Source: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ from Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
لا تسبوا الأموات، فإنهم قد أفضوا إلى ما قدموا
It is narrated from ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Do not curse the dead, for they have reached that which they sent forth.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī
لَا تَسُبُّوا — From the root sabba yasubbu (فعل نصر), meaning to curse, abuse, or revile someone.
The word is derived from سَبَّةٌ, originally referring to the backside, implying that the act of cursing is base, vulgar, and shameful.
It often involves mentioning someone's private parts, directly or allusively, as part of verbal abuse.
The Prophet ﷺ forbade cursing the deceased, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. Two main reasons are highlighted:
☞ No one likes their deceased relatives—Muslim or otherwise—to be insulted.
Despite the general prohibition, the Qur'an and Sunnah openly mention the evils of disbelievers who passed away. This is not a contradiction for the following reasons:
☑ Hence, criticizing a disbeliever's wrongdoings is allowed.
☒ But abusing or cursing them with vulgar words is forbidden.
In exceptional moments of battle or defiance against Islam, even companions at times used strong language. For example:
Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) during Ḥudaybiyyah said to the pagan Quraysh:
"امصص بظر اللات، أنحن نفرّ عنه؟"
"Go suck the private part of al-Lāt! Should we flee from the Prophet ﷺ?"
[Context: In righteous anger during treaty negotiations]
Ḥamzah (رضي الله عنه) on the day of Uḥud addressed Sabāʿ:
"يا ابن أم أنمار، مقطعة البظور"
"O son of Umm Anmār, the woman who mutilates private parts!"
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī 25]
These statements are context-specific and spoken in the heat of religious zeal, not for personal insults or without cause.
✔ Cursing the dead is strictly prohibited, as they have already met their deeds, and such speech harms their surviving relatives
✔ Constructive criticism of past disbelievers for educational purposes is allowed
✔ The language used must be dignified—vulgar abuse is forbidden
✔ Living disbelievers may be rebuked with harshness only in justified religious contexts, not out of hate or mockery
✔ True believers focus on their own accountability, not the cursing of others
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
❖ Ḥadīth
وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
لا تسبوا الأموات، فإنهم قد أفضوا إلى ما قدموا
It is narrated from ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Do not curse the dead, for they have reached that which they sent forth.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī
Referencing
- [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6516]
- See also: Tuhfat al-Ashrāf 2/293
✦ Vocabulary
لَا تَسُبُّوا — From the root sabba yasubbu (فعل نصر), meaning to curse, abuse, or revile someone.
The word is derived from سَبَّةٌ, originally referring to the backside, implying that the act of cursing is base, vulgar, and shameful.
It often involves mentioning someone's private parts, directly or allusively, as part of verbal abuse.
✿ Key Points & Benefits
➊ Why Is Cursing the Dead Prohibited?
The Prophet ﷺ forbade cursing the deceased, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. Two main reasons are highlighted:
- They Have Reached Their Deeds’ Consequences
As stated in this ḥadīth — the deceased have already arrived at the recompense for their deeds.
Your insults will not harm or benefit them. Allah is dealing with them. - It Harms the Living
In another ḥadīth narrated by al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah (رضي الله عنه), the Prophet ﷺ said:
"لا تسبوا الأموات فتؤذوا الأحياء"
"Do not curse the dead, for you will hurt the living."
[Narrated by al-Tirmidhī 1982 – Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī in Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah 2397]
☞ No one likes their deceased relatives—Muslim or otherwise—to be insulted.
➋ Why Are the Sins of Past Disbelievers Mentioned in the Qur’an and Ḥadīth?
Despite the general prohibition, the Qur'an and Sunnah openly mention the evils of disbelievers who passed away. This is not a contradiction for the following reasons:
- Just as backbiting is sometimes permissible, mentioning a deceased person's evil may be justified:
- To warn others
- To record historical facts
- To uphold truth and justice
☑ Hence, criticizing a disbeliever's wrongdoings is allowed.
☒ But abusing or cursing them with vulgar words is forbidden.
➌ The Scope of the Prohibition
- Cursing the dead is ḥarām, regardless of whether the deceased was Muslim or disbeliever.
- There is no benefit in such speech. It neither deters the deceased nor serves a constructive purpose.
- If a person is alive and initiates verbal abuse, then responding with equal intensity is permitted, though forbearance is better.
➍ Gali Dena (Insulting) a Living Disbeliever in Certain Situations
In exceptional moments of battle or defiance against Islam, even companions at times used strong language. For example:
Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) during Ḥudaybiyyah said to the pagan Quraysh:"امصص بظر اللات، أنحن نفرّ عنه؟"
"Go suck the private part of al-Lāt! Should we flee from the Prophet ﷺ?"
[Context: In righteous anger during treaty negotiations]
Ḥamzah (رضي الله عنه) on the day of Uḥud addressed Sabāʿ:"يا ابن أم أنمار، مقطعة البظور"
"O son of Umm Anmār, the woman who mutilates private parts!"
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī 25]
These statements are context-specific and spoken in the heat of religious zeal, not for personal insults or without cause. Summary
✔ Cursing the dead is strictly prohibited, as they have already met their deeds, and such speech harms their surviving relatives
✔ Constructive criticism of past disbelievers for educational purposes is allowed
✔ The language used must be dignified—vulgar abuse is forbidden
✔ Living disbelievers may be rebuked with harshness only in justified religious contexts, not out of hate or mockery
✔ True believers focus on their own accountability, not the cursing of others
