The Prophet ﷺ on grief and patience

The Prophet ﷺ did express his feelings of grief, sorrow, and pain on occasions of loss, and the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) also observed the visible effects of those emotions on him. Therefore, it is not correct to say that he ﷺ never spoke about his grief, nor is it correct to think that his expression of sorrow involved impatience or complaining against Allah's decree. His expressions of grief were always accompanied by patience (ṣabr), contentment with Allah's decree (riḍā), and complete trust in Allah.

EXAMPLES

When the Prophet's ﷺ son, Sayyiduna Ibrahim (رضي الله عنه), passed away, tears flowed from the Prophet's ﷺ eyes. On that occasion, he ﷺ said:

إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلَا نَقُولُ إِلَّا مَا يُرْضِي رَبَّنَا، وَإِنَّا بِفِرَاقِكَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَمَحْزُونُونَ

Translation: “Indeed, the eyes shed tears, the heart grieves, but we do not say except what pleases our Lord. Indeed, O Ibrahim, we are saddened by your separation.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari: 1303; Sahih Muslim: 2315)

In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly expressed his grief in words.

After the deaths of Sayyidah Khadijah (رضي الله عنها) and Abu Talib, the signs of grief upon the Prophet ﷺ were clearly evident. In fact, that year became known in the Seerah as "ʿĀm al-Ḥuzn" (The Year of Sorrow). These losses caused him profound sadness, yet he ﷺ never objected to Allah's decree or complained against it.

When the Prophet ﷺ was severely mistreated in Ta'if, he turned to Allah in supplication and expressed his pain and helplessness by saying:

“اللَّهُمَّ إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو ضَعْفَ قُوَّتِي، وَقِلَّةَ حِيلَتِي، وَهَوَانِي عَلَى النَّاسِ.”

Translation: “O Allah, to You alone I complain of my weakness, my lack of means, and my lowliness in the sight of people...”

This was not a complaint to people; rather, it was a supplication and intimate conversation with Allah, which is fully consistent with patience and reliance upon Him.