The Most Beautiful Expressions of Mourning for a Brother
- I miss him to the extent that his return to this life seems impossible.
- Three months have passed, and I still imagine that your death was merely a dream and that you are alive. I think of you, and I smile once but cry a thousand times. May Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- My brother, the details of your kind face, your laughter, your days, your actions, your words, the ease of time spent with you, and your tenderness now rest in the earth.
- My brother, I will continue to converse with you through prayers to bring forth your smile while you reside in the heavens. May Allah have mercy on you and grant you a place in the gardens of bliss.
- I wish you were eternal, or that your fate in this life had lasted longer. I miss you in a way that cannot be expressed.
- If death were a choice, I would have died in your place. The sorrow of your death and loss has left me lifeless while I am still breathing. May Allah have mercy on you in accordance with my longing for you.
- A lot of time has passed, yet I will never forget you, my brother. May Allah have mercy on you, and I pray to be reunited with you in the highest paradise.
- Even though you have departed this world, I will communicate with you through my prayers to bring about your smile in the skies.
- I will never forget you as long as I live. I admit that I have lost a brother to whom I could turn at all times. Who can fill your place now?
- Today will always be the hardest day of my life; I have lost half my soul, a part of my heart, a person it is impossible to forget. Your departure was the most painful thing for me. May Allah have mercy on you and reward me with your presence in the paradise of the righteous.
Thoughts and Reflections on the Loss of a Brother
- May Allah have mercy on you, for you were the best of brothers.
- I long for my dearly departed, who sleeps for eternity; I yearn for a soul that no longer beats.
- You speak to me of sadness, and I tell you about a home without a brother.
- Brother, I miss you with an unmeasurable longing, a yearning I cannot articulate.
- This is how great souls depart quietly; may Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- I embraced you in my prayers, just as you embraced me with your kindness; may Allah have mercy on you, dear brother, your departure aches deeply.
- He used to laugh, and I lived; may Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- That day we all wept for his absence, and today renews the memory of his departure.
- My brother, may Allah have mercy on you in proportion to the pain I felt from your absence and more.
- May Allah have mercy on you and grant you a spacious place in His paradise, my wonderful brother.
- A message to my brother: I still wish you were alive and that your passing was merely a dream; may Allah have mercy on you.
- Oh, the anguish of your loss, my brother; may Allah have mercy on you, a piece of my heart that has departed.
- No one I have missed more than my brother; may Allah have mercy on him.
- Peace be upon a heart that lived among us and now rests in the gardens; may Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- Then he went to his Lord, and I realized that blessings do not last forever; may Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- In their departure, they left behind pain in our hearts and stories of unspoken sorrow; may Allah have mercy on you, my beloved brother.
Expressions of Grief over a Brother’s Death
- My brother, if death were a choice, I would have swapped places with you, for the regret of your death and loss has almost killed me while I am still living. May Allah have mercy on you in accordance with my yearning for you.
- O Allah, have mercy on those eyes that sleep forever and grant them the chance to drink from the Kawthar of Your Prophet and reside in Your paradise. May Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- Much time has passed, but I will never forget you, my brother. May Allah have mercy on you, and I ask Him to gather us in the highest paradise.
- I will not forget you as long as I live. May Allah have mercy on you and grant you entrance to the gardens of bliss. I confess that I have lost a brother whom I used to turn to at any time. Who can fill your space now?
- I have lost the dearest, purest, and kindest heart. May Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
- The same pain I endured at your passing still plagues me today. May Allah have mercy on you, who caused my heart such sorrow.
- I do not miss an ordinary person, nor do I seek to draw attention. Rather, this is a tale of pain for someone precious who has gone to their grave. May Allah have mercy on you, who caused me such heartache upon your departure.
- Peace be upon your eyes that have been closed for a long time, peace upon your scent hidden beneath the Earth, peace upon my ever-present yearning for you. May Allah have mercy on you, my brother.
Poetry in Mourning for a Brother
As Al-Khansaa said:
- The rising sun reminds me of Sakhr.
And I remember him with every sunset.
Were it not for the many who weep around me,
For their brothers, I would have taken my life.
Yet still, I see a hurried one,
And a mourning woman crying for my day of misfortune.
I see her sorrowing for her brother,
On the eve of his misfortune, or the day before yesterday.
And they do not weep like my brother, but
I console myself with their lamentations.
By Allah, I will not forget you until
I part from my spirit and find my grave torn apart.
Indeed, I bade farewell on the day of parting from Sakhr,
My father, Hassan, my delight and comfort.
Oh, how my heart aches for him, and how my mother longs.
To see him in the grave and remain there.
Al-Khansaa also said:
- I remembered my brother after the peace of slumber,
And tears flowed from me abundantly.
With horses adorned for their heroes,
They raced and devastated a people utterly.
They hunted with spears their prime youth,
And grasped the ram from them tightly.
So you forced them beneath the combat,
And sent your mare to charge forth.
Truly, you thought it was a halt,
When we met with warmth and hotness immense.
Then, in truth, he was vehemently disliked,
And in peace, he would jest and loosen his cloak.
Hot winds caused you to become a shroud,
So you earn the honor and guard the safety.
You would slake the thirst and shoot the archer,
Like a chef’s stove when it boils over.
And the steeds would cover the streams,
Giving generously and slaying the lambs.
As if the captured prey, when set upon,
Were marks of distinction beimdoors vast.
He had ample warmth in his daily nurseries,
From the blazing of the evening fire.
So when he turned, and saw his herd,
He felt the hunt close at hand and took flight.
He would tear at his cloak, fleeing,
From the strain when he found them escaping.
And he spent the night hunting their champions,
While blood surged forth from him in torrents.
Ahmad Shawqi said:
- Precious is he, dear brother.
It has been months since I’ve seen you.
Rashad, are you here?
Who was with you?
Look at his clothes
And how their color has melded.
Look at his shoes,
Shining with cleanliness.
And his pants are smooth,
Neither wrinkled nor tangled.
Lend me your ear,
I have something to share that brings joy.
This beauty is solitary, matched only by
You, O precious, noble skin.
And your age, O Rashad,
Surpasses eighty.