It is narrated from Ibne Abbas that:
“When Zainab,1 daughter of Prophet, passed away, Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) said: Join her with our righteous one, Uthman bin Mazun, who has
passed away. So the ladies began to lament and Umar beat them with a lash.
Suddenly the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) caught his hand and said: ‘Umar, stop
this and allow them to lament.’ He also told the ladies: ‘Don’t make satanic
statements when you lament.’
Then Ibne Abbas says: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) wept at the side of
the grave along with Fatima and His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) wiped Fatima’s tears with his garment.”2
Allamah Amini says: I don’t know that when the owner of the Shariah
(Prophet) was present and himself aware of what was going on, how Umar
committed the affront and lashed those ladies? If there was some illegality in
their weeping, the Prophet was most deserving to make them desist [and in
presence of Prophet, others do not have the right to command and prohibit]. And
in spite the Prophet’s opposition to him, how he concluded that weeping of ladies
was unlawful?
Why he did not consult the Prophet before threatening them? What was the
motivation of his nasty behavior? And how he dared to beat up the ladies to such
an extent that the Prophet had to seize his hand and make him desist? Were the
ladies, who had gathered there, not relatives and wives of Prophet? I don’t know
whether Lady Fatima Zahra (s.a.), who was among the weeping ladies, also
suffered the audacity of Umar or not. She was in any case seated beside her
father, lamenting.
During the lifetime of Prophet, Umar is reported to have committed many
such acts, which were opposed to the directions of the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.).
Among them being: A report which Hakeem has narrated from Abu Huraira
and which he regards as authentic.3 And Dhahabi has also admitted that one day,
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) attended a funeral. When Umar heard the lamentation
of ladies, he forbade them. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: Umar, leave them in
their condition, because they are aggrieved and the tragedy is fresh; that is why
the eyes weep.
History narrates that these statements about the conduct of the Prophet did
not reform him and he continued to hold on to his personal opinion and did not
refrain from making conclusions based on his own views. Arguing through
fabricated reasonings opposed to intellect, justice and nature, he attributed
falsehood to the Prophet that: “Weeping of the survivors causes chastisement of
the dead,” and used that same lash to whip people.
As for the report that Umar said: “The dead is punished due to the weeping
of the living.” According to the narration of Hakeem in Mustadrak, this was
refuted by Ayesha.4
Hakeem says: Both the two ‘Shaykhs’ (Bukhari and Muslim) have narrated
from Ayyub Sakhtiyani from Abdullah bin Abu Malika that:
There was an argument between Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin
Abbas regarding weeping on the dead and they went to seek the advice of
Ayesha. She said: By God, the Prophet never forbade weeping, because the dead is punished due to weeping of someone else. On the contrary, he said that when
the survivors of a dead disbeliever are weeping for him, the chastisement is
increasing on the dead. Because:
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَابْكُى
“And that He it is Who makes (men) laugh and makes (them) weep;”5
And also:
وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى
“And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another.”6
Shafei says in Ikhtelaaful Hadees:7
According to the evidence of Quran and Sunnah, the quotation of Ayesha
from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) is most correct and reliable, because
Almighty Allah says:
وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى
“Nor can the bearer of a burden bear the burden of another.”8
وَإِن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى
“And that man shall have nothing but what he strives for;”9
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ (٧) وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍۢ شَرًّۭا يَرَهُۥ (٨)
“So he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it. And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.”610
لِتُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا تَسْعَى
“So that every soul may be rewarded as it strives:”11
And if you ask which Sunnah proves this matter, it would be said: The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) asked a man: “Is he your son?” “Yes,” he replied. His
Eminence said: “His sin would not be placed on your neck and your sins would
not be on your neck.”
Through this statement, the Prophet has like Almighty Allah announced that
the crime of everyone shall be upon the doer and not anyone else, just as the reward of a good deed is given to the doer and not to anyone else.
In addition to the above, the weeping of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), his
companions and righteous companions of companions, who wept on their dead,
is the best evidence of legality of weeping.
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) wept upon the passing away of his son,
Ibrahim, and remarked: “The eyes weep and the heart is aggrieved, but we don’t
say, but what Almighty Allah approved. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are shattered at
your loss.”12
Moreover, the Prophet also lamented on the passing away of his son, Tahir
and remarked: “The eyes weep and the heart is aggrieved, but we definitely do
not commit disobedience of Almighty Allah.”13
Also, during the tragedy of Hamza, when Safiya binte Abdul Muttalib (sister
of Hamza and aunt of Prophet) was searching him and Ansar stood between her
and the body of Hamza such that she was unable to see the body. The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) told the Ansar: “Allow Safiya to come to Hamza’s body.”
She went and sat besides the corpse; she wept and Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) also wept with her. When she wailed aloud, the Prophet also wailed
aloud. Lady Fatima Zahra (s.a.) also wailed and along with her the Prophet
wailed and he said: “I never faced a tragedy more serious than your tragedy.”14
When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) returned from the Battle of Uhad,
the women of Ansar began to lament upon their martyrs. This was reported to the
Prophet, and he said: “But is there no one, who may lament for Hamza?”
When Ansar learnt of the Prophet’s wish, they told their ladies: “From now
on you don’t have the right to lament on your relatives, except after first
lamenting on Hamza.”
He says: This became customary among Ansar and continues to this day.
Whenever they wish to mourn ones dead, they first lament Hamza and then
lament for their dead.15
Also, when His Eminence visited the grave of his respected mother, he wept
and those present with him, too wept.16 In the same way, when Uthman bin Mazun
passed away, His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) kissed him and tears flowed upon his face.17
Similarly, Lady Fatima Zahra (s.a.) wept on the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) and remarked:
“O father, who have become proximate to Almighty Allah. O father, who
harkened to the call of the Lord. O father, we present our complaints to Jibraeel. O father, who has occupied the Firdos Paradise.”18
Moreover, Fatima stood at the grave of the Prophet, picked up a handful of
dust, placed it over her eyes, wept and said:
“One, who smells the dust of the grave of Prophet, how can he ever smell
another fragrance? Such calamities have befallen me; that if they had fallen on
days, they would have turned into nights.”
This is the Sunnah of Prophet, which was followed by companions of
Prophet as well; but the Caliph, through his tradition: “The dead is punished
because of weeping of living,” has opposed them. This view was only followed
by him and his son, Abdullah. Whereas following the truth is worthier.19