Mourning and Beating in Muharram

Question

What is the ruling on mourning rituals in Muharram, such as chest-beating, face-slapping, self-flagellation with chains, or cutting the head with swords to draw blood?

Bottom Line

Neither the Prophet ﷺ nor his companions practiced them when facing martyrdom and loss.

Quick Answer

Islam permits grief and sadness, but forbids jahili practices like striking the body, wailing, or treating days of tragedy as festivals of mourning or celebration. The Prophet ﷺ forbade striking cheeks, tearing garments, and wailing. Mourning is natural, but actions like chest-beating, self-flagellation, or ritualized mourning on ‘Ashura are prohibited innovations. True remembrance of al-Husayn (RA) and others is through du‘a, patience, and saying Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘oon. Celebration of ‘Ashura as an “Eid” is also a religious innovation. Both extremes contradict the Sunnah.

Key Points

• Grief is natural, but Islam forbids jahili mourning rituals (beating, wailing, bloodletting).
• Prophet ﷺ mourned Hamzah, Ja‘far, and others without these practices.
• Al-Husayn (RA) is beloved, and his martyrdom is a tragedy, but Islam teaches patience, not innovations.
• Both extremes, mourning with violence or celebrating ‘Ashura, are bid‘ah.

Detailed Answer

When some Muslims mourn al-Husayn (RA) during Muharram by chest-beating, face-slapping, bloodletting, or public wailing, these acts are innovations with no sanction in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ, during whose lifetime many great companions were martyred—Hamzah, Ja‘far, Zayd, and others—did not prescribe such rituals. If it were good, he would have taught it.

The Qur’an gives the example of Ya‘qub (AS), who grieved deeply over Yusuf (AS) but did not strike his face or body, nor turn his grief into ritual.

The Prophet ﷺ explicitly said:

“He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garment, or cries with the cry of the Jahiliyyah.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1294; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 103

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (RH) noted: Every Muslim should feel sorrow for the killing of al-Husayn (RA), but innovated rituals have no benefit and often become displays of exaggeration or show. He reminded that the Prophet ﷺ himself passed away, yet his death was not turned into an annual mourning day.

Similarly, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (RA), all greater in status than al-Husayn, were martyred, but the ummah did not turn their days of death into festivals of grief or ritual.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (RH) explained that Shaytan misled people into two extremes: one group turned ‘Ashura into a day of mourning and wailing; the other into a day of celebration and joy. Both are bid‘ah, and none of the four imams endorsed them (Minhaaj al-Sunnah 4/554).

Modern historians, including Moosa al-Musawi, documented how colonial powers like the British encouraged such practices among Shi‘ah communities to distort Islam’s image and justify colonialism. Pictures of bloody processions were widely circulated in Europe as propaganda portraying Muslims as barbaric.

What This Means for You

As Muslims, we should honor al-Husayn (RA) and all martyrs with love, du‘a, and patience. But violent mourning or ritual celebration of ‘Ashura are innovations with no basis in Qur’an or Sunnah. The Sunnah response is to grieve with patience, say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘oon, and take lessons of faith and courage from Karbala—not imitate jahili practices.

And Allah knows best.

References

Primary Sources

Qur’an

1. Al-Baqarah 2:155–156: Patience at calamity and saying Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘oon.

Hadith

2. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1294: Forbidding striking cheeks and wailing.
3. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 103: Same narration on forbidding jahili mourning.
4. Sunan Ibn Mājah 1598: Saying Inna lillahi… brings reward.

Secondary Sources

5. Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa’l-Nihāyah (8/220–221): On mourning al-Husayn and other martyrs.
6. Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaaj al-Sunnah (4/554): Innovations of mourning and celebration on ‘Ashura.
7. Moosa al-Musawi, al-Shi‘ah wa’l-Tashih: On colonial exploitation of ‘Ashura practices.