it does not mean that he is not chained, rather that could happen even if he was chained.
………….
Salam,
Thank you for contacting Ask About Islam with your question.
Praise be to Allaah.
Why Do We Yawn In Ramadan If The Devils Are Chained?
Al-Bukhaari (6226) and Muslim (2994) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
Allaah likes sneezing and dislikes yawning, so if one of you sneezes and praises Allaah (by saying Al-hamdu Lillaah), it is a duty upon every Muslim who hears him to say to him, Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you). With regard to yawning, it is from the Shaytaan so if one of you feels like yawning, let him suppress it as much as he can, for if one of you yawns the Shaytaan laughs at him.
Concerning the meaning of that, it was said that the Shaytaan likes to see a person yawning because it makes him look different and so he laughs at him. It does not mean that the Shaytaan is the one who makes him yawn.
And it was said that yawning is attributed to the Shaytaan because yawning comes from fullness of the stomach, which generates laziness, which happens under the influence of the Shaytaan.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Yawning is attributed to the Shaytaan because it promotes whims and desires, because it stems from heaviness of the body, excessive relaxation and fullness of the stomach. So what is meant is a warning against the thing that leads to that, which is eating too much.
Al-Manaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is attributed to him because he is the one who calls for giving the self its share of desires. What is meant here is to warn against the things that lead to that, which is eating too much and eating one’s fill, which makes the body feel too heavy and tired to do acts of worship.
Not all devils are chained up!
There should be no confusion stemming from the fact that people yawn during Ramadaan even though the devils are chained up at that time, because what is meant by saying that it is from the Shaytaan is that he likes it. The fact that he likes it and approves of it does not mean that he is not chained, rather that could happen even if he was chained.
Based on the view that this is caused by the influence of the Shaytaan, either directly or indirectly, it was said that the ones who are chained up during Ramadaan are the maarids among the devils (i.e., the strong evil ones) only, and that others remain as they are, so yawning may be caused by those who are not chained up.
But based on the view that what is meant by the chaining up of the devils is that their influence on the believers is less during that month than in other months, perhaps yawning results from the little influence that they are still able to have during Ramadaan.
This answer was originally published on IslamQA.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:
https://aboutislam.net/multimedia/videos/4-asked-questions-ramadan/
https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/living-islam/know-afflicted-evil-eye-11-signs/