The Ruling on Cursing a Specific Person and Cursing the People of Sins
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
A man cursed his parents or his father in public. Is it permissible for me to curse him? And is it permissible for me to say that he is cursed?
The Shaykh:
That is, you curse, saying that the Messenger cursed the one who curses his parents. Yes, recall the hadith. As for cursing a specific person, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. There is a difference of opinion regarding cursing a specific person. Cursing the sinners in general, the people of major sins, is permissible. "The curse of Allah be upon the oppressors," "The curse of Allah be upon the liars." Cursing the people of major sins in general is permissible. As for cursing a specific person, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. Some scholars, such as Ibn al-Jawzi, permitted it, while others prohibited cursing a specific person because it is not known what their final state will be; they may repent to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. It is not permissible to curse a specific person. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and a group of scholars. Yes. However, the people of crimes are cursed in general as a warning and to deter from them. Yes. This is in general. But cursing a specific woman is a matter of concern. Yes. Specifying the Jew, may Allah protect him from that. The Jews are also [cursed]: "The curse of Allah be upon the Jews; they took the graves of their prophets as mosques." If the reason is mentioned, there is no harm. They took the graves of their prophets as mosques.
[Al-Ma'idah 5:78-79] So if the curse is coupled with the crime, there is no harm. "The curse of Allah be upon the oppressors" is coupled with the crime, with oppression. "The curse of Allah be upon the liars" is coupled with it. "May Allah curse the thief," as in the hadith: "He steals an egg and his hand is cut off." This is also coupling the curse with a crime. As for merely sitting and cursing and insulting, it is not permissible without a reason. This is from the category of deterrence. This is from the category of deterrence. Also, did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approve of this, that they curse, or is it from the category of deterrence and publicizing it? Yes. Cursing in the sermons or in the qunut? We mean the Jews in general because they harmed the Muslims. Yes, you say, "O Allah, curse the Jews because they harmed the Muslims and oppressed the Muslims, and so on."
Mentioning the reason for the curse is permissible. As for cursing the Jews like that without mentioning a reason, among the Jews are people who believed before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Among the Jews and the Christians are people who believed before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the correct religion. But if you mention their crime, their distortion, their alteration, their changing, and their denial of the divine attributes of the laws of Allah, and you curse them for that, there is no harm. Yes.
A man cursed his parents or his father in public. Is it permissible for me to curse him? And is it permissible for me to say that he is cursed?
The Shaykh:
That is, you curse, saying that the Messenger cursed the one who curses his parents. Yes, recall the hadith. As for cursing a specific person, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. There is a difference of opinion regarding cursing a specific person. Cursing the sinners in general, the people of major sins, is permissible. "The curse of Allah be upon the oppressors," "The curse of Allah be upon the liars." Cursing the people of major sins in general is permissible. As for cursing a specific person, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. Some scholars, such as Ibn al-Jawzi, permitted it, while others prohibited cursing a specific person because it is not known what their final state will be; they may repent to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. It is not permissible to curse a specific person. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and a group of scholars. Yes. However, the people of crimes are cursed in general as a warning and to deter from them. Yes. This is in general. But cursing a specific woman is a matter of concern. Yes. Specifying the Jew, may Allah protect him from that. The Jews are also [cursed]: "The curse of Allah be upon the Jews; they took the graves of their prophets as mosques." If the reason is mentioned, there is no harm. They took the graves of their prophets as mosques.
(78) Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed. (79) They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing.
لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَىٰ لِسَانِ دَاوُودَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ كَانُوا لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَن مُّنكَرٍMentioning the reason for the curse is permissible. As for cursing the Jews like that without mentioning a reason, among the Jews are people who believed before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Among the Jews and the Christians are people who believed before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the correct religion. But if you mention their crime, their distortion, their alteration, their changing, and their denial of the divine attributes of the laws of Allah, and you curse them for that, there is no harm. Yes.
Source
الفوزان -أشرطة- أسئلة وأجوبة من دروس التوحيد - الفوزان - أسئلة التوحيد - ٠٨ — archive.org (27:20)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.