What is the interpretation of the hadith: “None of you should curse his child or his wealth, for perhaps it will coincide with a time of response…”?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, if you please, we are also from the people of al-Sharqiyah. I would like to ask about the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said: What is the meaning of this hadith?
Does this include the case where one curses his child without right?
The Shaykh : I will ask you: Who is it who holds the power of response and reply?
The questioner : Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Does Allah, Mighty and Majestic, know who is in the right and who is in the wrong?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Your answer is wrong. I am asking you: Does Allah know or does He not know?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, He knows. Well, is it possible for Allah to support an aggressor against one who has been wronged? Answer?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No. Therefore, no matter how much a person curses without right, Allah will not accept it from him, because Allah said in the Noble Qur’an:[Al-A'raf 7:55], and He, Mighty and Majestic, says: [Al-An'am 6:21]. So whoever makes a supplication without right, Allah does not accept it.
Moreover, if he is an aggressor, the curse may return to him and strike him, as mentioned regarding the curse:, and as mentioned in the authentic hadith: .
However, a person sometimes, when disciplining his children in anger, curses with evil instead of good. Instead of saying, “May Allah guide you” or “May Allah expand your chest,” he says, “May Allah destroy you” or “May Allah do such and such to you.” Some scholars have interpreted the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[Al-Isra 17:11], in this sense, meaning that some people curse with evil in a place where they should be supplicating for good, out of haste and impatience. There is no gift given to a person that is better or broader than patience. Control your self, restrain it, and accustom your tongue, when your children or your family anger you, to supplicate for them with good.
Well, some people say, “May Allah protect us from your evil.” Is this permissible or not?
The questioner : It is permissible.
The Shaykh : Answer, everyone?
The questioner : It is permissible.
The Shaykh : It is permissible. We say, “I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own selves and from the evil deeds of our people.” So if he says to his child, “May Allah protect me from your evil, how much you anger me,” there is nothing wrong with that. But if he says, “May Allah take you,” “May Allah destroy you,” “May Allah blacken your face,” or “May Allah not grant you success in this world or the Hereafter,” that is forbidden. Be patient, prepare your self, and supplicate for your family with good. Yes.
The questioner : May I ask another question, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, unless all the brothers have finished.
None of you should curse his child or his wealth, for perhaps it will coincide with a time of response
لا يدع أحدكم على ولده أو ماله لعلّه يصادف ساعة إجابةDoes this include the case where one curses his child without right?
The Shaykh : I will ask you: Who is it who holds the power of response and reply?
The questioner : Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Does Allah, Mighty and Majestic, know who is in the right and who is in the wrong?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Your answer is wrong. I am asking you: Does Allah know or does He not know?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, He knows. Well, is it possible for Allah to support an aggressor against one who has been wronged? Answer?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No. Therefore, no matter how much a person curses without right, Allah will not accept it from him, because Allah said in the Noble Qur’an:
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.
ادعوا ربّكم تضرّعاً وخفية إنّه لا يحبّ المعتدينIndeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.
إنّه لا يفلح الظّالمونMoreover, if he is an aggressor, the curse may return to him and strike him, as mentioned regarding the curse:
It ascends with it in the sky, then it is turned back, then it circulates. If its owner is worthy of it, it falls upon him; and if he is not worthy of it, it returns to its speaker
أنّه يصعد بها في السّماء فتردّ ثمّ تتجوّل فإن كان صاحبها أهلا لها وقعت عليه وإن كان غير أهل رجعت إلى قائلهاWhoever calls a man a disbeliever or says, “O enemy of Allah,” and it is not so, it returns to him
من دعا رجلا بالكفر أو قال: يا عدوّ الله وليس كذلك رجع إليهHowever, a person sometimes, when disciplining his children in anger, curses with evil instead of good. Instead of saying, “May Allah guide you” or “May Allah expand your chest,” he says, “May Allah destroy you” or “May Allah do such and such to you.” Some scholars have interpreted the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
And man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, and man is ever hasty.
ويدع الإنسان بالشّرّ دعاءه بالخير وكان الإنسان عجولًاWell, some people say, “May Allah protect us from your evil.” Is this permissible or not?
The questioner : It is permissible.
The Shaykh : Answer, everyone?
The questioner : It is permissible.
The Shaykh : It is permissible. We say, “I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own selves and from the evil deeds of our people.” So if he says to his child, “May Allah protect me from your evil, how much you anger me,” there is nothing wrong with that. But if he says, “May Allah take you,” “May Allah destroy you,” “May Allah blacken your face,” or “May Allah not grant you success in this world or the Hereafter,” that is forbidden. Be patient, prepare your self, and supplicate for your family with good. Yes.
The questioner : May I ask another question, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, unless all the brothers have finished.