Part 28

pleased with him) told me saying, "Should I teach you something on which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)

has brought to me? Do not leave a picture until you erase it, or a raised grave unless leveling it." 5

49) Loudly Lamenting for the Dead or When Afflicted with an

In Sahih Muslim, Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported, "The Prophet (pbuh) said

"He who slaps his cheeks, rips his pockets, or calls out the cries of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance is

Abu Musa AI-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that,

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) cleared himself from the woman who loudly lament, the one who shaves

or plucks out her hair when being afflicted with an adversity, and the one who rips off her clothes." 2

All these types are prohibited according to the consensus of the scholars. It is also prohibited to

dishevel one's hair, slap the cheeks, scratch the face and to wail and burst into loud lamenting.

Umm 'Attiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said,

"Among things upon which we gave the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) the oath of allegiance was to refrain

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon

"Two qualities in people are unbelief attacking another's ancestry, and wailing over the dead." 4

On the authority of Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) who said,

"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has cursed the woman who loudly wails for the

dead and whoever listens to her."5

On the authority of Abu Burda who said,

"Once Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari was sick and consequently he fell unconscious in the lap of a woman

from his family. She, in turn, cried loudly and he could not stop her. When he became conscious, he said, "I

cleared myself from what the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) cleared himself i.e., the woman who loudly

laments, the one who shaves or plucks out her hair when being afflicted with an adversity and the one who

On the authority of An-Nu'man Ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said,

Reported by AJ-Bukhari and Muslim.

"Once' Abdullah Ibn Rawaha fell unconscious. Consequently, his sister started wailing over him

saying, 'O so and so.' When he became conscious, he said, 'You never said something, unless it was said to

me are you so and so." 1

It is also reported in the two Sahihs that, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"In his grave, the dead is tortured with what he was lamenting over?" 2

On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) who said,

"Never has a person died and his people wail upon him saying, 'O our master, O our sustainer, or the so

and so, and two angels not be entrusted with his torture saying, weren't you so and so?"3

"If the woman who loudly laments the dead does not repent before the time of her death, she will be raised

on the Day of Judgment wearing a garment from a tar and a coat of mail from scabies."4

The Prophet (pbuh) also said,

"It is forbidden for me to make two foolish sounds, the one when being granted with a blessing;

amusement, playing and the flute of Satan, and the other when being afflicted with an adversity; scratching

one's face, ripping one's pockets and crying." 5

AI-Hasan said, "Two sounds are cursed, the sound when being granted with a blessing and the sound when

being afflicted with an adversity." 6

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) also said,

"The people who loudly wail will be made into two rows in the Hell-Fire and will bark at the people of

the fire as dogs do." 7

AI-Awza'i said, once 'Umar Thn AI-Khattab heard some people weeping, consequently, he entered

upon them along with others and started beating them until he reached the woman who was wailing. He

also beat her to such an extent that her veil (Hijab) fell down. He commented saying, 'Beat her! She is

wailing and there is no sanctity for such people. She does not weep out of being affected with your

adversity, rather she sheds tears to take your money. This only harms your dead in their graves and the ones

who are still alive in their homes. She also prohibits committing to patience which is the command of Allah

and encourages despair which Allah forbids."

Loudly lamenting means to raise one's voice with wailing and mentioning the good traits of the dead. It

is also said that it means that to weep over the dead by mentioning his good traits.

The scholars said it is not allowed to raise your voice when weeping. As for weeping over the dead

Reported by AI-Bukhari and Muslim.

Reported by Ibn Hajar Al-Haithami in Majma' Al-Zawa'id.

Reported by Ibn Hajar Al-Haithami in Majma' Al-Zawa'id.

without wailing or loud lamenting, it is not forbidden. In Sahih of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Ibn 'Umar (may

Allah be pleased with him) reported that, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him)

visited Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah along with `Abdul-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqas and 'Abdullah Ibn

Mus'ud (may Allah be pleased with them all).

Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wept. Upon seeing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in this state,

the people also wept. The Prophet said,

"Don't you hear?! Allah does not torment the people because of the tears of the eye or the grief of the heart.

Rather, He torments or bestows His mercy upon the people because of the returns of "this" and he pointed

In the two Sahihs, it is also reported on the authority of Usarnah Ibn Zayd that "The son of the

daughter of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to Messenger when he was dying. Thereupon, the eyes of

the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) were soaked with tears. Sa'd said,

"O Messenger of Allah what is this?' The Prophet said, "This is a mercy which is created by Allah within

the hearts of His servants and Allah will only shower His mercy upon the merciful ones (amongst His

In Sahih AI-Al-Bukhari, it is reported on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that,

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) entered upon his son, Ibrahim, while he was dying. Thereupon the eyes of

the Prophet (pbuh) started to shed tears. 'Abdul-Rahman Ibn 'Awf said to him, 'You too, O Messenger of

Allah!' The Prophet commented, 'O Ibn Awf, it is a mercy' and repeated it twice and said, 'The eyes shed

tears, the heart is grieved, but we do not say anything except what pleases Allah and for your death we are

As for the Sahih hadith which states,

"The dead will be tortured with the weeping of his family over him." 4

It is not to be taken literally, it is interpreted differently by various scholars. The most evident meaning

is, but Allah knows best, that the weeping may be for some other reasons such as the deceased person may

have advised his family to do so prior to his death.

The followers of Shafi'i said, "The weeping over the dead is allowed before and after his death. But it is

preferable for it to be done before the death according to the hadith which states, "Let them (weep),

but when his soul is really taken, do not allow anyone (to weep)." Shafi'i and his followers stated that

weeping after the death is only reprehensible but it is not forbidden. They interpreted the previous hadith as

follows, "It is reprehensible to let them weep (after the death)."

The woman who loudly laments the dead will be tormented in such way because she, in so doing,

orders the people to be despondent and impatient and this is in contradiction to what Allah and his

Messenger has ordered. Allah the Almighty has said,

{O ye who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer: for God is with those who patiently

persevere and say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead" Nay, they are living,

though ye perceive (it) not. Be sure We shall test you with some thing of fear and hunger, some loss in

good, lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say,

when afflicted with calamity: To Allah we belong, and to Him is Our return.} (AI-Baqarah: 153-156)

'Ata' reported Ibn' Abbas to have said, "This means that Allah will support such people and will never

disappoint them. Allah the Almighty said, {Be sure we shall test you.} i.e., Allah will treat such kind of

people the same way He treated the afflicted people. That is because Allah knows the returns and

consequences of all things and He is in no need for the afflicted to know the result but He just deals with

So, whoever is patient, he will be rewarded for his patience and whoever is impatient, will be deprived

of such reward then Allah said,{ with something of fear and hunger.} Ibn 'Abbas said, {fear}means fear

from the enemy and hunger means famine and drought. 4 Some loss in goods p, means loss and decrease in

property and death of animals. {Lives} means loss of lives through death, killing, disease and old age. {And

the fruit} means decrease in needs of people and the fruits will be imperfect. Then Allah the Almighty

ended the Ayah with giving good news to those who are patient to indicate that whoever was afflicted with

these calamities and was patient, he is promised by Allah to be rewarded, Allah the Almighty said, "But

give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere." Then Allah described them saying, {who say when

afflicted with calamity.} i.e., they were afflicted with what previously mentioned. To be afflicted with good

thing is not affliction. { They say, to Allah we belong.} i.e., we are the servants of Allah and He can dispose

with us with whatever He will. {And to Him is our return.} This will be through death. The return to Allah

means that He will be the only Sovereign. That is because some people govern in this world, but as soon as

they are deprived of it, they know the whole matter will be in the Hands of Allah, the Almighty.

On the authority of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said, "The Messenger of Allah