Ruling on Cursing a Believer
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling on cursing a believer?
❖ Answer
Cursing a believer is harām (forbidden).
❖ Evidence from Ḥadīth
◈ Thābit ibn Ḍaḥḥāk (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((من لعن مؤمنا فهو كقتله، ومن قذف مؤمنا بكفر فهو كقتله))
“Whoever curses a believer, it is as if he has killed him; and whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, it is as if he has killed him.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6047
❖ Scholarly Consensus
◈ Imām al-Nawawī (d. 676H):
((اتفق العلماء على تحريم اللعن))
“The scholars are unanimously agreed that cursing is forbidden.”
— Sharḥ Muslim 2/67
Conclusion
- Cursing a believer is strictly prohibited.
- It has been likened to the gravity of killing a believer.
- This prohibition is supported by both authentic ḥadīth and scholarly consensus.
