Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Prohibition of Affectation (Takalluf)
This refers to doing or saying things that serve no purpose and involve unnecessary hardship.
Allah the Almighty said:
“Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee for this, and I am no simulating.” (38:86)
On the authority of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"We have been forbidden from affectation."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is disliked to ask excessive questions or to be overly pedantic.
It is also disliked to burden oneself with matters that do not concern one.
This applies whether it is in religious or worldly affairs.
On the authority of Masruq, who said:
We visited 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him.
He said:
"O people,
whoever knows something, let him speak of it,
and whoever does not know, let him say:
'Allah knows best.'
For it is a part of knowledge to say, regarding what you do not know,
'Allah knows best.'"
Allah the Almighty said to His Prophet, peace be upon him:
“Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee for this, and I am no simulating.” (38:86)
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of affectation in scholarly issues and being overly difficult in questioning.
The encouragement to follow the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in avoiding affectation, over-complication, and pedantry.
It is incumbent upon a scholar, if asked about something he does not know, to say:
"I do not know" or "I have no knowledge of it."
This does not diminish the scholar's status in the slightest;
rather, it is a sign of his piety and religious commitment.
For above every possessor of knowledge is one who is All-Knowing.
Chapter: The Prohibition of Wailing over the Deceased,
slapping the cheeks, tearing the garment,
plucking the hair, shaving it,
and calling out for woe and destruction.
On the authority of 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"The deceased is punished in his grave for the wailing done over him."
In another narration:
"For what is wailed over him."
Agreed upon.
This refers to the wailing performed for him.
Wailing is crying over the deceased with a raised voice,
and mentioning the deceased's virtues.
It also refers to the duration of the wailing over him.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of wailing over the deceased,
as severe warnings have been issued against it.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, tears his garments,
and calls out with the call of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance)."
Agreed upon.
"Jayb" (plural: juyub) refers to
the opening of a garment at the neck,
through which the head passes.
Tearing it
means ripping it open completely.
This is a sign of discontent with the decree of Allah.
The "call of the Jahiliyyah"
is lamentation,
such as saying:
"O my mountain!"
"O my support!"
And other such phrases.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The exaggeration of the reality of one who engages in such acts.
The permissibility of shunning one who does this,
and turning away from him,
so that he does not mingle with the community of the Sunnah,
as a form of discipline for him.
This is because the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
disassociated himself from such actions and behavior.
The prohibition of using the call of the Jahiliyyah,
such as wailing, lamenting, and the like.
A clarification of the virtue of one who is patient and seeks reward from Allah during calamities,
and shows contentment when the decree of Allah descends.
On the authority of Abu Burdah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
Abu Musa became ill,
and he fell unconscious,
with his head in the lap of a woman of his family.
She began to cry out with a wail,
and he was unable to respond to her at all.
When he regained consciousness,
he said:
"I am free of those whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is free of.
For the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
is free of the *saliqah* (the one who wails loudly),
the *haliqah* (the one who shaves her head),
and the *shaqiqah* (the one who tears her clothes)."
Agreed upon.
The *saliqah* is
she who raises her voice in wailing and lamentation.
The *haliqah* is
she who shaves her head at the time of a calamity.
The *shaqiqah* is
she who tears her garment.
"Afaqa"
means he recovered from his unconsciousness.
"Rannah"
is a sound accompanied by crying,
containing a tremulous tone.
"Nadb"
means enumerating the virtues of the deceased.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of wailing, shaving the hair of the head, and tearing garments
when the calamity of death occurs.
The servant should follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and disassociate himself from what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, disassociated himself from.
On the authority of al-Mughirah Ibn Shu'bah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
"Whoever is wailed over,
he will be punished for what was wailed over him on the Day of Resurrection."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Umm 'Atiyyah,
Nusaybah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took a pledge from us
at the time of the oath of allegiance that we would not wail.
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of women giving an oath of allegiance,
and their oath is taken verbally.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never placed his hand in the hand of a woman
during the oath of allegiance or otherwise.
The recommendation of pledging to abandon forbidden acts.
The oath of allegiance is a legal contract and a divine covenant
to obey Allah and His Messenger.
Wailing is among the customs of the Jahiliyyah,
which a Muslim should cast off
when he dons the garment of Islam.
On the authority of al-Nu'man Ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
'Abdullah Ibn Rawahah, may Allah be pleased with him, fell unconscious,
and his sister began to weep and say:
"O my mountain! O such and such!"
enumerating his virtues over him.
He said when he regained consciousness:
"I did not say anything,
but it was said to me: 'Are you really like that?'"
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Enumerating his virtues"
means mentioning his characteristics in the manner of the Jahiliyyah.
"Are you really like that?"
is a rhetorical question of rebuke and reprimand.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of lamenting for the deceased.
The prohibition of claiming virtues that are not in the person,
whether by the person himself or by others.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah, may Allah be pleased with him, fell ill,
and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came to visit him
along with 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf,
Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas,
and 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with them.
When he entered, he found him in a state of unconsciousness.
He asked, "Has he passed away?"
They said, "No, O Messenger of Allah."
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, wept.
When the people saw the weeping of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
they wept as well.
He said, "Do you not hear?
Allah does not punish for the tears of the eye nor for the sadness of the heart,
but He punishes for this,"
and he pointed to his tongue, "or He shows mercy."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Malik al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"A wailing woman, if she does not repent before she dies,
will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of pitch (tar),
and a coat of scabies."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Sirbal" means a shirt.
"Qatran" (pitch) is a black, foul-smelling liquid
that helps ignite fire.
It is used to treat camels for mange.
"Jarab" (scabies/mange) is a disease that affects the skin and leaves pits in it.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of wailing and the severity of this sin.
The validity of repentance,
provided the accountable person has not died or reached the point of death (the death rattle).
The recompense is of the same nature as the deed.
The tears of the wailing woman will be like pitch on the Day of Resurrection,
igniting the fire and fueling it.
And the clothes she tore
will be a disease and a torment upon her.
On the authority of Usayd Ibn Abi Usayd, the Tabi'i,
from one of the women who gave the oath of allegiance, who said:
"Among what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took from us,
in the good things he required of us,
was that we would not disobey him in them:
that we would not scratch our faces,
nor call out for woe,
nor tear our garments,
nor dishevel our hair."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
"We would not scratch" means we would not wound.
"Khamsh" is a wound on the surface of the skin caused by the fingernail.
This refers to slapping the cheeks.
"We would not call out for woe"
means we would not lament by saying "Woe!"
We scatter our hair,
meaning we dishevel and tear it,
among the benefits of the hadith:
the prohibition of scratching the face, wailing, and scattering the hair during times of calamity.
The recommendation of pledging allegiance to abandon forbidden acts and perform acts of obedience.
On the authority of Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no person who dies,
and their mourner stands up and says,
'Oh, my mountain!'
'Oh, my master!'
or words to that effect,
but that two angels are appointed to him to strike him,
saying, 'Were you like that?'"
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"Striking" (lahz)
is pushing someone in the chest with a clenched fist.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The deceased who does not disavow these practices before their death,
while knowing that their family habitually does them,
will be punished for it.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"There are two traits in people that are acts of disbelief:
slandering one's lineage,
and wailing over the dead."
Narrated by Muslim.
Riyad al-Salihin.