Question No. 3001 31 August 2022 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified Content level: Intermediate

Is the Duration of Mourning Simply a Matter of Custom?

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Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3001

Is the length of time spent mourning purely a matter of custom, given that I doubt there are any narrations specifying the days of mourning?

Subject category: Ethics and Spirituality Ahl al-Bayt and Islamic History Critique and review

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

The duration of mourning is a matter of custom and should neither prevent the fulfilment of obligatory duties nor lead to the neglect of recommended acts. Mourning gives expression to a heart consumed by grief and serves as a warning against injustice; it should not, however, distract us from divine teachings. Excess is blameworthy, while falling short is ingratitude. Yet those who mourn for the Prophet’s Household are among the happiest of people, and mourning is the most beautiful way to remember them and express our love.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

Since a patient’s sighs and cries, a wounded person’s groans, and a bereaved person’s lament are not part of a ritual but the involuntary expression of inward suffering, the greatest suffering and calamity ever to befall creation has come through the oppression of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them—a wound that has scratched the human spirit and soul!

Mourning is the expression of the mourner’s burning heart: a warning and a declaration of the wound inflicted on the heart of all existence, a wound that has yet to heal. It exposes the oppressor’s disgrace and shame, and denies oppressors and their followers the peace of mind they might otherwise enjoy after their crimes.

Mourning holds oppressors to account and helps prevent the same kind of injustice from happening again.

Mourning bears witness to the loneliness of the Ahl al-Bayt and openly expresses the hopes of those awaiting the Qa’im of the House of Muhammad, blessings be upon him.

And more…

Mourning is the salt of our lives, our souls, and our very existence. All excess is blameworthy, and any neglect of it is manifest ingratitude.

Mourning, when observed in the proper and accepted manner and according to the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, has always been praiseworthy. It stands in the way of no obligatory or recommended act, nor of anyone’s happiness!

Those who mourn for the Ahl al-Bayt are among the happiest of people and the least prone to any form of spiritual depression.

Mourning is the most beautiful way we remember the Ahl al-Bayt and express our devotion and love for them.

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Is the Duration of Mourning Simply a Matter of Custom?

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

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