No one dies and they stand over him crying and saying, 'O what a great man he was! O how respectful he was,' except that two angels are appointed for him to poke him, saying: Were you like that?
Chapter: What Has Been Related About It Being Disliked To Cry Over The Deceased
Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one dies and they stand over him crying and saying, 'O what a great man he was! O how respectful he was,' except that two angels are appointed for him to poke him, saying: 'Were you like that?'"
If a Muslim dies and someone wails and cries over him or her, stating that the deceased was like a mountain for him or her to lean upon at times of hardship, and that he or she was a refuge and so on, two angels come to the deceased person, prod him or her in the chest, and ask him or her mockingly: "Are you like that?"
Explanation in Arabic
أن المسلم إذا مات، وقام أحد يبكي عليه وينوح ويخبر بأن هذا الميت بالنسبة له أو لها كالجبل تأوي إليه عند الشدائد، وأنه كان له سنداً وملجأ، أو نحو ذلك؛ إلا جاء ملكان للميت يدفعانه في صدره ويسألانه سؤال المتهكم: هل أنت كما قيل؟
النهي عن النَّدب والنياحة على الميت، وأن ذلك مما يسبب له الأذى.
