Mourning rituals and self harm as found in the Quran
We read in Surah Nisa 004.148 YUSUFALI: Allah loveth not that evil should be noised abroad in public speech, except where injustice hath been done; for Allah is He who heareth and knoweth all things.
We read in Tafseer Ibn Katheer Volume 2 page 20 Surah Nisa, under the commentary of this
"Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn Abbas commented on the Ayah and said,'Allah does not like that the evil should be uttered in public, He does not like that any one should invoke Him against anyone else, unless one is wronged. In this case, Allah allows one to invoke Him against whoever wronged him. Hence Allah's statement Allah loveth not that evil should be noised abroad in public speech, except where injustice hath been done'"
A similar narration can also be located in Saheeh al Bukharee Volume 2 page 820 on the authority of Muhammad ibn Kab.
This verse makes it clear that the public's relaying of injustice is permissible. Relaying the suffering of a victim is permissible. The tradition from Bukhari proves that mourning is permissible when one is citing the pains inflicted on the aggrieved party hence any tradition that contradicts this must be ignored.
MOURNING AND HITTING ONESELF IS THE SUNNAH OF THE LAST PROPHET PBUH
As evidence we shall cite the following works:
Saheeh al Bukharee Volume 2 page 5
- Sunan al Nasai Volume 3 page 305
- Adhaan al Mufreed page 426
- Saheeh al Muslim Volume 1 page 291
- Musnad Abu Awana Volume 2 page 292
All these books state:
Rasulullah (s) was in a distress where he was hitting his chest."
Ibn Hajr Asqalani in the commentary of this tradition in Fathul Bari Volume 3 page 90 writes:
"This Hadeeth demonstrates that it is permissible to bang your hand at a moment of distress".
CHEST BEATING IS THE SUNNAH OF SAHABAH (ra)
Musnad Abu Awana Volume 2 page 141
- Sunan Nasai Volume 3 page 12
- Sunan Abu Daud Volume 1 page 244
"Mu'awiya bin Hakim Sami narrates that I read Salat behind the Prophet. A person sneezed and I recited Alhamdolillah on him. People began to stare at me, I asked 'Why are you staring at me?' the Sahaba began to hit their heads."
PROOF OF HEAD BEATING AS FROM QURAN E HAKEEM
In Surah adh-Dhaariyaat we read that Hadrath Sara (as) struck her face when she was told that she would conceive a baby.
"Then came forward his wife in grief, she smote her face and said (what! I) An old barren woman?"
Quran 51:29
"Faskath" does not just mean rub or touch, it means slap and this is evidenced from Saheeh Muslim Book 030, Number 5851, Bab Fadail Musa:
Abu Hurraira reported that the Angel of Death was sent to Moses (peace be upon him) to inform of his Lord's summons. When he came, he (Moses) boxed him [Sakka] and his eye was knocked out. He (the Angel of Death) came back to the Lord and said: You sent me to a servant who did not want to die. Allah restored his eye to its proper place (and revived his eyesight), and then said: Go back to him and tell him that if he wants life he must place his hand on the back of an ox, and he would be granted as many years of life as the number of hair covered by his hand. He (Moses) said: My Lord what would happen then He said: Then you must court death. He said: Let it be now. And he supplicated Allah to bring him close to the sacred land. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: If I were there, I would have shown you his grave beside the road at the red mound.
This has also been reported in Saheeh al Bukharee Book 23 Volume 2, Book 23, Number 423, Book of Funerals.
We read in the Sunni work Maqamath ai Hareery,
"He beat his cheeks and tore his collar"
The slapping of Prophet Ibraheem (as)'s wife Sara is proven from the Qur'an. The Qur'an tells us to adhere to the ways of the people of Ibraheem (as), so if the Shi'a beat themselves whilst mourning for Imam Husayn (as) such acts are lawful.
BEATING ONE'S SELF AT THE TIME OF DISTRESS IS THE SUNNAH OF HAZRAT ADAM a.s.
"When life was breathed into the spirit of Adam he hit his hand on his head and cried. He made this tradition of beating one's head with one's hand and crying in times of trouble for his descendants.
*BEATING ONE SELF IS THE SUNNAH OF HAZRAT UMAR r.a*
Kanz al Ummal, Vol.8, Page 117, Kitab al Maut tells..
When Hadhrath Omar heard of Nu'man ibn Muqrin's death he beat his head and screamed, "O what a pity that Nu'man(one of his friends) died".
*MOURNING BY THE SUNNAH OF THE WIVES OF THE LAST PROPHET PBUH*
Ibn Katheer al Nasibi in al Bidayah wa al Nihayah Volume 5 page 420 published by Nafees Academy Karachi records the event as follows:
"Rasulullah (s) died while he was in my lap. Then I laid his head on a pillow and got up beating my face along with other women".
Ibn Katheer al Nasibi in al Bidayah wa al Nihayah Volume 5 page 420 published by Nafees Academy Karachi records the event as follows..
"Rasulullah (s) died while he was in my lap. Then I laid his head on a pillow and got up beating my face along with other women".
THE MOST PROMINENT MOUNING BY HAZRAT OWAIS QARNI (ra)
The most explicit proof of self-inflicted injury comes from Owais al-Qarni the great Muslim Sahabi, praised by both Shi'a and Sunni erudite. He had an immense love for the Holy Prophet (s). When the news reached him in Yemen that two teeth of the Holy Prophet (s) were broken in the battle of Ohad, he extracted all his teeth. When the Holy Prophet (s) got the news in Medina that Owais had struck down all his teeth, he (s) exclaimed, "Indeed Owais is our devoted friend". This event can be found written in 'Seerate Halbia' vol II, page 295.
A MUSLIM BEDOIN MOURNING BEFORE THE PROPHET PBUH
Malik's Muwatta
Book 18, Number 18.9.29:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ata ibn Abdullah al-Khurasani that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) beating his breast and tearing out his hair and saying, 'I am destroyed.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Why is that?', and he said, 'I had intercourse with my wife while fasting in Ramadan.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, 'Are you able to free a slave?', and the man said, 'No.' Then he asked him, 'Are you able to give away a camel?', and the man replied, 'No.' He said, 'Sit down,' and someone brought a large basket of dates to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said to the man, 'Take this and give it away as Sadaqa.' The man said, 'There is no one more needy than me,' and (the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace), said, 'Eat them, and fast one day for the day when you had intercourse.' "
Worthy of note is the fact that Darr Qathani in his Sharh of Muwatta Volume 2 (this tradition) adds that that 'he was placing mud in his hair'
.
The incident should be considered in the light of the following facts:
- The Bedouin being a Muslim was Sahabi (companion) of the Holy Prophet (s).
- He was beating his chest and tearing his hair in presence of Holy Prophet (s) who neither objected to it nor reprimanded him for the same.
- The action of the Bedouin was a result of spiritual pain he suffered as his fast was invalidated.
- Sunni traditionists have authentically recorded this incident.
BABA FAREED GANJ SHAKKAR'S SELF HARM AZADARI
Baba Fareed Ganj Shakar of Pak Patan is a major Sunni Sufi Saint. He commands thousands of adherents from the Indian Subcontinent. We read in the Sunni text From Uswa - e - Sufia Uzzaam, Page 8:
He used to lament and cry for Imam Husayn (as) on the day of Ashura so much so that he would fall unconscious. It is narrated from him that there was a saintly man in Baghdad and when the tragedy of Karbala was described to him, he cried so piteously and profusely and smashed his head so hard on the ground out of grief that he died! The same night, people saw him in their dream and enquired of his condition to which he replied: I gave up my life for the love of Ahl - e - Bait (as) hence Allah has pardoned me and I now live with Imam Husayn (as)
Is not the status of an Azadaar equivalent to that of a Martyr? This shows that self - flagellate with knives and swords, doing Matam and giving up one's life for the love of these Infallibles is a cause of redemption and pardon from Allah (swt).
