Chapter: The Prohibition of Reviling a Muslim Without Just Cause

Allah the Exalted says: “Those who harm believing men and believing women for something they have not earned have surely shouldered a calumny and a manifest sin” (33:58).

1559 – Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Reviling a Muslim is wickedness, and fighting him is disbelief.” Agreed upon.

[Commentary]

The compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—opens this section of Riyad al-Salihin with the heading “The Prohibition of Reviling a Muslim Without Just Cause.” Reviling (sabb) means to disparage a person and describe him with what he detests while he is present; if the same is said in his absence it is classed as backbiting.

He then cites the Almighty’s words: “Those who harm believing men and believing women for something they have not earned have surely shouldered a calumny and a manifest sin.” In the verse, “those” is the subject and “have shouldered” the predicate. Its meaning is that anyone who harms believing men and believing women without any wrongdoing on their part has taken upon himself a slander—that is, a lie—and an evident sin, meaning a punishment; we seek refuge in Allah.

This ruling embraces every form of harm, whether by word or by deed. The more entitled a person is to honor, the graver the sin of harming him. Thus harming a relative is not like harming a stranger, harming a neighbor is not like harming one who is not a neighbor, and harming someone who has a right over you is far worse than harming someone who has no such claim. In short, the gravity of harm varies in proportion to the status of the one harmed.