The believer does not curse

When the Prophet,, guided the one who was seeking salvation to control
his tongue, this was an indication of the grave dangers of the tongue,
particularly when one gives it free rein. Getting used to abusing and
cursing is one of the greatest dangers of the tongue. Many people
think too lightly of this and therefore curse their children,
transportation, those who contradict their views, and even those with
whom they are joking. Hence, we will state some of what was reported
in warning against the dangers of cursing and making a habit of this.
The Meaning and Dangers of Cursing
Cursing means the deprivation and exclusion of goodness or of the
Mercy of Allaah The Almighty, and this can never be the habit of the
believers. The Prophet,, said,"The believer does not slander, curse,
or speak in an obscene or foul manner."In aHadeethon the authority of
Abu Hurayrahthe Prophet,, said:"It does not befit a man of truth to be
a curser."
Cursing a Believer is a Great Crime
Cursing a believer is a great crime that a Muslim should never dare to
commit. To illustrate the enormity of this crime, it is enough to
mention theHadeethwhere the Prophet,, said:"Cursing a believer is like
killing him."Commenting on thisHadeeth, An-Nawawisaid,"According to
the apparent meaning of the Hadeeth, both killing and cursing are
equal in prohibition, however, killing is graver."Other scholars
said,"Cursing a believer is like killing him with respect to
prohibition, guilt and deprivation. This is because cursing is
deprivation of the mercy of Allaah The Almighty, and killing is
deprivation of life."
Beware of the Rebounding of the Curse!
When a person curses something that does not deserve to be cursed, the
curse rebounds and comes back onto him, even if that which is cursed
is the subjugated wind. In aHadeethon the authority of 'Abdullaah Ibn
'Abbaasit was mentioned that the wind blew away a man's outer garment
and, thereupon, he cursed the wind. The Prophet,, said to him:"Do not
curse the wind because it is commanded ]by Allaah to blow[. Whoever
curses something and it does not deserve the curse, the curse will
turn back upon him."
Do Not Curse an Animal or a Mount
People often think of this as something trivial and they curse animals
as well as their means of transport. Such people are heedless of the
fact that doing so, they themselves mix with cursed things. It was
narrated that the Prophet,, was on a journey on which there was also a
woman from theAnsaarriding a she-camel. The she-camel annoyed her and
so she cursed it. Having heard her, the Messenger of Allaah,,
said:"Take off the load on its back and set it free because it is
cursed."'
Cursing a Specific Person
According to the consensus of the scholars, cursing is prohibited.
Imaam An-Nawawisaid,
There is a consensus among the scholars that cursing is prohibited.
Linguistically, cursing means to deprive or expel. In the Sharee'ah,
it means deprivation of the Mercy of Allaah The Exalted. For a person
whose status and end are not decisively known, it is not permissible
to deprive him of the Mercy of Allaah The Almighty. Therefore, they
]the scholars[ have said, 'It is not permissible to curse a specific
person, whether he is a Muslim or a disbeliever, unless there is a
Sharee'ah text that tells us that a specific person died or will die
as a disbeliever, like Abu Jahl and Satan; and it is impermissible to
curse a mount. However, cursing by general description is permitted
such as cursing women who artificially lengthen their hair or those
who have their hair artificially lengthened for them, women who tattoo
or have themselves tattooed, the two parties of a Riba ]interest[
transaction, those who produce images, evildoers, oppressors,
disbelievers and those who misappropriate the limits of their land.
This is general cursing that does not specify someone in particular.
Cursing is from the Gravest of the Grave Major Sins
The MuslimUmmah)nation( has been afflicted by some of its youth who
joke with each other only by sending curses and abuse, as they
recklessly curse fathers and mothers. They do this despite the fact
that this is one of the grave major sins as the Prophet,, said:"One of
the gravest of grave major sins is when a person abuses his
parents."It was then asked,"O Messenger of Allaah, is it possible that
one could abuse his own parents?"The Prophet,, replied:"Yes, when he
abuses the father or mother of another person and the latter returns
the insult."
Parents are the cause behind one's existence in this life and so they
should not be harmed, even by as little as being shown the signs of
tedium and annoyance in front of them by using the word "uff".
Therefore, what about those who curse their parents? These people are
in fact committing a grave major sin and deserve the supplication of
the Prophet,, against them as in theHadeethwhere he said,"May Allaah
curse the one who slaughters for the sake of anything other than
Allaah, the one who shelters a man who causes mischief upon the earth,
and the one who curses his parents."
Purify Your Tongue from Cursing
If cursing is dangerous, obscene and offensive to that extent, then
the believer, who seeks salvation on the Day when neither wealth nor
children will be of benefit to him, must refine and purify his tongue
from this disaster. He should recall the prohibition of the Prophet,,
in theHadeethwhere he said:"Do not curse one another invoking the
curse of Allaah, the wrath of Allaah, or the fire of Hell."
We ask Allaah The Almighty to purify our tongues, hearts and bodies
from everything that stirs His wrath.