Chapter: The Permissibility of Weeping for the Deceased Without Lament or Wailing

Wailing (niyāḥah) is unlawful, and—God willing—a separate chapter on the subject will appear in the Book of Prohibitions. As for weeping, numerous hadiths seem, at first glance, to forbid it and to state that the deceased is punished because of his family’s tears. These reports, however, are to be interpreted as referring to one who had instructed that such lamenting be carried out for him. The actual prohibition concerns only the type of weeping that includes lamenting (nadb) or wailing. The evidence for the permissibility of shedding tears that are free from lament and wailing is found in many hadiths, among them: