Explanation of al-Bukhari’s statement in *Al-Adab al-Mufrad*: The chapter “The believer is not one who curses,” and the hadith beneath it (from Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, who said: I never heard ‘Abd Allah ibn [‘Umar]…

The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The chapter: The believer is not one who curses.” Then he narrated with his hasan chain from Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: I never heard ‘Abd Allah curse anyone, not a single person. And Salim used to say: ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is not befitting for a believer to be one who curses.”
Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab is a Tabi’i, the son of a Companion, the son of a Companion. ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, both of them are Companions. So Salim narrates regarding what pertains to his father, or rather, what pertains to his father’s character and the purity of his tongue. He says: I never heard ‘Abd Allah curse anyone in his entire life except one person, on one occasion. His tongue slipped and he cursed him. In some narrations outside the book of al-Bukhari, with the aforementioned chain, it is mentioned that the one he cursed was his servant, i.e., a slave, an owned person. It appears that he sent him on an urgent errand, but he delayed in it, so he became very angry with him and could not control himself except to curse him. If it were up to me, I would wish that the narration which Imam al-Bayhaqi narrated in his book *Shu‘ab al-Iman* were authentic. I would wish that this narration were authentic, but there is a break in its chain. Why? Because it explains that he did not repeat the word “curse”; instead of “May Allah curse him,” the narration says he said “May [Allah] cur…” and then he realized and stopped. This is the one with the break in its chain. The authentic, explicit narration is that he did not curse anyone in his life except one person, once. And the other narration was explained, as we mentioned earlier, that the reason for the curse was directed at a servant who was his slave. But in an authentic narration, there is an indication that such a noble Companion, if he makes a mistake, he quickly reviews himself, acting in accordance with some of the Qur’anic verses and Prophetic hadiths that say . What did ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar do? After he remembered that he had done something that is not befitting for a Muslim, he hastened to free that slave for the face of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. So this was like an expiation, and what an expiation for such a verbal mistake.
After Salim narrates this incident from his father ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, and that he did not curse a person except once, as we explained, he says that ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar used to narrate from the Messenger (peace be upon him) that he used to say , meaning it is not permissible for a Muslim to practice and accustom his tongue to cursing anything, whether the thing he curses is a person, an animal, or an inanimate object. That is because all of that is from the creation of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). And the meaning of cursing, as I think, is to distance the cursed one from the mercy of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, i.e., to supplicate against him that Allah the Exalted and Majestic should distance him from His mercy completely and totally. And such a curse, or such a supplication, is not deserved except by one who is a disbeliever in Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).