It is for the above reason that Imam Ali (ع) has said...

It is for the above reason that Imam Ali (ع) has said, "If you are patient, destiny will be affected in your regard and you will receive your rewards, but if you fret, destiny will be affected in your regard as you bear the burden of your sins."[^6] Imam al-Kazim, peace be with him, has said, "If one beats on his thigh when afflicted by a calamity, he voids his rewards."[^7] Calamities differ one from another.

They range from a chronic illness to a demeaning condition, to the loss of wealth..., etc. One of the important matters is the loss of loved ones and sons. Many narratives have been transmitted in this regard.

One of them is this: "If one loses three of his sons while maintaining his patience, he will be sheltered from the fire by permission of Allah,[^8] and this will be a sure protection for him." Allah asked Dawood (David) (ع), "What is the equivalent of this son for you?" Dawood answered, "He was worth the fill of the earth with gold." Allah said, "Then you will have on the Day of Judgment the fill of the earth rewards."[^9] The greatest Prophet went further than that when he said, "… I shall brag about you to other nations till a stillborn stays at the gate of Paradise refusing to enter, and it will be told to enter, but it will say, 'I and my parents?!' The response will be, 'You and your parents'."[^10] Many traditions have been transmitted about offering condolences to one who is afflicted by a calamity in order to lighten it for him.

Ibn Mas`ūd quotes the Prophet (ص) as saying, "One who offers condolences to a person who is afflicted by a calamity will receive as many rewards as those received by the afflicted person."[^11] Abu Barzah is quoted as saying that the Messenger of Allah (ص) has said, "If one offers condolences to a mother who lost her child, he will be outfitted with coats in Paradise."[^12] Weeping over someone who has died does not decrease rewards, nor does it harm rewards.

The first person who wept over a son whom he lost was our father Adam who mourned Able and composed famous verses of poetry recorded in books, grieving over him a great deal. The condition of Jacob (Ya`qub) is more famous than needs mentioning, so much so that he wept so much till he lost his eyesight over Joseph (Yusuf). As regarding our master, Ali son of al-Hussain, peace be with him, he wept over his father for forty years, fasting during the day and spending the night standing for prayers.