His grief over the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—demonstrates the fullness of his loyalty and love, his sincere concern for him, his vigilance in protecting him, and his efforts to defend him and ward off harm. This is among the greatest expressions of faith. Even if such grief also causes him some weakness, this indicates that what is commanded is to possess these qualities without grieving, since grief alone serves no purpose. It does not indicate that this is a sin for which he deserves blame (1). It is well known that grief over the Messenger is greater than a person’s grief over his own son, for loving the Messenger is a more binding obligation than loving one’s son.

Nevertheless, Allah tells us that Jacob grieved over his son Joseph, saying:

“‘Alas for Joseph!’ His eyes turned white with grief, and he held his sorrow within. They said, ‘By Allah, you will not cease remembering Joseph until you waste away or perish.’ He said, ‘I complain of my anguish and grief only to Allah.’” To the end of the verse. [Surah Yūsuf: 84–86]

Here was Israel, a noble prophet, grieving so deeply over his son, yet this was no cause for reviling him. How, then, can Abu Bakr be reviled for grieving over the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—out of fear that he might be killed, when happiness in this world and the Hereafter was bound to him?

Moreover, these Shiites—and others—describe Fātima’s grief over the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as beyond description, and say that she was a daughter of the House of Sorrows. Yet they do not regard this as grounds for censuring her, even though hers was grief over something lost that would never return. Abu Bakr, by contrast, grieved over him while he was alive, fearing that he might be killed; his grief thus involved vigilance in protecting him. For this reason, when the Prophet died, he did not grieve in this manner, since it served no purpose. Thus Abu Bakr’s grief was undoubtedly