that he is distressed by weeping over him, as stated in the authentic hadiths from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“The deceased is tormented by his family’s weeping over him.”

Another wording states:

“Whoever is wailed over is tormented because of the wailing over him.”

An authentic hadith relates that when Abd Allāh ibn Rawāhah lost consciousness, his sister began lamenting, saying, “O my strength! O my helper!” When he regained consciousness, he said, “For everything you said about me, I was asked, ‘Are you really like that?’”

Some among the early and later generations rejected this, believing that it meant punishing a person for someone else’s sin and thus contradicted the words of Allah Most High:

“No bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.”

They then adopted different approaches to these authentic hadiths. Some held that their narrators, such as Umar ibn al-Khattāb and others, had erred. This was the approach of Ā’ishah, al-Shāfi‘ī, and others.

Others understood this to apply when the deceased had left instructions for such mourning, so that he is punished for having instructed them to do so. This was the view of a group of scholars, including al-Muzanī and others.

Still others understood this to apply when it was his family’s customary practice, so that he is punished for failing to forbid wrongdoing. This was the view preferred by a group of scholars, including my grandfather, Abū al-Barakāt. And all