1576 – Jundub ibn ʿAbd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man once swore, ‘By Allah, Allah will never forgive so-and-so.’ Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said, ‘Who is this who dares to swear by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? I have indeed forgiven him, and I have nullified your deeds.’” Narrated by Muslim.

Explanation
These hadiths elucidate the prohibition of belittling a Muslim. The two Qur’anic verses that the author previously cited have already been discussed; as for the hadiths themselves, one is the report of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is enough evil for a person to despise his Muslim brother.” The word hasb here means “sufficient,” i.e., it suffices a believer, as an act of evil, that he should hold his Muslim brother in contempt. This wording magnifies the gravity of such disdain and shows that it is a major sin; were a person to commit no other wrong besides this, it would be enough to condemn him. Therefore, never disparage your Muslim brother—neither because of his appearance, nor his clothing, nor his speech, nor his character, nor for any other reason. Your Muslim brother has a great right over you; you must honour and respect him. To scorn him is unlawful, and it is not permissible for you to do so.

The hadith of Ibn Masʿūd and the hadith of Jundub ibn ʿAbd Allah (may Allah be pleased with them both) likewise prove that belittling a Muslim is forbidden and impermissible. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated Ibn Masʿūd’s report—“No one will enter Paradise who has even a mustard seed’s weight of arrogance (kibr) in his heart”—they said, “Messenger of Allah, a man likes to have fine clothes and fine sandals.” The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) thought that if a person wore elegant clothing and put on good sandals,