the deceased without wailing or lamentation. He then quoted two hadiths describing how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wept when he saw two children in the agony of death. The first relates to his grandson, who was brought to him while the child was breathing his last. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wept, his eyes overflowing with tears of mercy for the boy, for he saw the child struggling with death and his heart softened. ﷺ he—being the most merciful of all creation toward creation—began to cry. Saʿd ibn ʿUbāda asked, “What is this, O Messenger of Allah?” meaning, “How can you be crying?” He replied, “This is compassion,” that is, “I felt mercy for this child who is wresting with his soul, so I was moved to tears. Allah shows mercy only to His compassionate servants.”

The more compassionate a person is toward the servants of Allah, the closer he draws to Allah’s mercy. You should therefore accustom yourself to mercy and tenderness toward children, animals, and everyone who is entitled to compassion, so that you become worthy of Allah’s mercy, for “Allah shows mercy only to His compassionate servants.” This provides clear proof that it is permissible to weep for the deceased, because the Prophet ﷺ wept and said, “It is compassion.” It also shows that a person ought to seek out the mercy of Allah by every possible means: “Surely the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good.” His statement ﷺ “Allah shows mercy only to His compassionate servants” indicates that the recompense fits the deed. When someone is merciful toward Allah’s slaves, Allah Most High is merciful toward him—for Allah is in the servant’s need so long as the servant is in the need of his brother; whoever is in need