❖ In the Light of the Qur’an
➊ Deliberately Harming Oneself is Ḥarām
﴿ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا ﴾
(al-Nisāʾ 4:29)
Translation: And do not kill yourselves. Indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you.
➡️ This prohibition covers not only suicide but also every act of self-harm — including zanjīr zani (self-flagellation with chains) and qamah zani (striking oneself with swords).
❖ In the Light of Aḥādīth
➋ Harming Oneself and Wailing is Prohibited
عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى قَالَ: بَرِيءٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الصَّالِقَةِ وَالْحَالِقَةِ وَالشَّاقَّةِ
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1294, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1032)
Translation: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ disowned the woman who screams, the one who shaves her head (in mourning), and the one who tears her clothes.
➡️ This shows that lamentation, screaming, and self-harm are against the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
➌ Wailing is a Practice of Jāhiliyyah
“لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَطَمَ الْخُدُودَ، وَشَقَّ الْجُيُوبَ، وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ“
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1297, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 103)
Translation: He is not from us who strikes his cheeks, tears his clothes, and calls with the slogans of Jāhiliyyah.
❖ Position of the Companions
➍ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA)
He lashed a woman for wailing and striking her chest.
(Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq 6712)
➡️ The Companions considered such actions major sins.
❖ Position of the Aʾimmah from Ahl al-Bayt
➎ Imām ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (رحمه الله)
“كان علي بن الحسين لا يُذكَر عنده الحسين إلا بكى، ولكن ما كان يضرب وجهه ولا صدره، وكان ينهى عن ذلك“
(al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā – Ibn Saʿd 5/213)
Translation: When Ḥusayn (RA) was mentioned in his presence, he would weep, but he did not strike his face or chest; rather, he forbade such acts.
➏ Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (رحمه الله)
“ليس من ديننا اللطم ولا شق الجيوب“
(al-Wasāʾil al-Shīʿah – Bāb Ḥurmat al-Laṭm wa-l-Taṭbīr, ḥadīth 10175)
Translation: Beating the face and tearing clothes is not part of our religion.
➐ Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir (رحمه الله)
“النياحة من عمل الجاهلية، ولا تجوز في الإسلام“
(al-Wasāʾil al-Shīʿah 27/93)
Translation: Wailing is from the practices of Jāhiliyyah, and it is not permissible in Islam.
❖ Scholarly Consensus
➑ Ruling of the Jurists
The consensus of the majority of scholars is:
❝ Zanjīr zani, qamah zani, and all forms of self-harm are ḥarām and an evil innovation. ❞
(see Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah 24/221; al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā by Ibn Bāz 1/153)
❖ Summary
| Practice | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Zanjīr zani, qamah zani | Ḥarām, major sin |
| Wailing, screaming, lamentation | Ḥarām, act of Jāhiliyyah |
| Ahl al-Bayt’s true position | Forbade self-harm and wailing |
| Position of Companions | Punished and forbade such acts |
| Prophet ﷺ’s statement | Declared free from such people |
❖ Final Advice
﴿ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا، وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا ﴾
(al-Shams 91:9–10)
Translation: Indeed, successful is the one who purifies his soul, and doomed is the one who corrupts it.
➡️ True love for Ḥusayn (RA) and Ahl al-Bayt lies in following the Sunnah, not in committing bidʿah and self-destructive acts.
