Points derived from the ḥadith:
1 – The plain wording of the report indicates that reviling the dead is absolutely prohibited, whether the deceased was a Muslim or a non-Muslim, a righteous believer or a flagrant sinner.
2 – That blanket ruling, however, is restricted—according to the soundest view—such that it is permissible to mention the faults of deceased unbelievers and open sinners when this serves a recognised religious interest: to warn others, dissuade them from following in their footsteps, and deter them from adopting their character. The guiding principle is the presence of a legitimate sharʿī benefit for the Muslim community.
3 – The Prophet ﷺ gave the first rationale for the prohibition: the dead have already gone on to face the recompense for what they sent ahead, be it good or evil, and Allah alone will requite them. Reviling them therefore yields no benefit and is unlawful, except where a sharʿī interest exists or where a specific text exempts a case from the general ban.
4 – A second rationale is to spare the living—children, relatives, and anyone attached to the deceased—from being harmed by such insults. The first reason establishes a general prohibition save for a sharʿī need; if reviling the dead also injures the living, the act is forbidden on two counts, otherwise on one.
5 – The phrase “so that you do not hurt the living” does not imply that reviling the dead becomes lawful when no living relative is offended, such as someone with no kin or whose relatives never hear of it, because the prohibition remains general except in cases of recognised religious benefit.
6 – Scholars are unanimously agreed that assessing and criticising transmitters of ḥadith—whether they are alive or deceased—is permissible, for the rulings of the Law depend on knowing their condition.
7 – Al-Shawkānī (d. 1250 AH) said:
“A person truly mindful of his religion will be so occupied with his own flaws that he has no time to broadcast the blemishes of the dead or to revile someone whose standing before the Creator of all beings he does not know. There is no doubt that tearing apart the honour of one who has gone on and now stands before the One who knows what hearts conceal …”