the people; he praised Allah and extolled Him, then said:

“Your brothers met the enemy. Zayd took the banner and fought until he was killed—or martyred—then the banner was taken by Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib, who fought until he was killed—or martyred—then ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah took the banner and fought until he was killed—or martyred—then the banner was taken by a sword from among the swords of Allah: Khālid ibn al-Walīd, and Allah granted victory at his hands.”

He then waited three days before visiting the family of Jaʿfar. When he came to them he said, “Do not weep for my brother after today. Call my nephews for me.”

We were brought to him looking like fledglings. He said, “Call the barber for me.” The barber came and shaved our heads. Then he said, “Muḥammad resembles our uncle Abū Ṭālib, while ʿAbd Allāh resembles me in appearance and character.”

He took my hand, raised it, and said, “O Allah, be Jaʿfar’s successor among his family, and bless ʿAbd Allāh in every transaction his right hand undertakes.” He repeated this supplication three times.

Our mother then came, spoke to him about our being orphans, and expressed joy for us. He said, “Are you afraid of poverty for them while I am their guardian in this world and the Hereafter?!”

Abū Dāwūd transmitted part of this report, while al-Nasāʾī related it in full in al-Siyar through the chain of Wahb ibn Jarīr [1]. This indicates that the Prophet ﷺ allowed them to weep for three days and then forbade it thereafter.

This seems to be the import of the ḥadīth recorded by Imām Aḥmad [2]—through al-Ḥakam, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaddād, from Asmāʾ—that when Jaʿfar was killed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her, “Lament for three days, then do as you wish.” Aḥmad alone narrates it. It could mean that he permitted her to engage in intense lamentation—raising the voice and rending garments—as a special concession because of her profound grief over Jaʿfar, the father of her children. It is also possible that he was instructing her to observe a heightened mourning for three days, after which she could carry on with the customary mourning observed by women in their waiting period. Allah knows best.

Another wording is transmitted: “Console yourself for three days,” meaning, “Be patient for three days.” This differs from the first version; Allah knows best.

As for the ḥadīth in which Imām Aḥmad [3] said: Yazīd narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥah narrated to us; al-Ḥakam ibn ʿUtaybah narrated to us, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaddād, from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays, who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to me on the third day after Jaʿfar was killed and said, ‘Do not continue mourning after today.’” This report is also unique to Aḥmad, and its chain is sound [4]. However, it is difficult to accept at face value, for it is firmly established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs [5] that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a deceased person for more than three days, except for her husband, in which case four months and ten days.” If what Imām Aḥmad recorded