Islam is a universal religion, which conforms to human nature (i.e. the natural human instincts) and all its legislation is to regulate, and not to abrogate the inborn instincts in us except if they contradict the monotheistic principle. Thus, it is a human instinct to feel happy when something joyful happens to him and to feel sad when an unpleasant thing happens to him.
In this regard, Islam does not forbid one to feel happy or sad for pleasant or unpleasant events respectively. Rather, it comes only to moderate and regulate our attitudes in these two situations. In other words, it is a natural human instinct to feel sad and mourn when we lost our loved ones and it is indeed an integral part of human nature to do so. However, what Islam comes to do in this regard is to regulate our attitude at that moment.
Weeping/Mourning for the dead
After a thorough analysis of the Qur’anic reports and the practices of the noble Prophet of God and his companions, it is obvious that the act of weeping or mourning for death is not an innovation in religion; rather it is an act supported by the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah.
Holy Qur’an
In the Qur’anic report, the story of Prophet Ya’qub (a.s) was mentioned and he became blind out of continuous grief and sadness for the separation between him and his son; Yusuf (a.s). It is pertinent to note that Prophet Ya’qub knew quite well that Prophet Yusuf was alive but despite this, he did not stop to grief for losing him.
The Qur’an says:
He said, ‘No, your souls have made a matter seem decorous to you. Yet patience is graceful. Maybe Allah will bring them all [back] to me. Indeed He is the All-knowing, the All-wise.’ He turned away from them and said, ‘Alas for Joseph!’ His eyes had turned white with grief, and he choked with suppressed agony. They said, ‘By Allah! You will go on remembering Joseph until you wreck your health or perish.’ He said, ‘I complain of my anguish and grief only to Allah. I know from Allah what you do not know.’ (Surat al-Yusuf: 83-86)
Then if a Prophet of God (Hazrat Ya’qub) despite having other eleven sons could weep, mourn and became grief continuously for forty years for missing just a son; Yusuf (i.e. the dearest son to him); then, what is the religious hindrance for weeping or mourning for the loved ones when they died?!
Prophetic Sunnah
It is documented in several Sunni references that the noble Prophet of Allah and some of his companions used to weep and grieve over the death of their loved ones. For instance:
1. The year the prophet’s wife; Khadijat and his uncle; Abu-Talib died was referred to by the prophet as the year of grief.
2. Similarly, it was reported that Prophet wept and mourned over the death of his sons; Ibrahim and Ṭahir:
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a( as saying: A child was born to me at night and I named him after my (spiritual) father, Ibrahim. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. Anas said: I saw it at the point of the death before the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a (. Tears began to fall from the eyes of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a). He said: The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we say only what our Lord is pleased with, and we are grieved for you, Ibrahim. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 21, Hadith 38, Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, p. 482, Chapter: Weeping For The Deceased)
In the book of Haythami; Majma’ al-Zawa’id, vol 3, p. 8, it was documented that the Prophet wept over the death of his son; Ṭahir and he said: “The eyes shed tears, the tears overcome, the heart grieves, and we do not disobey God Almighty.”
Similarly, when the uncle of the Prophet; Hamzah was martyred in the battle of Uhud he cried and when he heard the Ansar women crying for their martyrs, he said: “But Hamza does not have anyone to mourn him!” Sa’d b. Mu’adh heard this and took women to the house of the Prophet (s) and they mourned for Hamza. Since then, any woman from the Ansar (The Helpers) who wanted to mourn for a deceased person would first mourn for Hamza. (Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, vol 6, p. 120)
NOTE:
It is important to note that one of the Hadiths used to present weeping over the dead is the Hadith reported by Umar Ibn Khattab and Abdullah Ibn Umar:
إنَّ المَیِّتَ یُعَذِّبُ بِبُکَاءِ أَهلِهِ عَلَیهِ
Verily the dead shall be punished by the weeping of his relatives over him (Sahih Muslim, chapter on funeral)
This Hadith without any doubt contradict the verses of the Qur’an such as “No bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden” and the noble practice (Sunnah) of the Holy Prophet and his companions. Similarly, if we are to accept the correctness of the Hadith, it was said on behalf of a dead Jew«انتم تبکون علیه وإنه لیعذب», (meaning: You are crying over him and he is going to be punished) not a Muslim as recorded in some relevant Sunni references:
It was documented thus:
فالحدیث کما رواه مسلم فی صحیحه بسنده عن عائشة کما یلی: عن هشام بن عروة عن أبیه، قال: ذکر عند عائشة قول ابن عمر المیت یعذب ببکاء أهله علیه، فقالت: رحم اللَّه أبا عبد الرحمن سمع شیئاً فلم یحفظه، إنما مرت على رسول اللَّه جنازة یهودی، وهم یبکون علیه، فقال: «أنتم تبکون وإنه لیعذب»
The hadith is as narrated by Muslim in his Sahih with its chain of transmission on the authority of Aisha as follows: On the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa and from his father, he said: It was mentioned in the presence of Aisha the statement of Ibn Umar that the dead shall be tortured by the crying of his family over him, so she said: May God have mercy on Abu Abd al-Rahman, he heard something and did not memorize it. Dead of a Jew was carried in the presence of the Messenger of Allah and they were crying over him, so he said: “You are crying while he is being punished.” (Sahih Muslim, vol 3, p. 44, Sahih Bukhari, vol. 2, p. 80; Sunan Nisa’i, vol. Vol. 4, p. 17; Sunan Bayhaqi, vol 4, p. 72, Muwatta Malik, vol. 1, p. 96)
Mourning for Imam Husain
After establishing the fact that mourning for loved ones is not in any way contradictory to the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet and even the Sunnah of the Prophet’s companions, it is necessary to establish that weeping or mourning over the unjust killing of the grandson of the holy Prophet on the Ashurah is a Sunnah, not an innovation (i.e. Bid’a)
First, if Prophet Ya’qub could cry or mourn until he became blind for missing just a single son (out of twelve sons), then, what can prevent a lover of Prophet Muhammad not to weep or mourn over the unjust killing of Imam Husain and his family members and companions?
Second, if weeping or mourning over our deceased ones is allowed, then, what can prevent someone who calls himself a Muslim not to weep or mourn over the martyrdom of Imam Husain?
Third, there are reports in both Sunni and Shia references which show that the noble Prophet was aware of the martyrdom of Husain before this day
Fourth, there are reports in both Sunni and Shia references which show that the noble Prophet wept bitterly when he was informed by Jibril of the martyrdom Husain (a.s) [References: Ahmad Ibn Hambali, Musnad Ahmad, vol.3, p. 60, Hadith 648; Ahmad Ibn Hambali, Fadail Sahabah, vol.1, p. 770, Hadith 1357; Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah Wa Nihayah, vol. 11, p. 570 and 571; Ibn Jawzi, Bustanu al-Wā’izeen Wa riyādu as Sāmi’een, p. 261]
Fifth, the custom of the Prophet’s household since the Ashura tragedy was to commemorate the commencement of Muharram till the tenth with grief. The Prophet’s household (Ahl al-Bayt) is a part of thaqalayn.
Conclusion:
1. Weeping and mourning for Imam Husain (a.s) on the day of Ashura out of love for the Prophet is nothing but a Prophetic Sunnah and the Sunnah of his pure household (a.s).
2. However, every caution should be observed by the mourners to avoid any innovation in this regard
Some Questions:
One: Why do the Shia and lover of Ahlul-Bayt (a.s) mourn annually the martyrdom of Husain while his martyrdom was Allah’s design (destiny)?
Ans: The martyrdom of Imam Husain without any doubt was based on divine destiny, but that does not in any prevent one from mourning him, as it was practised by the noble Prophet himself.
Two: Why do the Shia mourn only the martyrdom of Imam Husain while there are other people among the companions of the Prophet or the Shia Imams who were also martyred?
Ans: The martyrdom of Husain was unique in the sense that:
- He was killed along with other 72 members of his family and companions (including a six-month-old baby)
- He was killed by an enemy of Islam under the pretence of Islam
- He was killed secretly at an isolated place in order to cover up the atrocity
- He was killed while his unjust killing was covered up by Ummayad. That is the reason such an event was kept hidden from majority of the Muslims until today.
- The Prophet himself mourn him prior to his death and several Prophet of God and the pure household mourned the martyrdom of Husain.
