Is Mocking Someone Because He’s a “Muslim” Considered a Kufr?
Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan
Question
Is mocking someone because he’s a ”Muslim” considered a nullifier of Islam?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Mocking Islam, its teachings, or the Prophet is disbelief. Allah says in Surat al-Tawba, “And if you ask them, they will surely say, ‘We were only conversing and playing.’ Say, ‘Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?’ Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you – We will punish another faction because they were criminals.” [Quran, 9:65-66]
Mocking a Muslim, however, could be on account of his person, his manner of implementation of Islam, or perhaps his background before implementation. These categories are mentioned here, not to justify mocking, as it is impermissible either way. However, it is mentioned here to distinguish between impermissible and disbelief.
By way of example, someone who mocks an individual for following the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) such that his mocking the way of the Messenger, is guilty of disbelief. However, if he mocked him on account of something peripheral and not intrinsic to the way of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), he would be sinful and not guilty of disbelief.
In all instances where one may be guilty of disbelief, even when there’s uncertainty, it is always encouraged that this person reaffirms his belief by reciting the testimony of faith, repenting to Allah, and making a firm resolution not to return to that deed again.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan received ’ijaza ‘amma from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib’ Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib’ Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi’i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.
