Sufyān ibn Wakīʿ narrated: Ibn Wahb told us, from ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith, who said that Abū al-Naḍr related to me, from Ziyād, from Ibn ʿAbbās:
When the Prophet ﷺ entered upon ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn after he had died, he bent over him, then raised his head, and it was as though they perceived traces of tears. He then knelt a second time, lifted his head again, and they saw that he was weeping. He knelt a third time, raised his head, and let out a sob; they realized he was weeping, and the people wept with him. He said, “Enough—this is from Satan.”
Then he said, “I ask Allah to forgive you, Abū al-Sāʾib! You have left this world without being tainted by any part of it (1).”
Hammād ibn Salamah narrated, from ʿAlī ibn Zayd, from Yūsuf ibn Mihrān, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:
When Ibn Maẓʿūn died, his wife exclaimed, “Glad tidings of Paradise to you!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at her with displeasure and said, “How do you know that?”
She replied, “He was your horseman and companion.”
He said, “I am the Messenger of Allah, yet I do not know what will be done with me, nor with him.”
The people then felt anxious for ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn; the women began to weep, and ʿUmar tried to silence them. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Let them be, O ʿUmar!” Then he continued:
(1) Sufyan ibn Wakiʿ is a weak narrator. The report appears in Abu Nuʿaym, Hilyat al-Awliya, 1/105. Al-Haythami cites it in Majmaʿ al-zawaʾid, 9/302-303, attributing it to al-Tabarani through ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Miqlas from his father; he remarks, “I do not know either of them, while the remainder of the transmitters are reliable.”
A further sign of the hadith’s fragility is the odd content (munkar): it declares that crying comes from Satan, whereas the two Sahihs relate that the Prophet’s eyes filled with tears over his granddaughter. When Saʿd ibn ʿUbada expressed surprise, the Prophet ﷺ replied, “This is mercy that Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants; Allah shows mercy to those of His servants who are merciful.”
The two Sahihs likewise report that he wept for his son Ibrahim, saying, “The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we utter only what pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are saddened by your departure.” They also record his statement: “Allah does not punish for the tear of the eye or the sorrow of the heart, but He punishes—or shows mercy—because of this,” and he pointed to his tongue.
What Islam forbids is wailing (*niyaha*), ritual lamentation, striking the cheeks, tearing garments, and invoking pre-Islamic slogans.
It is authentically reported from ʿAʾisha that she saw the Prophet ﷺ kiss ʿUthman ibn Mazʿun after his death while his eyes were shedding tears. Related by Abu Dawud (3133), al-Tirmidhi (989), and Ibn Majah (1456); al-Tirmidhi graded it sound (hasan sahih). Al-Bazzar (no. 809) transmits a corroborating narration through Muʿadh ibn Rabiʿa.