Mourning is called hidad in Arabic, which carries the meaning of abstinence. In Shar’ hidad is a widowed woman’s abstinence from all things that would invite others to desire and seek marring her, such as wearing perfume, using incense, putting eye lining, attractive clothing, Wearing jewelry. Therefore , mourning or hidad is a woman’s physical display of sadness and grief for the death of a beloved one.

A woman is allowed to mourn the full term of her ‘iddah, which is four months 10 days.

A’ishah,® after the Prophet’s death wore a black full hijab, and no one ever saw her face or knows the shape of her body.

According to the sunnah it is not permissible for a man to mourn. During the Prophet’s (s) life, his wife Khadijah, his son Ibrahim, his three daughters (ruqayyah, Umm kulthum, and Zaynab), his uncle Hamza, his cousin Ja’far, and many of his companions (anhum) died or were killed. Yet, we have no reports of him preforming hidad for any of them. Similarly, when he (s) passed away, his companions did not perform hidad for him. Therefore, mourning, except for women as explained above, is a sinful innovation that should be avoided.

Miscellaneous Innovations

The following are some of the common innovations practiced at the time of death.

Dealing with the Body

1. Believing that the deceased's soul roams about the place of death.
2. Lighting a candle all night close to the deceased.
3. Tying the deceased's jaws to the head.
4. Putting weights on the deceased's belly to prevent its swelling.
5. Tying the deceased's thighs together to prevent any excrements from exiting.
6. Putting a green branch in the room with the deceased's body.
7. Reading Quran continuously over the body until is washed.
8. Putting dust in the deceased's eyes and saying, " Nothing fills the son of Adam's eyes except dust.
9. Placing a Quran book on the deceased's chest or near him.

Announcement of Death

1. Announcing the death from the highest minarets.
2. Announcing the death in newspapers or by pasting a sheet of Na'y to the doors of the houses and stores.
3. Describing a deceased by, "al-marhum - the one who has been granted mercy", or "al-maghfur lah- the one who has been forgiven". They should instead ask Allah to grant him mercy and forgiveness.

Grieving and Mourning

1. Abstention of any person who witness the occurrence of death from doing any work for seven full days.
2. Abstention from eating until the deceased is buried.
3. The Family's weeping with every lunch and dinner.
4. Mourning for a full year, during which the women avoid using Hinna and wearing nice clothes or jewelry.
5. Turning carpets and rugs upside-down, and covering mirrors and chandeliers.
6. Abstinence from eating certain lavish types of food during the mourning period, such as fish, grilled meat, liver and so on.
7. Hanging the deceased's pictures, putting black ribbons around it, talking to it, and so on.
8. Hiring reciters or running tape recorders with the Quranic recitation.
9. Wearing specific clothes (like black) for mourning.
10. Having speakers talking about the deceased in such a way that raise their emotions, induce crying.

Condolences

1. Making it a regular consoling practice ot shake the hands of the deceased's family members, hug or kiss them.
2. The family members forming a line near the grave for receiving condolences.
3. Gathering in a specific place (the house or rented hall) to give or receive condolences.
4. Limiting the days of receiving condolences to three.
5. Commemorating of the deceased on the fortieth day and annually after his death.
6. The deceased's family making and offering food to other people on the first few days.
7. Wearing black or specific clothes or colors for offering condolences.

Various Acts

1. Preventing menstruating women or those in post-natal bleeding from attending the dying person or the dead body.
2. The deceased's close relatives giving alms or praying two rak'at on the first night.
3. Giving to the poor the same types of food that the deceased liked.
4. Reciting al-Fatihah and prompting others to recite it for the deceased's soul immediately after death or whenever he is mentioned.
5. Giving alms for the souls of the dead on the months of Rajab, Sha'ban , and Ramadan.

Signs of Good and evil ends

Allah, the All-Wise, designates clear signs associated with a person's death, revealing or indicating his status after death.

Some of these signs are clear indications of a good end. Dying with any of them constitutes a very glad tiding for a deceased - may Allah grant this to us out of His great benevolence and Mercy.

There are also clear signs of an evil end. Dying with any of them constitutes a bad omen for a deceased -  May Allah protect us from it.

Signs for a Good End

Evidences for Good Signs

There are many authentic hadiths which provide evidence for the various signs presented above.

Jabir Bin 'Atik ( RAnhu) reported that the Prophet (S..Wasalam) said:

"Shahids are seven types - other than getting killed in the way of Allah: he who is stabbed (to death) isa shahid; he who dies from drowning is a shahid; he who dies from pleurisy is a shahid; he who dies from abdominal illness is a shahid; he who dies from burning is a shahid; he who dies under a collapsed building is a shahid; and a woman who dies with a child in her womb is a shahidah. ( Recorded by Malik, Abu Dawud, and others. verified to be authentic by al-Hakim, ath-thahabi, and al-Albani.

Signs for an Evil End

The following table presents a list of the evil signs, numbered from 1 to 8 ( not necessarily in order of importance importance).

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Every muslim home or masjid should have this book .

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