486 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I was present at the burial of one of the Prophet’s ﷺ daughters while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting by the grave, and I saw his eyes filled with tears.” Al-Bukhari narrated it. (1)

— Lessons drawn from these ḥadiths:

1 – Hadiths 483 and 484 show that niyāḥah (wailing) is forbidden. Niyāḥah is to raise one’s voice while listing the deceased’s qualities and good deeds—a pre-Islamic practice that Islam has abolished and prohibited.

2 – The proof of this prohibition is the curse pronounced upon the wailing woman; a curse is mentioned only for a major sin.

3 – Acts akin to wailing include tearing one’s clothing, slapping the cheeks, plucking out the hair, and the like. Al-Bukhari (3519) and Muslim (103) relate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever slaps the cheeks, tears the garments, and calls with the cries of the Days of Ignorance is not one of us.” Those “cries of the Days of Ignorance” are lamenting and wailing.

4 – The wisdom in prohibiting such acts is that they reveal panic and discontent and show a lack of the patience that is obligatory regarding Allah’s decree and predestination. As for being content with Allah’s decree, that is not obligatory but recommended, though some scholars have considered it obligatory.

5 – Hadith 483 also indicates that deliberately listening to a wailing woman is forbidden, and the one who listens shares in the curse, whereas a person who merely hears without intending to listen is not