Tradition

َلنَّياحَةُ مِنْ عَمَلِ الْجاهِلِيَّةِ

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) is narrated to have reported a saying of the Prophet (S) which no one had mentioned before him. He said: “Lamentations are one of the actions from the age of ignorance (the time before the rise of Islam).”1

Brief Commentary

This tradition is brief but it contains both an inner and an outer meaning. The outer meaning pertains to the actions which people used to perform and were prevalent during the age of ignorance (the era before Islam). When someone would pass away, the women would begin crying and lamenting their death in a way where they would say false things about the individual. In reality, they would make up lies about the person and this was an inappropriate and deviant form of mourning.

Another possible meaning which Imam al-Baqir (‘a) may have intended is that when one faces personal or social problems, lamenting over them is useless and a waste of time and energy. Instead of sitting down and crying over our problems, we should rather utilize our intellects and persevere in resolving whatever issues we have at hand.

• 1. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol. 1, p. 915 & vol. 3, p. 272, Man La Yahdhuruh Al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 3.