The Impermissibility of Cursing Muslims, Alive or Dead

It is authentically reported in Sahih al Bukhari that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

قتال المسلم كفر وسبابه فسوق

Killing a Muslim is Kufr (disbelief) and abusing him is Fusuq (transgression).

It is authentically reported in Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لعن المؤمن كقتله

Cursing a believer is like killing him.

It is authentically reported in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لا يكون اللعانون شفعاء ولا شهداء يوم القيامة

Those who curse will not be intercessors or witnesses on the Day of Resurrection.

It is reported in Sunan Abi Dawood that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

إن العبد إذا لعن شيئا صعدت اللعنة إلى السماء فتغلق أبوابها دونها ثم تهبط إلى الأرض فتغلق أبوابها دونها ثم تأخذ يمينا وشمالا فإذا لم تجد مساغا رجعت إلى الذي لعن فإن كان أهلا لذلك وإلا رجعت إلى قائلها

When a servant curses something, the curse ascends to the heaven and the gates of heaven are closed against it. Then it descends to the earth and its gates are closed against it. Then it takes to the right and the left, if it does not find an entrance, it returns to the one who made the curse. If he deserves it (the curse), it enters him, otherwise, it returns to the one who uttered it.

It is reported in Musnad Ahmed, Sahih al Bukhari, and Sunan al Nasa’i that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لا تسبوا الأموات فإنهم قد أفضوا إلى ما قدموا

Do not curse the dead, for they have already faced the results of their deeds.

In another hadith reported by Ahmed and al Nasa’i, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لا تسبوا أمواتنا فتأذوا أحياءنا

Do not curse our dead, lest you harm our living.

In Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawood, Sunan al Tirmidhi, and Sunan al Nasa’i, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

أتدرون ما الغيبة قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال ذكرك أخاك بما يكره قال أرأيت إن كان في أخي ما أقول قال إن كان في أخيك ما تقول فقد اغتبته وإن لم يكن فيه فقد بهته

“Do you know what backbiting is?”

They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

He said, “Mentioning your brother in a way that he dislikes.”

He was asked, “What if what I say about my brother is true?”

He said, “If what you say about him is true, then you have backbitten him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.”

Al Tirmidhi said this hadith is authentic and good.

In the narrations of Sunan Abi Dawood and Sunan al Tirmidhi, it is reported that:

أن عائشة ذكرت صفية فقالت إنها قصيرة فقال عليه الصلاة والسلام كلمة لو مزجت بماء البحر لمزجته

Aisha mentioned Safiyyah and said, “She is short.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “You have said a word that, if mixed with the water of the sea, it would contaminate it.”

In the narrations of Sunan Abi Dawood, it is reported that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

لما عرج بي مررت على أقوام لهم أظفار من نحاس يخشون وجوههم وصدورهم فقلت من هؤلاء يا جبريل قال هؤلاء الذين يأكلون لحوم الناس ويقعون في أعراضهم

When I was taken up (in the night journey), I passed by people who had copper nails and were scratching their faces and chests. I asked, “Who are these, O Jibril?”

He said, “These are the ones who eat the flesh of people and attack their honour.”

There are many ahadith on this topic, some of which apply to the dead as well.

Note: Some might argue, after seeing the narrations we mentioned regarding the consensus of the Ahlul Bayt against swearing the Sahabah, that they’ve discovered content in a book authored by a member of the Ahlul Bayt that seems to advocate for cursing.

If the person bringing up such an argument is one who can comprehend a discussion, we will say the following to him: Should the author, in whose work you allege to have found suggestions of cursing, precede the era of the Imams from whom we have narrated the consensus of the Ahlul Bayt, then it is unlikely that they would have reported the consensus while there is someone who disagrees with them. This is because it is undeniable that they would be more knowledgeable than others regarding the opinions of each other. The claim of consensus amongst the Ahlul Bayt, without exception, indicates the inaccuracy of what was found in that individual’s book. We are therefore obliged to believe that it is more likely that the text in question was inserted by some of the Rafidah. This is because attributing that statement to the author would contradict what the Imams from his family, who were well-versed in his school of thought, reported.

If this individual is from a later time than the Imams who reported the consensus of the Ahlul Bayt, then his opinion is rejected because he has violated the consensus of his ancestors, deviated from their path, and treaded a path other than their Straight Path. With regards to things of this kind, it is not permissible for anyone to follow it and it is not permissible for a believer to hold onto it, especially in opposition to the consensus of both earlier and later members of the purified lineage.

It is Not Permissible to Follow Others Blindly Regarding the Issue of Cursing

Along with all that we have mentioned, the issue of cursing and its related matters, such as declaring people as disbelievers and accusations of immorality etc., are from amongst the matters in which unreserved conformity is not allowed according to the Ahlul Bayt. Their detailed and summarized books clearly state this. If we, hypothetically, assume that an individual scholar, whether from the Ahlul Bayt or others, explicitly permits cursing, it is still not allowed for anyone to follow them in this regard. This is because unreserved conformity is permitted only in practical, subsidiary matters, and not in theoretical matters or their implications. If someone wants to follow Shaitan in cursing the people of faith, let him first pause, then strive to understand the issue and then he should act according to what he finds most convincing. He should not contradict the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Muslims, both from the Ahlul Bayt and others, while clinging to unreserved conformity, being incapable of understanding, lacking insight, and being unable to comprehend the evidence or recognize the arguments.

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