the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the Day of Resurrection for those guilty of major sins. For this reason, regarding those known for wrongdoing and the like who are nevertheless Muslims and outwardly have righteous deeds—such as al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf and others like him—the scholars preferred not to curse any of them individually. Rather, they say as Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, Allah’s curse is upon the wrongdoers.”

Thus, they curse in general terms those whom Allah and His Messenger have cursed, as in the Prophet’s saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Allah has cursed wine, the one who presses it, the one who has it pressed, its seller, its buyer, the one who serves it, the one who drinks it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, and the one who consumes its proceeds.”

But they do not curse a particular individual. As is established in Sahīh al-Bukhārī and elsewhere:

“There was a man called Himār who used to drink wine, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to flog him. Once, when he was brought before him, a man cursed him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Do not curse him, for he loves Allah and His Messenger.’”

This is because a curse falls within the category of threats of punishment, and a general threat cannot be judged with certainty to apply to a particular individual, owing to any of the reasons already mentioned: repentance, good deeds that erase sins, calamities that expiate them, accepted intercession, or other such reasons.

Some scholars curse particular individuals, such as Yazīd. Another group, taking the opposite position, say: “Rather, we love him because of the faith he possesses, on account of which Allah has commanded us to maintain bonds of loyalty, since he is not a disbeliever.”

The position preferred by the Muslim community is that we neither curse a particular individual unconditionally nor love a particular individual unconditionally