Islamic Teachings on Mourning: Facts, Misconceptions, and Deviations

Authored by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri (ḥafiẓahullāh), with headings and organization added for readability

❖ Introduction​

All praise belongs to Allah, and peace be upon those servants whom He has chosen!
It is an undeniable reality that the history of Islam is full of trials and tribulations. Muslims have faced sorrow on many significant occasions, such as the passing of the Prophet ﷺ, the demise of Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه), and the martyrdoms of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنهم).

Before the grief of these events could even subside, another tragic incident occurred on the 10th of Muḥarram, 61 AH — the unjust martyrdom of the Prophet’s ﷺ grandson, the son of Fāṭimah (رضي الله عنها), the leader of the youth of Paradise, and a fragrant flower from the garden of Prophethood, Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه).

❖ Natural Grief and Prohibited Actions​

Feeling sorrow and shedding tears during times of hardship is a natural human reaction.
However, acts such as impatience, wailing, lamentation, chest-beating, and other similar expressions of grief are unanimously considered ḥarām (prohibited) in Islamic law.

✔ Patience in Calamity​

Allah ﷻ states in the Qur'an:
"Give glad tidings to the patient — those who, when calamity strikes them, say: إِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَ إِنَّآ اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ. They are the ones upon whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided."
(Al-Baqarah: 2/155–157)

✔ Condemnation of Impatience​

The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever slaps the cheeks, tears the garment, and calls with the call of ignorance is not from us."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1294, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 103)

Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
"The Prophet ﷺ disassociated himself from the woman who wails loudly, shaves her head, and tears her garment at the time of calamity."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1296, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 104)

The Prophet ﷺ also stated:
"There are four matters from the practices of ignorance that my Ummah will not abandon: boasting about lineage, criticizing others’ lineage, seeking rain through stars, and lamentation. If a lamenting woman does not repent and dies in that state, she will be raised on the Day of Judgment wearing a garment of tar and a cloak of scabs."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 934)

❖ Deviations During the Month of Muḥarram​

As soon as the crescent of Muḥarram is sighted, a particular sect engages in a series of innovative and non-Sharʿī practices, such as:

◈ Lamentation, chest-beating, wailing, reciting elegies
◈ Holding gatherings for mourning (majālis)
◈ Creating and parading effigies (taʿziyah) that resemble the grave of Ḥusayn (رضي الله عنه)
◈ Bowing, kissing, and making supplications at the taʿziyah
◈ Making vows and presenting offerings to these effigies
◈ Enacting captivity by tying children to them
◈ Taking out processions with drums and musical instruments
◈ Gender mixing, commemorating Shām-e-Gharībāñ
◈ Recounting fabricated stories
◈ Speaking against the Companions and insulting them
◈ Denial of the status of the Prophet’s wives and daughters
◈ Exaggeration in the virtues of some Ahl al-Bayt while diminishing others
◈ False interpretations of the Qur'an and Sunnah
◈ Accusing Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah and mocking their beliefs

❖ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah’s Analysis​

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) states:
"After the martyrdom of Ḥusayn (رضي الله عنه), Satan introduced two innovations. One was declaring the 10th of Muḥarram as a day of mourning, during which people beat their bodies, cry out loudly, endure thirst, and recite elegies. This practice opened the door to reviling the righteous predecessors and cursing them. Most stories about the martyrdom of Ḥusayn are fabricated. The one who initiated this trend aimed to stir conflict and division among the Ummah. It is agreed upon among Muslims that this act is neither obligatory nor recommended. Rather, mourning over old tribulations is among the major sins forbidden by Allah and His Messenger ﷺ."
(Minhāj al-Sunnah by Ibn Taymiyyah: 2/322–323)

❖ False Claims of Love for Ahl al-Bayt​

Just as Jews and Christians claim love for Mūsā (عليه السلام) and ʿĪsā (عليه السلام) while contradicting their teachings, these groups claim devotion to ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) and Ahl al-Bayt while diverging from their ways. Their books are devoid of authentic virtues of Ahl al-Bayt, whereas the Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah, who sincerely love Ahl al-Bayt and express it openly, have filled their books with verified merits without exaggeration or distortion. Yet, these same groups bear enmity against the Ahl al-Sunnah. Why?

❖ Misuse of a Report about ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)​

When the Ahl al-Sunnah reject lamentation, these groups cite a narration wherein ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) reportedly said:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ died while he was resting against my chest and in my home. I did not wrong anyone in this. Due to my youth and lack of understanding, I placed his blessed head on a pillow and began to beat my chest and face with the women."
(Musnad Aḥmad: 6/274; isnād: ḥasan)

This incident occurred due to ignorance, which ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) herself acknowledged. Moreover, the status of the Companions is distinct. Allah ﷻ states regarding them:

"Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him."
(At-Tawbah: 9/100; Al-Mujādalah: 58/22; Al-Bayyinah: 98/8)

Also:
"Indeed, Allah has forgiven you, and Allah is Most Gracious to the believers."
(Āl ʿImrān: 3/152)