Are We Supposed to Mourn the Dead Only for Three Days?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I would like to know what the prohibition of mourning is meant for more than three days. Are there specific actions that are prohibited? I assume that feeling sad any day after losing a loved one doesn’t come under this prohibition.

Answer

It isn’t easy to deal with the passing of a loved one. May Allah make it easy for you. This answer explains all you need to know on how to deal with it:
How Do We Deal With the Death of a Loved One?

Zainab bint Abi Salama went to Um Habiba, the wife of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who said, “I heard the Prophets saying, ‘It is not legal for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for any dead person for more than three days except for her husband, (for whom she should mourn) for four months and ten days.‘“ Later I went to Zainab bint Jahsh when her brother died; she asked for some scent, and after using it she said, ‘I am not in need of scent but I heard Allah’s Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, ‘It is not legal for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for more than three days for any dead person except her husband, (for whom she should mourn) for four months and ten days.’” [Bukhari]

One can undoubtedly be sad after one has lost a loved one. Still, expressly, the actions of a woman in her waiting period, such as not wearing a scent or staying indoors, have been prohibited when mourning someone other than a husband for more than three days.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.