When a man's child dies God most high asks His angels whether they have taken His servant's child and they reply that they have. He then asks whether they have taken the fruit of his heart (This is said by some to mean either children or grandchildren, and a basis for that meaning is found in Qur’an, ii, 155, where the plural ath-thamarat is interpreted that way), and when they reply that they have, He asks what His servant said. On their replying that he praised God and said, “We belong to God and to Him do we return,” God says, “Build a house in paradise for my servant and call it the house of praise.” Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported God's messenger as saying, “If anyone comforts one who has been afflicted he will have a reward equivalent to his.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition which was known to him as traced back to the Prophet only among the traditions of ‘Ali b. ‘Asim the transmitter. He added that some transmitted it with this isnad from Muhammad b. Suqa in mauquf form.

A daughter of ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan died in Mecca and we went to attend her funeral. Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbas were present and I was sitting between them. ‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar told ‘Amr b. ‘Uthman who was opposite him to make the people stop weeping, for God's messenger had said that the dead is punished because of his people’s weeping for him. Ibn ‘Abbas then said that ‘Umar used to say something of that nature, and told of an occasion when he had gone from Mecca with ‘Umar and they saw a party of riders under the shade of a gum-acacia tree when they came to al-Baida,. ‘Umar told him to go and see who these riders were, and when he looked he saw that Suhaib was among them, so he told ‘Umar and he asked him to call him. He therefore returned to Suhaib and told him to come over and attach himself to the Commander of the Faithful. Then when ‘Umar was smitten Suhaib entered weeping and saying, “Alas for the brother! Alas for the companion!” ‘Umar asked Suhaib if he was weeping for him when God’s messenger had said that the dead would certainly be punished because of some of the weeping of his family for him. Ibn ‘Abbas said that when ‘Umar died he mentioned that to ‘A’isha and she said, “God have mercy on ‘Umar! I answer by God that God’s messenger never said the dead will certainly be punished because of his family’s weeping for him; what he said was that God will increase the punishment of the infidel because of his family’s weeping for him.” She added, “What the Qur’an says is enough for you: ‘No bearer of a burden will bear another’s burden.’ ” (Qur’an, vi, 164; xvii, 15; xxxv, 18; xxxix, 7) Thereupon Ibn ‘Abbas said, “God is He who has caused laughter and weeping.” (Cf. Qur’an, liii, 43) Ibn Abu Mulaika said that Ibn ‘Umar remained silent. (Bukharl and Muslim.)

Abu Musa said he heard God’s messenger say, “If anyone dies and the mourner gets up and says, ‘Alas for the mountain! Alas for the chief!’ and such like, God will put two angels in charge of him who will beat him on the breast and ask him whether he was like that.”Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib hasan tradition.

‘Imran b. Husain and Abu Barza said that when they went out with God’s messenger to a funeral he saw some people who had removed their cloaks and were walking in shirts, and said, “Do you adhere to the practice of pre-Islamic times?” or, “Do you copy what was done in pre-Islamic times ? I feel inclined to invoke a curse on you that you should return metamorphosed.” Then they took their cloaks and did not do that again. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id told a woman coming to God’s messenger and saying, “Messenger of God, the men have a monopoly of what you say, so appoint us a day on which we may come to you to teach us some of what God has taught you.” He told them to gather on such and such a day in such and such a place, and when they did so he came to them and taught them some of what God had taught him. Then he said, “No woman among you will be predeceased by three of her children without that being a curtain from hell for her." One of the women asked whether that applied if there were two, repeating the question twice, and he replied, “Two also, two also, two also." Bukharl transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone is predeceased by three of his children who did not grow old enough to sin, they will be a strong protection for him from hell.” When Abu Dharr said he had been predeceased by two, he told him that the same applied. Ubayy b. Ka'b Abu Mundhir, the chief of the Qur'an readers, said he had been predeceased by one, and he told him the same applied. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying that this is a gharib tradition.

Abu Umama reported the Prophet as stating that God who is blessed and exalted says, “Son of Adam, if you show endurance and seek your reward from me in the first affliction, I shall be pleased with no lesser reward than paradise for you.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Umm ad-Darda’ said she heard Abud Darda’ say he heard Abul Qasim (i.e the Prophet) say that God who is blessed and exalted said, “I am sending after your time, Jesus, a people who will praise God when what they like happens to them, and seek their reward from God and show endurance when what they dislike afflicts them, though they do not possess forbearance and intelligence.” He asked, “My Lord, how can this be when they do not possess forbearance or intelligence?” God replied, “I shall give them some of my forbearance and my knowledge.” Baihaqi transmitted the two traditions in Shu'ab al-lman.

Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “I forbade you to visit graves, but you may now visit them, for they produce abstinence in this world and act as a reminder of the next.”Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said God's messenger cursed women who visited graves. Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition. He added that some learned men consider this was before the Prophet gave licence to visit graves, and when he gave it both men and women were included. But some hold that he disapproved of women visiting graves because of the small amount of self-control they possess and their tendency to be greatly upset. The quotation from him ends here.

I used to enter my house in which God’s messenger was and put off my garment, saying that only my husband and my father were there; but when ‘Umar was buried along with them, I swear by God that I did not enter it without having my clothes wrapped round me owing to modesty regarding ‘Umar. (The tradition refers to the time after the death of the Prophet and Abu Bakr who were buried in ‘A’isha’s house. When 'Umar died he was buried beside them. As ‘A’isha was not related to him she felt she must observe the usual conventions regarding men who were not near relatives, even although ‘Umar was dead, for it evidently seemed to her as if he were really in the house.)Ahmad transmitted it.

Ja'far b. Muhammad told in mursal form on his father’s authority that the Prophet cast three handfuls of earth on the dead with both hands, that he sprinkled water on his son Ibrahim’s grave, and that he put small pebbles on it. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna, and Shafi’i transmitted from “he sprinkled".

‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, “Breaking a dead man’s bone is like breaking it when he is alive.” Malik, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

'Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, "He who beats the cheeks, tears the front of the garments, and cries out as people did in pre-Islamic times, does not belong to us." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas told that when the Prophet came upon a woman weeping at a grave he said, "Fear God and show endurance.” She, not recognising him, replied, "Go away, for you have not been afflicted as I have.” She was told that he was the Prophet, so she went to his door, and finding no doorkeepers there she said, "I did not recognise you." He replied, "Endurance is shown only at the first blow.” (Bukharl and Muslim.)

Abu Barza reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who comforts a bereaved woman will be clothed with a striped garment in paradise.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

‘Amra daughter of ‘Abd ar-Rahman said that when ‘A’isha was told that ‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar said the dead was punished because of the weeping of the living for him, she heard her say, “God forgive Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ! He has not lied, but he has forgotten, or has made a mistake. What happened was just that God’s messenger came upon some people weeping for a Jewess and said, ‘They are weeping for her, and she is being punished in her grave.’ ”(Bukharl and Muslim.)

‘A’isha said that when the Prophet was told that Ibn Haritha, Ja'far and Ibn Rawaha (They were Zaid b. Haritha, Ja'far Abu Talib, and 'Abdallah b. Rawaha who were killed at Mu’ta in 7 A.H) had been killed, he sat down showing signs of grief, while she was looking at him through the sa’ir, i.e. the slit, of the door. A man came to him and mentioned that Ja'far’s women were weeping, and on being told to tell them to stop he went away. He came a second time saying they had not obeyed him, and he told him to tell them to stop. When he came a third time and said he could make no impression on them, God’s messenger, so ‘A’isha asserted, said, “Throw dust in their mouths.” Thereupon she said, “God humble you! You did not do what God’s messenger ordered you, nor did you stop annoying God’s messenger.” (Bukharl and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar said God’s messenger forbade the following of a bier which was accompanied by a woman wailing shrilly. Ahmad and Ibn Majah transmitted it.