Tabrid Hararat al-Musiba inda Mawt al-Ahbab wa Faqd Thamarat al-Afida wa Filadhat al-Akbad fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at Safir
Tabrid Hararat al-Musiba inda Mawt al-Ahbab wa Faqd Thamarat al-Afida wa Filadhat al-Akbad fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (Cooling the Heat of Affliction upon the Death of Loved Ones and the Loss of the Fruits of Hearts and Apple of One's Eye in Light of the Quran and Sunna) is a devotional and consolatory treatise on bereavement and patience by Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) .
Background and Composition
Al-Qahtani originally drafted the core of the text on 21 Rajab 1417 AH as a personal letter of condolence to a close companion who had lost some of his children, gathering Quranic verses and prophetic traditions to console him and encourage steadfastness . He subsequently sent copies to others who suffered the loss of children . Seeing the recurring tribulations and severe losses faced by people around him, he expanded the collection by adding further scriptural proofs and completed the final draft on Friday afternoon, 6 Shawwal 1422 AH . In the introduction, he referenced classic works written on the same genre, including Bard al-Akbad inda Faqd al-Awlad by Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi (777–842 AH) and Tabrid Hararat al-Akbad fi al-Sabr ala Faqd al-Awlad by Umar ibn Ahmad ibn al-Sa'diyya al-Halabi (d. 660 AH) .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized around practical counsels and numbered thematic points grounded in textual proofs:
- The Merits and Rewards of Patience: The author details the immense divine promises for those who endure calamities, including Allah's blessings, mercy, divine company, love, and boundless reward without measure, emphasizing that all afflictions are written in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) .
- Supplications and Istirja': The book highlights the legal rulings and spiritual benefits of reciting the formula of istirja' ( إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ ) and prescribed supplications upon bereavement, as well as the reward of the "House of Praise" (Bayt al-Hamd) built in Paradise for parents who praise Allah upon the death of a child .
- The Virtue of Losing Children: He examines traditions concerning the loss of one, two, or three young children who died before reaching the age of majority, noting that they act as a protection against Hellfire and intercede for their parents . He also adduces the merit of bearing the loss of miscarried fetuses (al-siqt) and addresses the status of deceased children of Muslims in Paradise .
- Permissible Grief versus Prohibited Outcries: Al-Qahtani clarifies that natural sadness, shedding tears, and complaining directly to Allah do not contradict patience, citing the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ weeping over the death of his son Ibrahim and various companions, while cautioning against vocal wailing (niyaha), slapping cheeks, and tearing garments .
- Aids to Enduring Loss: The work concludes with practical measures to lighten grief, such as recognizing the transient nature of worldly life, emulating the steadfastness of prophets and righteous predecessors, and seeking solace in the reality that the passing of the Prophet ﷺ is the greatest calamity to afflict the Muslim community .
Publication and Placement
The book was published as an independent booklet distributed by Mu'assasat al-Juraysi in Riyadh . The author also incorporated it as the thirteenth treatise within his larger doctrinal compendium Aqidat al-Muslim fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna .
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