Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/393)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Section

Mourning is obligatory ..............................

His statement, “Mourning is obligatory”: iḥdād (mourning) is the verbal noun of aḥadda yuḥiddu. As for the verbal noun of ḥadda yaḥuddu, it is ḥadd. Linguistically, ḥadd means restraint or prohibition; hence the boundaries of a house, the boundaries of a dwelling, and the like. In the Sacred Law, however, iḥdād means that a woman refrains from everything that invites sexual relations with her or makes one inclined to look at her, such as adornment clothing, jewelry, beautification with kohl, and enhancing the face with makeup or otherwise.

Mourning may be obligatory, permissible, or prohibited. It is obligatory for a woman whose husband has died. It is permissible for one whose friend or relative has died, for a period of three days. Anything beyond that—such as four days, five days, or more—is prohibited.

His statement, “is obligatory,” means that it is compulsory. Some scholars derived the evidence for this from the saying of Allah, the Most High:

“And those of you who die and leave wives behind: they shall wait by themselves for four months and ten days. Then, when they have completed their term, there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in a proper manner.” [al-Baqarah 2:234]

His saying, “there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in a proper manner,” indicates that mourning is contrary to this permission, and that this waiting must involve refraining from things that are otherwise permissible. Were it not so, His saying, “Then, when they have completed their term, there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in a proper manner,” would serve no purpose.

Likewise, there is the statement of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, when they complained to him about a woman whose husband had died and who had developed an eye ailment. They asked, “May we apply kohl to her eyes?” He replied, “No.” They repeated the question to him, and he replied, “No.” Then he said, “In the past, one of you would cast a piece of dung at the completion of a year, whereas it is only four”

فَصْلٌ يَلْزَمُ الإِحدَادُ .............................. قوله: «يلزم الإحداد» الإحداد مصدر أَحَدَّ يُحِدُّ، وأما مصدر حَدَّ يَحُدُّ فهو حَدٌّ، والحد في اللغة: المنع، ومنه حدود البيت، وحدود الدار، وما أشبه ذلك، أما الإحداد في الشرع: فهو أن تمتنع المرأة عن كل ما يدعو إلى جماعها، ويرغب في النظر إليها، كثياب الزينة والحلي والتجمل بالكحل، وتحسين الوجه بالمكياج أو غيره. والإحداد منه واجب، ومنه جائز، ومنه ممنوع، فالواجب على المتوفى عنها، والجائز على من مات له صديق أو قريب لمدة ثلاثة أيام، والممنوع ما زاد على ذلك؛ كأربعة أيام أو خمسة أو أكثر. وقوله: «يلزم» معناه أنه واجب، والدليل استنبطه بعض أهل العلم من قوله تعالى: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٣٤]، فإن قوله: ﴿فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾ دليل على أن الإحداد ينافي هذه الرخصة، وأنه لا بد أن يكون هذا التربص تربصاً عن أشياء جائزة، ولولا ذلك لما كان فائدة في قوله: ﴿فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾. وكذلك من قول الرسول ﵊ حينما شكوا إليه امرأة توفي عنها زوجها وقد اشتكت عينها، قالوا: أفنكحلها؟ قال: «لا»، فأعادوا عليه، قال: «لا»، ثم قال: «قد كانت إحداكن ترمي بالبعرة على رأس الحول، وإنما هي أربعة