Wailing or Listening To Wailing

Dār al-Iftā Ahl al-Sunnah

Mufti Abu Muhammad Ali Asghar Attari Madani

1. Wailing or listening to wailing

Q: What do the noble scholars say concerning the following matter:

Is it allowed for a person to wail or listen to such lamentation?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: Mourning of 3 days is allowed for the generality of a person’s inheritors and mourning for 4 months and 10 days is permitted for his wife; it is not allowed beyond this. Wherever mourning is prohibited beyond 3 days, likewise renewal of grief is also impermissible, i.e., remembering the deceased or martyred person with such words that renew grief and sorrow.^[1]

Where mourning of a specific period has been permitted as detailed above, it is still necessary that wailing is avoided therein. The erudite Hanafi jurist, Muftī Amjad ꜤAlī al-AꜤzamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states concerning this: “Wailing, i.e., crying aloud whilst mentioning the deceased’s characteristics with exaggeration, referred to as ‘bayn’ [in Urdu], is haram by consensus. This is also the case when screaming and saying: ‘O destruction!’ ‘O calamity!’”^[2]

Wailing is a haram act.^[3]  There are severe warnings in the Aḥādīth for the one who laments in this way, and it has been mentioned as being a matter of kufr, i.e., it is the way of the people of the era of ignorance. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim it is related from Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:

عن ابی ھریرۃ قا ل قال رسو ل الله صلی الله علیہ وسلم اثنتا ن فی الناس ھما بھم کفرالطعن فی النسب والنیاحۃ

“Two matters in people are kufr: criticism of lineage and wailing.”^[4]

In another Hadith, it is mentioned:

النائحۃ اذا لم تتب قبل موتھا تقا م یو م القیا مۃ وعلیھا سربال من قطران ودرع من جر ب

“When the woman who wails does not repent before her death, she will be stood on the Day of Judgement with a garment of tar and a shirt of scabies.”^[5]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

2. Circling a black goat or rooster around an ill person and giving it in charity

Q: What do the noble scholars say concerning the following matter:

It is said that if a person is ill, a black goat or rooster should be circled around the ailing person’s head seven times and then be given in charity. What is the ruling of Islamic law concerning this practice?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: According to the meanings found in the noble Aḥādīth, charity repels calamities, and in particular the sacrifice of an animal is very effective and beneficial in this regard. Furthermore, there is proof for the sacrifice of goats, etc., in the noble Aḥādīth. Therefore, depending on one’s circumstances, an animal should be given as ṣadaqah on behalf of an ill person. It is stated in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad:

عن أم سلمة أن امرأة أهدت لها رجل شاة تصدق عليها بها فأمرها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن تقبلها

“Sayyidatuna Umm Salamah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا narrates that a woman gifted her the leg from a goat which was given as ṣadaqah on her [the woman’s] behalf. So, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم instructed her to accept it.”^[6]

However, we have not come across any virtue of only giving a black goat or black rooster or circling the thing around the head of the ill person. It is possible that this is done as some sort of tried and tested remedy. Every tried and tested remedy is not impermissible. For example, spiritual healers mention one remedy for removing the evil eye as circling chillies around the afflicted person’s head. This is a tried and tested remedy which is permissible to act upon. There is no reason to declare the moving of the animal around the head as impermissible, but there is nothing established concerning its speciality or virtue either.^[7]

Ṣadaqah averts calamities. It is mentioned in a blessed Hadith recorded in ShuꜤab al-Īmān:

عن أنس بن مالك قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم: باكروا بالصدقة فإن البلاء لا يتخطى الصدقة

"On the authority of Sayyidunā Anas b. Mālik رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ that the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘Give ṣadaqah early in the morning because calamity does not overstep ṣadaqah.’”^[8]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

3. Applying perfume during umrah

Q: What do the noble scholars say concerning the following matter: I performed umrah a few years ago and due to a lack of knowledge, I applied perfume whilst in the iḥrām state. I applied perfume to both hands, rubbed them together and then wiped over my iḥrām garments. I have now found out that this was not allowed. Please inform me about the Islamic legal ruling concerning this. Must I offer an expiation (kaffārah)? Also, since a long time has passed, can I still offer it now?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: In the scenario described, an expiative ritual sacrifice (dam) is incumbent upon you.^[9] This is because firstly, the amount of perfume you applied is not small (qalīl), rather it is a lot (kathīr). Even if we were to suppose that it is a small amount, when this is applied to an entire limb in the iḥrām state, an expiative ritual sacrifice becomes necessary.^[10] The noble jurists have considered the palm to be an entire limb.^[11]  If an expiative ritual sacrifice becomes necessary upon a person, it is not necessary to offer it immediately, although it is better to do so. Therefore, you can still offer this expiation now.^[12] 

Furthermore, this expiation must be performed within the Ḥaram and cannot be performed in any other place, like Pakistan.^[13] If you cannot travel to the Ḥaram yourself, you should give the required amount to a reliable person and appoint him as your wakil (agent) in offering it within the Ḥaram. That person should then arrange for the sacrifice on your behalf within the Ḥaram.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم