Is It Disbelief (Kufr) to Disrespect the Prophet (May Allah Bless Him and Give Him Peace)?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is raising one’s voice above the Prophet (May Allah Bless Him and Give Him Peace) considered disrespectful to the point of kufr? Is this consensus or opinion?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
To knowingly say or do anything intending to disrespect any Prophet, especially the leader of all Prophets, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless them all and give them peace), is disbelief. This is by consensus of the scholars. [al-Mawsu’a al-Kuwaitiyya al-Fiqhiyya]
Allah Most High says, “If you question them, they will certainly say, “We were only talking idly and joking around.” Say, “Was it Allah, His revelations, and His Messenger that you ridiculed?” Make no excuses! You have lost faith after your belief. If We pardon a group of you,1 We will punish others for their wickedness.” [Quran; 9:65-6]
Applying this Ruling
The above rule is sound, but we must be cautious in deeming anyone Muslim to be a disbeliever due to a statement or action. Perhaps someone is unaware of a particular etiquette, or they do something that seems disrespectful–but unless they knowingly and intentionally did such an action to disrespect the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), we do not call Muslims disbelievers.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
