The Detailed Ruling on One Who Curses the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
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You mentioned in some of your lessons that the one who curses the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or any of his Companions becomes a disbeliever and is subject to the ruling of execution, taking the blood of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the blood of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). If this person who insults [the Prophet] is in a state of negligence and sin but is still a Muslim, is the ruling of execution applied to him after he has repented, turned back to Allah, and regretted what he did, just as was the case with the noble Companion Ka'b ibn Zuhayr (may Allah be pleased with him), whose story of insulting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is well known? We ask for clarification, and may Allah preserve you?
The questioner says: You mentioned in some of your lessons that the one who curses the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or any of his Companions becomes a disbeliever and is executed, but the matter is not so.The correct view is: The one who curses the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who becomes a disbeliever, but the one who curses any of the Companions does not become a disbeliever. However, if he curses the Companions in general, or curses them except for a small number, then he becomes a disbeliever. But the discussion now, and the subject of the answer, will be about cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So we say: If he curses the Messenger, he becomes a disbeliever, whether he is serious, joking, or mocking.He becomes a disbeliever, by the saying of Allah the Exalted: [At-Tawbah: 65-66] But if he repents, his repentance is accepted;As He, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Az-Zumar: 53] .
But is the execution waived for him?The answer to this is: There is a detailed ruling: If the one who cursed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did so while he was a disbeliever who had not yet embraced Islam, he is not executed;Due to the generality of His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Anfal: 38] .
As for if the one who cursed the Messenger was a Muslim and became an apostate because of his cursing of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the stronger opinion, which was chosen by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, is that he is executed, while his repentance is accepted; taking the blood for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
If someone were to say: It has been found that there were people who cursed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and their repentance was accepted, and they were not executed.
We said: Yes.
This is correct, but the right to blood belongs to whom? To the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). If he forgave them during his lifetime, the right was his; if he willed, he would execute them, and if he willed, he would not execute them. But after his death, we cannot know whether the Messenger would have forgiven them or not. So, if they are deserving of execution for cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which is a right of a human being, and we do not know that he forgave them, then it is obligatory to execute them.
Furthermore, there is a public benefit in executing them, which is to restrain the tongues of others from cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for them, Allah has accepted their repentance if their repentance was sincere, and their affair is left to Allah. And if they are not executed today, they will die tomorrow. And this is the stronger opinion in this issue.
Some scholars hold the view that if he repents, his repentance is not accepted and he is executed as a disbeliever, and this is the well-known view in the school of Imam Ahmad,He said in Zad al-Mustaqni': and the repentance of one who curses Allah or His Messenger is not accepted. But this opinion is weak;Because the correct view is: that repentance is accepted whenever it is issued in the correct manner. But if he cursed Allah, he is not executed, and if he cursed the Messenger, he is executed.Perhaps you will be surprised and say: Which is greater: cursing Allah, or cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?Answer: Cursing Allah is greater without doubt. So why, if the one who cursed Allah repents, do we accept his repentance and not execute him, and if the one who cursed the Messenger repents, do we accept his repentance and execute him? Because the one who curses Allah and repents, Allah turns to him in mercy, and Allah the Exalted has informed us about Himself that He drops His right, saying: [Az-Zumar: 53] So we know that Allah the Exalted has forgiven him for his cursing of Allah. As for the one who cursed the Messenger, we do not know that the Messenger forgave him, and in that case, his execution becomes necessary.
This is the point of difference between the two.
And some scholars held the view: To the extent that the one who curses Allah or His Messenger then repents, his repentance is accepted and he is not executed. So the opinions in this issue are three, the strongest of which is that his repentance is accepted and he is executed.
The questioner says: You mentioned in some of your lessons that the one who curses the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or any of his Companions becomes a disbeliever and is executed, but the matter is not so.The correct view is: The one who curses the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who becomes a disbeliever, but the one who curses any of the Companions does not become a disbeliever. However, if he curses the Companions in general, or curses them except for a small number, then he becomes a disbeliever. But the discussion now, and the subject of the answer, will be about cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So we say: If he curses the Messenger, he becomes a disbeliever, whether he is serious, joking, or mocking.He becomes a disbeliever, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
(65) And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and playing." Say, "Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?" (66) Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.
قُلْ أَبِاللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِئُونَ * لا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْSay, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعاً إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُBut is the execution waived for him?The answer to this is: There is a detailed ruling: If the one who cursed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did so while he was a disbeliever who had not yet embraced Islam, he is not executed;Due to the generality of His saying, the Exalted:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَAs for if the one who cursed the Messenger was a Muslim and became an apostate because of his cursing of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the stronger opinion, which was chosen by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, is that he is executed, while his repentance is accepted; taking the blood for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
If someone were to say: It has been found that there were people who cursed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and their repentance was accepted, and they were not executed.
We said: Yes.
This is correct, but the right to blood belongs to whom? To the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). If he forgave them during his lifetime, the right was his; if he willed, he would execute them, and if he willed, he would not execute them. But after his death, we cannot know whether the Messenger would have forgiven them or not. So, if they are deserving of execution for cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which is a right of a human being, and we do not know that he forgave them, then it is obligatory to execute them.
Furthermore, there is a public benefit in executing them, which is to restrain the tongues of others from cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for them, Allah has accepted their repentance if their repentance was sincere, and their affair is left to Allah. And if they are not executed today, they will die tomorrow. And this is the stronger opinion in this issue.
Some scholars hold the view that if he repents, his repentance is not accepted and he is executed as a disbeliever, and this is the well-known view in the school of Imam Ahmad,He said in Zad al-Mustaqni': and the repentance of one who curses Allah or His Messenger is not accepted. But this opinion is weak;Because the correct view is: that repentance is accepted whenever it is issued in the correct manner. But if he cursed Allah, he is not executed, and if he cursed the Messenger, he is executed.Perhaps you will be surprised and say: Which is greater: cursing Allah, or cursing the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?Answer: Cursing Allah is greater without doubt. So why, if the one who cursed Allah repents, do we accept his repentance and not execute him, and if the one who cursed the Messenger repents, do we accept his repentance and execute him? Because the one who curses Allah and repents, Allah turns to him in mercy, and Allah the Exalted has informed us about Himself that He drops His right, saying:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعاً إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُThis is the point of difference between the two.
And some scholars held the view: To the extent that the one who curses Allah or His Messenger then repents, his repentance is accepted and he is not executed. So the opinions in this issue are three, the strongest of which is that his repentance is accepted and he is executed.