6/51. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 1581 — Wailing and Repentance
What was narrated concerning the prohibition of wailing
Hadith About Wailing Over the Dead
Sunan Ibn Majah : 1581
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 1581
حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَنْبَأَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ مُعَانِقٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ الأَشْعَرِيِّ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " النِّيَاحَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَإِنَّ النَّائِحَةَ إِذَا مَاتَتْ وَلَمْ تَتُبْ قَطَعَ اللَّهُ لَهَا ثِيَابًا مِنْ قَطِرَانٍ وَدِرْعًا مِنْ لَهَبِ النَّارِ " .
Abu Malik al-Ash'ari Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Wailing is one of the affairs of the Days of Ignorance, and if the woman who wails dies without having repented, Allah will cut a garment of pitch (tar) for her and a shirt of flaming fire.’”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1581In-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 149English translation : Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 1581
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 1581
This hadith about wailing over the dead gives a serious warning about niyahah, or loud ritual wailing in grief. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described wailing as one of the affairs of the Days of Ignorance. That means it is not the way a believer should respond to death. The hadith also mentions the wailing woman who dies without repentance, showing that the door of return to Allah is still open before death. The main message is not that sadness is wrong. Rather, the hadith warns against turning grief into a forbidden display that includes wailing. A Muslim should meet loss with patience, repentance, and a heart that remembers Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- Wailing over the dead is strongly warned against in this hadith.
- Repentance remains important before death comes.
- Grief should not lead a person into practices linked to the Days of Ignorance.
- A believer should respond to death with patience and fear of Allah.
