Is it permissible for a person to call another person a dog, or not? May Allah guide you.
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The questioner : This is a message that came to the program. Its sender asks: Is it permissible for a person to call another person a dog, or not? May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to describe his Muslim brother as a dog, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSahih Muslim 1622g.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : However, you may compare the one who carries the Qur'an but does not act upon it to a donkey, saying for example, "Whoever does not act upon the Qur'an is like a donkey carrying books." Likewise, you may say of the person to whom Allah has granted knowledge, but he uses it for other than Allah and for the sake of this world, that his likeness is like that of a dog: if you drive it away, it pants, or if you leave it, it pants.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for calling a specific person by name and saying, "O dog, O donkey," this is not permissible, because Allah the Exalted says[Al-Isra 17:70]. The scholars have mentioned that it is permissible for the person to whom this is said to demand that the speaker apologize, and that the speaker is subject to discretionary punishment if he does not seek forgiveness from the person to whom it was said.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Thank you. May Allah reward you. Ladies and gentlemen, we come to an end here.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to describe his Muslim brother as a dog, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said
One who gets back his gift is like a dog which vomits and then swallows that vomit.
ليس لنا مثَل السوء العائد في هبته كالكلب يقيء ثم يعود في قيئهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : However, you may compare the one who carries the Qur'an but does not act upon it to a donkey, saying for example, "Whoever does not act upon the Qur'an is like a donkey carrying books." Likewise, you may say of the person to whom Allah has granted knowledge, but he uses it for other than Allah and for the sake of this world, that his likeness is like that of a dog: if you drive it away, it pants, or if you leave it, it pants.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for calling a specific person by name and saying, "O dog, O donkey," this is not permissible, because Allah the Exalted says
And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.
ولقد كرمنا بني ءادم وحملناهم في البر والبحر ورزقناهم من الطيبات وفضلناهم على كثير ممن خلقنا تفضيلاThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Thank you. May Allah reward you. Ladies and gentlemen, we come to an end here.