of his brother, Allah will be in his need.

As for the second report—the hadith of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him)—it tells that the Prophet ﷺ was handed his son Ibrāhīm. This child was not from his wife Khadījah but from Mariyah, the Coptic bond-woman whom the ruler of Egypt had presented to him. The Prophet ﷺ lawfully cohabited with her as one under his right hand, and she bore him this son. Ibrāhīm lived for sixteen months and died during the Prophet’s lifetime. He was brought to the Messenger ﷺ while gasping his last, grappling with death itself. The dearest thing a person owns is his very soul, and the one in the throes of death seems to be handing it over to the angels.

The Prophet’s eyes overflowed with tears. Someone said to him, “What is this, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Indeed the heart grieves and the eye sheds tears, and we are surely saddened by your departure, O Ibrāhīm.” He repeated, “The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord. Truly, at your separation, O Ibrāhīm, we are saddened.” The child then passed away at the age of sixteen months.

This shows that there is no blame on a person who weeps out of mercy for the deceased and sorrow at parting from him, for the Messenger here affirmed that he was saddened by the loss of his son. It also proves that one may tell others that he is grieving on such an occasion.