أَخْبَرَنَا وَلِيدُ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، قَالَ: كَتَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَنْصُورِ الْهَاشِمِيِّ الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ أَسْأَلُهُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ النَّاسُ فِي الْحِدَادِ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ: لَا بَأْسَ بِذِكْرِ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَوَصْفِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَالثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِمْ بِالْحَقِّ، وَيَحْرُمُ الْكِذْبُ فِيهِمْ وَالْإِفْتِرَاءُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَطْعًا، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِالْبُكَاءِ عَلَى مَصَائِبِهِمْ وَإِنْشَادِ الشِّعْرِ فِيهِمْ إِذَا كَانَ صِدْقًا، وَيُكْرَهُ ضَرْبُ الرُّؤُوسِ وَالْخُدُودِ وَالصُّدُورِ وَالظُّهُورِ كَمَا يَفْعَلُ الْعَامَّةُ؛ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ ضَرَبَ الْخُدُودَ، وَشَقَّ الْجُيُوبَ، وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ»، وَقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَنَا بَرِي‌ءٌ مِمَّنْ حَلَقَ وَسَلَقَ وَخَرَقَ»، وَإِنَّمَا الْمَرْغُوبُ فِيهِ الْبُكَاءُ، وَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ مَشْرُوعٌ؛ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّهُ مَهْمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْعَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْقَلْبِ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ، وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْيَدِ وَمِنَ اللِّسَانِ فَمِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ»، وَكَذَلِكَ الضَّرْبُ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِآلَاتِ اللَّهْوِ مَعَ الرَّايَاتِ وَالْأَعْلَامِ الْمُبْتَدَعَةِ، فَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ سَبِيلُهَا إِلَى النَّارِ، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِالْإِجْتِمَاعِ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ وَالْبُيُوتِ لِمَدْحِهِمْ وَذِكْرِ مَصَائِبِهِمْ وَالْبُكَاءِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَتَعْزِيَةِ ذَوِي مَوَدَّتِهِمْ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَهُ كِذْبٌ أَوْ فُحْشٌ أَوْ ضَرْبٌ أَوْ جَرْحٌ أَوْ تَبْذِيرٌ أَوْ تَأْخِيرُ صَلَاةٍ عَنْ أَوَّلِ وَقْتِهَا، وَقَدْ بَكَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى وَلَدِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَذَكَرَ خَدِيجَةَ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ فَمَدَحَهَا وَبَكَى عَلَيْهَا، وَحَثَّ عَلَى الْبُكَاءِ عَلَى حَمْزَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَبَكَتْ فَاطِمَةُ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَدَحَتْهُ، وَكَانَ سَعْدُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يُمْدَحُ عِنْدَ قَبْرِهِ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْمَعُ فَلَا يَنْهَى عَنْهُ، فَكُلُّ هَذَا سُنَّةٌ، وَإِنَّمَا الْحَرَامُ الْبِدْعَةُ.

Translation of the letter:

Walid ibn Mahmoud al-Sajistani informed us, he said: I wrote to Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani and asked him about what people do when mourning for the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, so he wrote to me: “There is nothing wrong with remembering the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, describing their actions, and praising them rightfully, and it is absolutely forbidden to lie about them or slander them, and there is nothing wrong with crying over their sufferings or composing poetry about them if it is true, and it is detestable to strike heads, faces, chests, and backs, as common people do; because of the words of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, who said: “Whoever strikes faces, tears the clothes, and invites (people) toward the ways of the time of ignorance is not from us,” and the words of His Excellency, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, who said: “I hate whoever shaves his hair, laments loudly, and tears (his clothes in grief),” and the only thing that is desirable is crying, and there is nothing legitimate beyond that; because of the words of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, who said: “Whatever comes from the eye and from the heart is from God the Exalted, the Majestic and pertains to compassion, and whatever comes from the hand and from the tongue is from Satan,” and such is moving about on the earth with invented flags and signs, for they are all innovations, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the fire, and there is nothing wrong with gathering in mosques and houses to praise them, mention their sufferings, cry over them, or console those who love them as long as there is no lie, insult, striking, injury, squandering, or delay in performing prayer at the beginning of its time, and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, cried over his son Ibrahim, remembered Khadijah, peace be upon her, and then praised and cried over her, and urged (people) to cry over Hamzah, may God be pleased with him, and Fatimah, peace be upon her, cried over the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and praised him, and Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh, may God be pleased with him, was praised at his grave, and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, heard and did not forbid it, so these are all Sunnah, and only innovations are forbidden.”

Explanation of the letter:

The questioner’s intended meaning by “people” in his words, “what people do when mourning for the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family,” is the Shia, and it is the intended meaning of His Excellency Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may God protect him, by “common people” in his words, “as common people do”; because when they mourn for Husain ibn Ali and other Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, who were martyred at the hands of oppressors, they strike and injure their bodies and compose poetry full of lies and exaggerations, which the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and the Imams of his Ahl al-Bayt have forbidden in mutawatir reports, and His Excellency Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, may God protect him, has mentioned some of them as examples. So he has forbidden what they have forbidden after authorizing what they have permitted in full compliance with them, without excess or negligence, to be another proof that he is “the middle support,” which he has mentioned in some of his words of wisdom, where he has said: “But we are the middle support; those who are behind will reach us, and those who are ahead will return to us”[1], and he has indeed spoken the truth, and his intended meaning by “invented flags” are heavy metal structures in the shape of a cross, with branches on top of them and fabrics and statues installed on them, carried by the ignorant from among people.

For more information about His Honor’s opinion on mourning for the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, and its rulings, refer to saying 41 of his pure sayings.