means): } O you who havebelieved, let not a peopleridicule [another]
people;perhaps they may be better than them { [Quran49:11]
Adh-Dhahhaak said,
This verse was revealed when members of the Banu Tameem delegationwere
mocking the poor Companions like 'Ammaar, Khabbaab, Bilaal, Suhayb,
Salmaan, and Saalim the slave of Abu Huthayfah, may Allaah be pleased
with allof them, because of their shabby clothes. But there are other
opinions as well. It was said that this verse was revealed
when'Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl came to Madeenah as a Muslim and the people
there would call him the 'Son of the pharaoh of this Ummah' whenever
they saw him. So, he complained to the Prophet and this verse was
revealed. It was also said that this verse was revealed when Thaabit
ridiculed a man because of his mother in Jaahiliyyah [pre-Islamic
ignorance] and the man was disgraced.
Commenting on this verse, Al-Qurtubi said, "Allaah says here that
those who believe in Himand in His Messenger should not ridicule other
believers as they may be better than them. Also, women should not
ridicule each other for the same reason."
He also said, " Allaah is referring here to all sorts of mockery in
this prohibition for the believers. Hence, it is impermissible for any
believer to mock anotherbeliever: either for being poor, or for a sin
that he has committed, or for anyother reason."
Al-Qurtubi added,
In general, no one shoulddare to ridicule another person even if that
person was shabby, handicapped or inarticulate, for that person may be
more sincere or may have a purer heart than the one who is not shabby
or handicapped or inarticulate. In this case, ridiculing such a person
would be despising someone whom Allaah has honored. The righteous
predecessors were keen on avoiding this to the extent that 'Amr ibn
Shurahbeel said, "If I saw a man suckling a goat and laughed at him, I
would fear that I might end up doing the same thing." It was reported
that 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood said that affliction depends on what a
person says. Hence, he said that if he mocked a dog, he would fear
that he would be turned into a dog.
In his commentary on theverse (which means): } But you took them in
mockery to the point thatthey made you forget My remembrance, and you
used to laugh at them { [Quran 23:110], Al-Qurtubi said that this
verse is a warning against mocking, despising or ridiculing the weak
and the needy to the point that it wouldmake us forget remembering
Allaah and would thus keep us far from Him. In a Hadeeth onthe
authority of 'Aa'ishah she said, "I said to the Prophet 'It is enough
for you that Safiyyah is such-and-such [meaning that she was short].'
The Prophet replied: 'You have said a word that could adulterate the
water of the sea if it were mixed with it.' " Shealso said, "I once
imitateda man before him [ridiculing him] and He said: 'I would never
like to imitate anyone, even ifI were to get such- and-such [a reward
for it].' " [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
Another example is whenAbu Tharr abused a man by calling his mother
bad names, the Prophet, , said to him: " O Abu Tharr! Did you abuse
him by calling his mother bad names? You still have some
characteristics of Jaahiliyyah in you." [Al-Bukhaari]
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Umm Haani' the Prophet, , said about
the verse (which means): } and commit in your meetings [every] evil {
[Quran 29:29] that they used to despise and mock people. [Ahmad and
At-Tirmithi]
The polytheists of Makkah like Abu Jahl, Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah
and their likes would mock 'Ammaar, Suhayb, Bilaal and other poor
believers;hence, Allaah The Almighty revealed the verse (which means):
} Indeed, those who committed crimes used tolaugh at those who
believed. { [Quran 83:29]
It was said that 'Ali was once walking with a number of Muslims and
some hypocrites mocked them and they exchanged derisory glances. When
they returned to their people, they said, "We have seen the bald one
[i.e., 'Ali ]today." Hence, the abovementioned verse was revealed
before 'Ali reached the Prophet, to inform him of what had happened .
Sarcasm and Derision are Forms of Mockery
Sarcasm and derision are forms of mockery. An example of this is when
one derides another for being poor, handicappedor for committing a
sin. Moreover, calling people by offensive nicknames isanother example
of mockery. Al-Qurtubi said that calling people by offensive nicknames
means calling them by names or attributes that they hate. Allaah The
Almighty generalized thisrule and did not specify certain nicknames.
It is impermissible for any Muslim to call his fellow brother by any
nickname or any attribute that he hates. Allaah The Almighty Says
(what means): } O you who havebelieved, let not a peopleridicule
[another] people;perhaps they may be better than them .} [Quran 49:11]
There are several stories as to the revelation of this verse. Anas and
Ibn Zayd said that the abovementioned verse was revealed when someof
the wives of the Prophet, , ridiculed Safiyyah for being short. It was
also said that this verse was revealed when 'Aa'ishah indicated by her
handto the Prophet, , that Safiyyah was short. Moreover, 'Ikrimah and
Ibn 'Abbaas said that this verse was revealed when Safiyyah bint
Huyayy said: "O Messenger of Allaah! The women ridicule me and say to
me, 'O Jew...'" All these examples show that calling people by
offensive nicknames is a form of mockery. They were mentioned in the
verse as a way of mentioning the specific cases after the general rule
in order to emphasize its importance. The scorner is the person who
harms people by his tongue, while the mocker is the one who winks with
his eyes. Ibn Kaysaan saidthat the scorner is the one who hurts others
with bad words, while the mocker is the one who points to others with
his eyes, his head and his eyebrows.
The Difference Between Mocking and Ridiculing
There are two differences between them. The first is that ridiculing
can be done bydeeds or words, whereas,mocking is done only by deeds.
The second is that ridiculing is usually preceded by an act that
causes its doer to be an object of ridicule, while mocking is not
preceded by such an act. Mocking isusually accompanied by words that
are uttered with a bad intention. It occurs when the person seems to
be serious whilehe conceals joking. As-Saffaareeni said, "Mocking
people and ridiculing them are prohibited because Allaah The Almighty
Says (what means): {O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule
[another] people; perhaps they may be better than them} [Quran 49:11]
Moreover, the Prophet prohibited this in many Hadeeths."
Ridicule and the Germs ofArrogance and Pride
Only those whose souls are impure because of arrogance and pride
ridicule others. They endeavor to hurt others because of the feeling
of superiority that runs in their diseased veins. Satan ridiculed
Aadam (Adam) and said, "I ambetter than him" and so he became a loser.
Had he thought carefully of the characteristics of Aadam he would
haverealized that Aadam was superior to him. Mockery is one of the
diseases of Jaahiliyyah that should be avoided, especially at times of
conflict and disputes. It isone of the characteristics of the
disbelievers and the hypocrites that leads to the disunity of the
society. In fact, it is an overt violation of the Commands of Allaah
The Almighty, and it keeps one away from the pleasure of Allaah.
Moreover, it makes one forget to remember Allaah and causes him to be
inflicted with His punishment.
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