Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Cursing
كتاب اللعن
Chapter 145
بَابُ لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِالطَّعَّانِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Shayba narrated to us: Ibn Abi al-Fudayk informed me, from Kathir ibn Zayd, from Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: ‘I never heard ‘Abd Allah curse anyone at all—not a human being.’ Salim used to say: ‘‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is not fitting for a believer to be a habitual curser.”’”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase ليس إنسانا following ‘I never heard him curse anyone’ is unclear as transmitted and is absent from the English witness; it is retained literally rather than omitted.
مَا سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللهِ لاَعِنًا أَحَدًا قَطُّ، لَيْسَ إِنْسَانًا
The source appends ليس إنسانا, literally ‘not a human being,’ which does not fit smoothly with the preceding statement and is omitted by the witness.
Is this phrase a textual corruption or does it have an idiomatic sense that should be rendered differently?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Salam narrated to us: al-Fazari narrated to us, from al-Fadl ibn Mubashshir al-Ansari, from Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Allah does not love the foul-mouthed person who makes a practice of foul speech, nor the one who shouts in the marketplaces.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic pairs الفاحش, foul or obscene in speech, with المتفحش, one who deliberately adopts or displays such speech. The second clause describes shouting in marketplaces.
الْفَاحِشَ الْمُتَفَحِّشَ
The Arabic pair concerns foul or obscene speech and making it habitual, whereas the witness renders the terms as loudness and coarseness.
Should the two terms be rendered as ‘foul-mouthed’ and ‘one who makes a practice of foul speech’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd al-Wahhab narrated to us, from Ayyub, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Mulayka, from ‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her: Some Jews came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘Death be upon you.’ ‘A’isha replied, ‘And upon you; may Allah curse you and be angry with you.’ He said, ‘Easy, ‘A’isha. Be gentle, and beware of harshness and foul speech.’ She said, ‘Did you not hear what they said?’ He replied, ‘Did you not hear what I said? I returned their words to them; my prayer against them will be answered, while theirs against me will not be answered.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The greeting السام عليكم means ‘death be upon you,’ in contrast to the ordinary greeting of peace. The Prophet’s response describes his words as a returned reply and says that his supplication against them will be answered, while theirs against him will not.
السَّامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
السّام means death; the witness adds a parenthetical explanation through English transliteration that is not in the Arabic source.
Should an explanatory note mention the contrast with the ordinary greeting ‘peace be upon you’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash narrated to us, from al-Hasan ibn ‘Amr, from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from his father, from ‘Abd Allah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘A believer is not one who defames others, repeatedly curses, speaks obscenely, or uses foul language.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic lists four related but distinct traits: defaming, habitual cursing, foul or obscene speech, and vulgarity.
وَلاَ الْفَاحِشِ وَلاَ الْبَذِي
The final pair both concern indecent or vulgar speech and overlap in English, while the Arabic uses distinct terms.
Should the distinction be retained as ‘speaks obscenely’ and ‘uses foul language’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us: Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to us, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Salman, from his father, from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘A two-faced person should not be trusted.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic literally says it is not fitting for a person of two faces to be trustworthy; the witness renders this idiomatically as ‘cannot be trusted.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Amr ibn Marzuq narrated to us: Shu‘ba informed us, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: ‘The vilest trait in a believer’s character is foul speech.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The adjective الفحش refers to obscenity or foul speech; the source characterizes it as the vilest trait.
أَلأَمُ أَخْلاَقِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْفُحْشُ
The witness’s ‘coarseness’ is less specific than الفحش, which refers to foul or obscene speech.
Should ‘foul speech’ be preferred to the witness’s broader ‘coarseness’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz narrated to us: Marwan ibn Mu‘awiya narrated to us: Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd al-Kindi al-Kufi narrated to me, from his father, who said: I heard ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah’s blessings be upon him, say: ‘The habitual cursers are cursed.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic uses a passive construction, ‘the cursers are cursed,’ without naming who curses them.
Chapter 146
بَابُ اللِّعَانِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sa‘id ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far informed us: Zayd ibn Aslam informed me, from Umm al-Darda’, from Abu al-Darda’, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Those who curse will not be witnesses or intercessors on the Day of Resurrection.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic plural اللعّانون refers to people who habitually curse; the two roles they will not hold are witnesses and intercessors.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd Allah narrated to us: Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to us, from al-‘Ala’, from his father, from Abu Hurayra, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘It is not fitting for a person steadfast in truth to be a habitual curser.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The word الصديق can mean a very truthful or sincere person. The witness renders it ‘the true person’; ‘steadfast in truth’ preserves the emphatic quality.
لِلصِّدِّيقِ
The term may mean one who is exceptionally truthful or sincere, beyond simply a truthful person.
Should ‘the profoundly truthful person’ or ‘the sincere person’ be preferred here?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Zabyan, from Hudhayfa, who said: ‘Whenever a people curse one another, the curse becomes due upon them.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic literally says the curse becomes binding or deserved upon the group that exchanges curses.
Chapter 147
بَابُ مَنْ لَعَنَ عَبْدَهُ فَأَعْتَقَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Ya‘qub narrated to us: Yazid ibn al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: ‘A’isha informed me that Abu Bakr cursed one of his enslaved people. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Abu Bakr, are you among those who curse and the truthful? No, by the Lord of the Ka‘ba!’ He repeated this two or three times. That day Abu Bakr freed some of his enslaved people. Then the Prophet ﷺ came, and he said, ‘I will not do it again.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The exchange اللعانين والصديقين؟ كلا ورب الكعبة is compressed and its question-and-answer structure is not clear from the wording alone. The final لا أعود is first person, but its speaker is not explicit in the source’s punctuation/wording; it is rendered with the most immediate antecedent (‘he’) rather than recast as a command.
اللَّعَّانِينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ؟ كَلاَّ وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ
The compact question followed by كلا is difficult to parse; the witness gives an incomplete-sounding fragment.
Who is addressed by ‘the cursers and the truthful,’ and how should كلا be connected to the exchange?
ثُمَّ جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ: لا أَعُودُ
The final first-person statement follows ‘the Prophet came,’ leaving the speaker unclear; the witness interprets it as a directive from the Prophet rather than ‘I will not return.’
Is the final promise Abu Bakr’s, or is it a command by the Prophet reported with a different implied subject?
Chapter 148
بَابُ التّلاعُنِ بِلَعْنَةِ اللهِ وَبِغَضَبِ اللهِ وَبِالنَّارِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muslim narrated to us: Hisham narrated to us, from Qatada, from al-Hasan, from Samura, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Do not curse one another by invoking Allah’s curse, His wrath, or the Fire.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source prohibits exchanging curses that invoke Allah’s curse, His anger, or the Fire.
Chapter 149
بَابُ لَعْنِ الْكَافِرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad narrated to us: ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad said: Marwan ibn Mu‘awiya narrated to us: Yazid narrated to us, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayra, who said: It was said, ‘Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah against the polytheists.’ He replied: ‘I was not sent as one who curses; rather, I was sent as a mercy.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic preserves an unusual or disordered opening chain sequence (‘Muhammad narrated … ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad said …’); it is translated as transmitted rather than silently regularized.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ: عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ محمد قال حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ
The opening chain sequence is irregularly worded in the source and may contain an editorial or transcription issue.
Should the sanad be preserved exactly as transmitted here pending collation, or is a name/verb missing?
Chapter 150
بَابُ النَّمَّامِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad narrated to us: Abu Nu‘aym narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from Hammam, who said: We were with Hudhayfa when someone said to him, ‘A man attributes a report to ‘Uthman.’ Hudhayfa said, ‘I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “A tale-bearer will not enter the Garden.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The term قتّات means a person who carries tales or relays gossip; ‘mischief-maker’ in the witness is less specific. The phrase يرفع الحديث إلى عثمان is rendered ‘attributes a report to ‘Uthman.’
قَتَّاتٌ
The Arabic term specifically denotes tale-bearing or maliciously carrying reports, not mischief in general.
Should ‘tale-bearer’ be preferred to the witness’s broader ‘mischief-maker’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad narrated to us: Musaddad narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us: ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Uthman ibn Khuthaym narrated to us, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Asma’ bint Yazid, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Shall I tell you who are the best of you?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Those who, when they are seen, cause Allah to be remembered.’ He then said, ‘Shall I tell you who are the worst of you?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Those who go about carrying tales, sowing discord between loved ones, and seeking to bring hardship upon innocent people.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The last description literally says they seek (or desire) hardship for the innocent. The witness expands this to leading innocent people into wrongdoing, which is a possible interpretation but is not explicit in these words.
الْبَاغُونَ الْبُرَآءَ الْعَنَتَ
The Arabic says they seek hardship or distress for innocent people; it does not explicitly mention leading them into wrongdoing.
Should the phrase remain broad (‘seek hardship for the innocent’) or be understood as drawing them into wrongdoing?
Chapter 151
بَابُ مَنْ سَمِعَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَأَفْشَاهَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn ‘Ali said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘The one who utters indecent speech and the one who spreads it share equally in the sin.’’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Shubayl ibn ‘Awf said: It is said, ‘Whoever hears something indecent and spreads it is like the one who originated it.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Ata considered an exemplary punishment appropriate for one who publicized zina, saying, ‘He has publicized indecency.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
‘Al-nakal’ denotes a punitive deterrent or exemplary punishment; this translation follows the Arabic’s general wording without specifying a penalty.
أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَرَى النَّكَالَ عَلَى مَنْ أَشَاعَ الزِّنَا،
The Arabic says zina, a term often rendered as fornication or adultery depending on context; ‘al-nakal’ is a general punitive deterrent/exemplary punishment.
Should an editor retain the broader Arabic terms (‘zina’ and ‘exemplary punishment’) or prefer the English witness’s specific wording?
Chapter 152
بَابُ الْعَيَّابِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Ali said: Do not be rash, given to broadcasting and spreading things. Ahead of you is a grievous, harsh trial and prolonged, weighty affairs.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The paired descriptors مَذَايِيعَ بُذُرًا are compressed in English as ‘given to broadcasting and spreading things’; the English witness interprets them as divulging secrets.
The final adjectives convey prolonged, weighty or difficult affairs; the source’s compressed wording is retained without adding the witness’s explanatory gloss.
عَنْ أَبِي يَحْيَى حَكِيمِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا يَقُولُ: لاَ تَكُونُوا عُجُلاً مَذَايِيعَ بُذُرًا،
The Arabic uses a compact pair of descriptors for being hasty and spreading things, while the witness interprets this as divulging secrets; the exact nuance is uncertain.
Should the paired descriptors be rendered as spreading reports/secrets, or kept more generally as broadcasting and spreading things?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn ‘Abbas said: When you want to mention your companion’s faults, remember your own faults.