Clarifying Hadith Reports

better if you had purified yourselves for this day.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 902) In Abdullah ibn Umar’s narration, the Prophet’s statement is reported in an absolute form, which may create the misunderstanding that bathing is, as it were, a part of the Friday prayer itself. But Aisha al-Siddiqah narrated the statement in its proper background. This makes it clear that the bath was required because of a physical need; it was not a ritual component of the prayer. Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Umar, and some other Companions narrated that the Prophet said: Inna al-mayyita la-yu‘adhdhabu bi-buka’i ahlihi ‘alayh—“The deceased is punished because of his family’s weeping over him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1286) When this narration was mentioned before Aisha alSiddiqah, she said that the Messenger of God had not said it in that sense. The actual incident was that one day the Prophet passed by the funeral of a non-Muslim, while her relatives were weeping over her. He said: “They are weeping over her, while she is being punished.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 932) Aisha al-Siddiqah’s point was that weeping is not the cause of punishment. Rather, the two matters are separate. The mourners were weeping over her death, while the deceased was suffering the consequences of her past