Or cursing Allah or His Messenger, in which case he has committed disbelief
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The Shaykh : The author said "Or cursing Allah or His Messenger" I seek refuge in Allah. Cursing Allah means describing Him with a defect, and the greatest form of cursing is to curse Allah, may Allah protect us from that, or to object to His cosmic or legislative rulings by attributing a defect to them, even if it is done by way of sarcasm or insinuation. Even if it is merely an insinuation, it renders one a disbeliever, because this is a degradation of the status of Lordship, which is a grave matter. Thus, whoever curses Allah, whether his cursing is by speech or by gesture, and whether he is serious or joking—indeed, cursing Allah in jest is even greater and more ugly—he becomes a disbeliever. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: [At-Tawbah 9:65-66] And because cursing Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is a disparagement of Him, it constitutes disbelief. Whoever disparages Allah by his speech, his action, or his heart is a disbeliever, because faith is faith in whom? In Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and in His perfect attributes and complete Lordship. So if one curses Allah, he becomes a disbeliever, even if he says, "I only said that in jest, not seriously." We say: This is even uglier, to make Allah the Exalted a target of mockery, jesting, and ridicule. Likewise, whoever curses the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—if one curses the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, he is a disbeliever.
And the author’s statement "or His Messenger" should be understood as a singular noun with a possessive suffix, so that it includes all the Messengers. Thus, whoever curses any of the Messengers is a disbeliever, because this is not a disparagement of the Messenger as an individual, but a disparagement of his mission, which is the revelation, and it entails a disparagement of the One who sent him. For there is no doubt that it is a deficiency for a human being to be sent to creation to make their blood, wealth, and children lawful, and for him to be a target of deficiency. Is this considered foolishness or not? Is it? It is considered foolishness. So cursing the Messenger is cursing the One who sent him. For this reason, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-An'am 6:124] So He, Glorified and Exalted is He, did not place the message except in one who is worthy of it and qualified for it, because He, Glorified and Exalted is He, knew in His prior knowledge that he is worthy of bearing what he was tasked with. Not everyone is worthy of the message. For this reason, al-Safarini, may Allah have mercy on him, said—and I am citing him as a reference, not as a proof—he said: "The rank of prophethood is not attained through effort or bravery, but it is a favor from the Exalted Lord to whom He wills of His creation until the appointed time" Is that right? And in *al-Tahdhib*: "The rank of prophethood is not attained through effort, refinement, or bravery, but it is a favor from the Exalted Lord to whom He wills of His creation until the appointed time" The conclusion is that cursing the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, is cursing the One who sent him, and it is contrary to his right, which is the most important of human rights, and his right is to be honored, revered, and respected. So much so that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, made among the causes of the message and among the wisdom of the message that we believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that we honor the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and respect him: [Al-Fath 48:8-9] This is a pillar and a foundation, and one of the wisdoms of sending the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. And there is no doubt that cursing the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, in addition to being a deficiency and disparagement of him and of the One who sent him, is also a disparagement of his Shari'ah. For this reason, if a person curses a man, his cursing reflects back on the methodology he followed, and the very methodology he followed becomes deficient in the eyes of people, because he cursed the one who upheld that methodology. So cursing the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, thus entails three things, each of which is disbelief: it entails cursing Allah, cursing the Messenger, and cursing his Shari'ah. For it is without doubt that if the Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, is cursed, this necessitates disparaging what he brought, because the one who is deficient is not worthy of being followed in his words and actions. Now, "or cursing His Messenger is disbelief" What is the answer in this sentence? Where is the condition?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Where from?
The questioner : ... he associated partners with Allah ... .
The Shaykh : So whoever associated partners with Allah, yes. And his statement "disbelief" means disbelief that expels one from the religion, and we do not say it is a lesser disbelief, because this chapter is about the ruling on the apostate, meaning a disbeliever with absolute disbelief.
(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.
وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّما كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ قُلْ أَبِاللَّهِ وَأياتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِؤُنَ * لا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمانِكُمْAnd the author’s statement "or His Messenger" should be understood as a singular noun with a possessive suffix, so that it includes all the Messengers. Thus, whoever curses any of the Messengers is a disbeliever, because this is not a disparagement of the Messenger as an individual, but a disparagement of his mission, which is the revelation, and it entails a disparagement of the One who sent him. For there is no doubt that it is a deficiency for a human being to be sent to creation to make their blood, wealth, and children lawful, and for him to be a target of deficiency. Is this considered foolishness or not? Is it? It is considered foolishness. So cursing the Messenger is cursing the One who sent him. For this reason, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:
Allah is most knowing of where He places His message
الله أعلم حيث يجعل رسالته(8) Indeed, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner (9) That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect the Prophet
إنا أرسلناك شاهدا ومبشرا ونذيرا لتؤمنوا بالله ورسوله وتعزّروه وتوقّروهThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Where from?
The questioner : ... he associated partners with Allah ... .
The Shaykh : So whoever associated partners with Allah, yes. And his statement "disbelief" means disbelief that expels one from the religion, and we do not say it is a lesser disbelief, because this chapter is about the ruling on the apostate, meaning a disbeliever with absolute disbelief.