Do not curse the dead, for they have reached the result of what they have done
Narrator in the source: ‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, reported saying:
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not curse the dead, for they have reached the result of what they have done."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Al-Bukhāri
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 5364 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «لَا تَسُبُّوا الْأَمْوَاتَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ قَدْ أَفْضَوْا إِلَى مَا قَدَّمُوا».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out the prohibition of cursing the dead and speaking ill of their honor, and that this is considered among the bad manners. This is because they have reached the result of what they have done, be it righteous or evil. Moreover, cursing the dead does not reach them, but it only hurts the living ones.
Lessons from the hadith
- The Hadīth proves that cursing the dead is prohibited.
- Refraining from cursing the dead serves the living people's interest and protects society from mutual malice and hatred.
- The wisdom behind the prohibition of cursing the dead is that they are already facing the consequences of their deeds, and cursing them will avail nothing, and it will only hurt their living relatives.
- One should not speak useless words that serve no interest.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح البخاري (2/ 104) (1393). فتح ذي الجلال والاكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام، لابن عثيمين (2/ 631). منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، لعبد الله الفوزان (4/ 385). توضيح الأحكام من بلوغ المرام، للبسام (3/ 277).