928 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah the Exalted says: ‘My believing servant has no recompense with Me, when I take from him his dear one among the people of this world and he then seeks reward (1), except Paradise.’” Narrated by al-Bukhari.

929 – Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: One of the daughters of the Prophet ﷺ sent word to him, inviting him and telling him that a child of hers— or, he said, her son— was at the point of death (2). He told the messenger, “Go back to her and inform her that to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives, and everything with Him has an appointed term. Command her, therefore, to be patient and to seek reward.” He then mentioned the rest of the report. Agreed upon.

153 – Chapter: The permissibility of weeping over the deceased so long as there is no lament or wailing

As for wailing (niyāḥah), it is forbidden, and a separate chapter on it will appear in the Book of Prohibitions, if Allah wills. As for weeping, some hadiths prohibit it and state that the deceased is punished because of his family’s weeping; these are interpreted as applying to the one who instructed that such weeping be done on his behalf. The prohibition, in fact, concerns weeping that includes lamentation (nadb) or wailing (niyāḥah). The proof for the permissibility of simple weeping, free of lamentation and wailing, is found in many hadiths, among them:

930 – Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ visited Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah, accompanied by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with them). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wept, and when the people saw his tears they wept as well. He said, “Do you not hear? Allah does not punish for the tears of the eye nor for the sorrow of the heart, but He punishes for this—or He shows mercy,” and he pointed to his tongue. Agreed upon.

931 – Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that a grandchild of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was brought to him while the child was dying; the eyes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ overflowed with tears, whereupon Saʿd said to him, “What is this, O—”