Question 537: Is there a problem with crying over the calamities of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) during prayer?

127 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُصَلِّي أَلَهُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ فِي الْفَرِيضَةِ فَتَمُرُّ الْآيَةُ فِيهَا التَّخْوِيفُ فَيَبْكِي وَ يُرَدِّدُ أَمْ لا. قَالَ يُرَدِّدُ الْقُرْآنَ مَا شَاءَ وَ إِنْ جَاءَهُ الْبُكَاءُ فَلَا بَأْسَ.

📚Qurb al-Isnad, p. 93

Ali ibn Ja'far said: 'I asked Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) about a person who is praying, can he cry and repeat a verse when he passes by a verse in which there is a warning, or not?' He said: 'He can repeat the Qur'an as much as he wishes, and if he cries, there is no problem!'

2 عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ يُونُسَ بُزُرْجَ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ الصَّادِقَ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَتَبَاكَى فِي الصَّلَاةِ الْمَفْرُوضَةِ حَتَّى يَبْكِيَ فَقَالَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنٍ وَ اللَّهِ وَ قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَاذْكُرْنِي عِنْدَهُ.

📚Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 317

Mansur ibn Yunus asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a person who makes himself cry during the obligatory prayer until he cries. The Imam said: 'By Allah, this is the coolness of the eye!' And he said: 'When this happens, remember me at that time!'

3 عَنْ سَعِيد بَيَّاعِ السَّابِرِيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَ يَتَبَاكَى الرَّجُلُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ بَخْ بَخْ وَ لَوْ مِثْلَ رَأْسِ الذُّبَابِ.

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 301

Sa'id said: 'I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'Should a person make himself cry during prayer?' He said: 'Bravo, even if it is the size of a fly's head!'

4 عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّه عَنِ الْبُكَاءِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ أَ يَقْطَعُ الصَّلَاةَ فَقَالَ إِنْ بَكَى لِذِكْرِ جَنَّةٍ أَوْ نَارٍ فَذَلِكَ هُوَ أَفْضَلُ الْأَعْمَالِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَ إِنْ كَانَ ذَكَرَ مَيِّتاً لَهُ فَصَلَاتُهُ فَاسِدَةٌ.

📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 2, p. 317

Abu Hanifa said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about crying during prayer, does it invalidate the prayer?' The Imam said: 'If he cries in remembrance of paradise or hell, then that is the best of deeds in prayer. But if he remembers one of his deceased ones (and cries because of it), then his prayer is invalid!'

✅In the first narration, crying in prayer when reciting verses of warning is permitted.

In the second and third narrations, crying in prayer is generally praised, and in the fourth narration, crying in remembrance of paradise and hell is considered one of the best deeds in prayer, and crying in remembrance of the deceased is declared to invalidate the prayer.

✅Although crying over the calamities of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is not specifically mentioned in the narrations, due to the lack of a prohibition, it remains within the general permissibility, and crying over the calamities of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and other Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) does not create a problem for the prayer and falls under the general principles of narrations such as the second and third ones in praising crying in prayer in general.