Question:
What is the ruling on mocking or ridiculing others in the light of Qur’an and Ḥadīth?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Answer:
Mocking or ridiculing others is ḥarām. It is a moral evil that stains one’s character and breeds arrogance. The Ummah is unanimous on its prohibition.
Qur’ānic Evidences:
❀ Allah Almighty says:
الَّذِينَ يَلْمِزُونَ الْمُطَّوِّعِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ إِلَّا جُهْدَهُمْ فَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنْهُمْ ۙ سَخِرَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
(Sūrah al-Tawbah: 79)
“Those who mock the believers who give freely in charity, and those who can find nothing to give except their effort—they ridicule them. Allah will ridicule them in return, and for them is a painful punishment.”
❀ Allah Almighty says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ...
(Sūrah al-Ḥujurāt: 11)
“O you who believe! Let not one group mock another group; it may be that they are better than them. Nor let women mock other women; it may be that they are better than them. Do not insult one another, nor call each other with offensive nicknames. Evil is the name of wickedness after faith. Whoever does not repent—they are the wrongdoers.”
❀ Allah Almighty warns:
وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةِ
(Sūrah al-Humazah: 1)
“Woe to every slanderer and backbiter.”
Prophetic Sayings:
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reports that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do not envy one another, do not artificially inflate prices, do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another, and let no one undercut another’s trade. Be, O servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him, he does not forsake him, he does not despise him. Piety is here—(pointing to his chest three times). It is enough evil for a man to despise his Muslim brother. All of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his wealth, and his honor.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2564)
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه reports that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“He who has even a mustard seed of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise.” A man asked: “What if a person likes to have nice clothes and shoes?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down upon people.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 91)
Scholars’ Statements:
❀ Imām al-Qurṭubī رحمه الله (671 AH):
من فعل ما نهى الله عنه من السخرية والهمز والنبز فذلك فسوق، وذلك لا يجوز
“Whoever engages in what Allah has forbidden—mockery, taunting, or name-calling—commits fisq (sinful disobedience). Such behavior is impermissible.”
(Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, 12/155; 16/328)
Conclusion:Mocking, ridiculing, or belittling others is strictly forbidden (ḥarām) in Islam. It is a manifestation of arrogance and moral corruption, and the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus of scholars all affirm its prohibition.
