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Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi • Ahmad al-Naraqi • Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i • Sayyid Rida Baha' al-Dini • Sayyid 'Abd al-Husayn Dastghayb • Muhammad Taqi Bahjat

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Qur'an • Nahj al-balagha • Misbah al-shari'a wa miftah al-haqiqa • Makarim al-Akhlaq • Al-Mahajjat al-bayda' • Tanbih al-khawatir wa nuzhat al-nawazir • Jami' al-sa'adat • Mi'raj al-sa'ada • Al-Muraqabat

Mockery refers to the deliberate act of humiliating, belittling, or antagonizing others through words, actions, or physical portrayals. In Islamic jurisprudence, mockery—particularly when it inflicts emotional distress upon another—is strictly classified as haram (forbidden) and is even categorized in certain jurisprudential sources as a major sin. The fundamental distinction between good-natured joking and mockery lies in consent and consequence: joking occurs when an individual acknowledges their own flaws and willingly accepts the jest, whereas mockery involves the unilateral humiliation of another person, resulting in unwarranted offense.

The Qur'an explicitly forbids Muslims from mocking one another in Qur'an 49:11. Across various verses, the scripture employs specific Arabic terminology—such as "hamz," "lamz," "ghamz," "tanabuz," and "dihk"—to articulate different dimensions of this degrading behavior. Furthermore, the Qur'an vigorously condemns the mockery of divine revelations, warning of severe spiritual repercussions. Individuals who disparage or ridicule the verses of God or His religion are promised exacting divine retribution.

In Islamic ethical and theological literature, mockery is not solely classified among the moral vices; it is also identified as a defining characteristic of transgressors, hypocrites, and oppressors. A notable hadith attributed to the Prophet (s) vividly details the agonizing consequences awaiting perpetrators of this behavior in the Hereafter.

Under specific and highly restricted circumstances, certain forms of mockery may be deemed permissible; for instance, when an individual explicitly consents to being the subject of the humor, or when the rhetoric is strategically deployed to defend the truth and combat systemic corruption. Generally, however, this vice precipitates spiritual decay, including the weakening of faith, subsequent Divine punishment, and profound abasement in the afterlife. Remedying this negative trait requires individuals to deeply reflect upon the scriptural verses and narrations that condemn mockery, consciously striving to eradicate the vice from their character.

Conceptology

Mockery is identified as a severe moral vice that involves presenting a statement, action, or description in a derisive or laughable manner.[1] The Qur'an expressly forbids this conduct in Qur'an 49:11[2] and references the act of humiliating and belittling others through a specialized vocabulary, including terms such as "hamz",[3] "lamz",[4] "ghamz",[5] "tanabuz",[6] and "dihk".[7] Furthermore, Qur'an 30:10 strongly condemns the mockery of divine verses, delineating its severe otherworldly consequences. Various narrations additionally characterize individuals who ostensibly seek forgiveness while persisting in their sins as functioning, in effect, as mockers of God and His divine revelations.[8]

Status and Importance

Mocking others is universally recognized by Islamic scholars as a profound moral vice[9] and one of the most detestable sins.[10] According to Mulla Ahmad al-Naraqi, a persistent mocker strips themselves of faith, humanity, and intellect, ultimately subjecting themselves to diverse punishments in the Hereafter.[11] The vehement condemnation of mockery is articulated across numerous Qur'anic verses and narrations,[12] framing this corrosive trait as a hallmark of criminals,[13] hypocrites,[14] the ultimate oppressors,[15] and the foolish.[16] Consequently, prominent hadith compilations and ethical treatises dedicate extensive, distinct chapters to analyzing and condemning the practice.[17] For instance, the encyclopedic Bihar al-anwar features a specific chapter—*al-Ghamz wa l-Lamz wa l-Sukhriyya wa l-Istihza'*—that aggregates scriptural and prophetic texts denouncing mockery.[18] The Qur'an also conceptually warns that those who mock will ultimately find themselves subjected to the mockery of God.[19]

In a foundational narration, Imam al-Rida (a) was questioned regarding specific verses[20] that allegorically attribute acts of mockery or deception to God. The Imam (a) clarified that such phrasing represents the divine retribution and inevitable Divine punishment awaiting those who initiate mockery.[21] This theological framework cements mockery's status as a grave moral vice throughout traditional ethical literature.[22]

Is Mockery a Major Sin?

Prominent scholars have classified the act of mocking and derisively laughing at others as both haram and a constituent of the Major sins.[23] The scholarly consensus asserts that it constitutes a major sin to caricaturize or misrepresent an individual's speech, actions, physical attributes, or character in a manner designed to elicit laughter, regardless of whether the mockery is executed through speech, physical action, gestures, signs, or subtle allusions.[24] Fundamentally, whenever such an act inflicts psychological annoyance or distress upon another, it crosses into the realm of the haram.[25]

A tradition from the Prophet (s) detailing the otherworldly retribution awaiting the mocker in the Hereafter:
رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله : إنّ المُستَهزِئينَ يُفتَحُ لأحَدِهِم بابُ الجَنَّةِ ، فيُقالُ : هَلُمَّ : فَيَجِيءُ بِكَرْبِهِ و غَمِّهِ ، فإذا جاءَ اُغلِقَ دُونَهُ ، ثُمّ يُفتَحُ لَهُ بابٌ آخَرُ... فما يَزالُ كذلكَ حتّى أنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُفتَحُ لَهُ البابُ فيقالُ لَهُ: هَلُمَّ هَلُمَّ ، فما يَأتِيهِ
The Messenger of Allah (s) said: "A door of Paradise will be opened for a mocker, and he will be beckoned, 'Come.' He will approach, burdened with grief and sorrow, but as he draws near, the door will be slammed in his face. Then, another door will be opened for him... This torment will be repeated continuously, until eventually a door is opened and he is told, 'Come, come,' yet he will no longer have the will to move forward."

Source: Rayshahri, Mizan al-hikma, vol. 5, p. 249

Jurisprudential Rulings

Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (450–505/1058–1111) established a clear demarcation between mockery and joking: if the subject willingly consents to and finds amusement in the highlighting of their own flaws, the behavior constitutes permissible joking. Conversely, if such consent is absent, the act is deemed mockery. The element that renders mockery haram is the deliberate intent to belittle and insult, thereby inflicting emotional offense and annoyance upon the victim.[26] Furthermore, according to the author of the seminal jurisprudential text al-'Urwat al-wuthqa, returning the greeting (salam) of an individual who initiates the greeting with mocking intent is not considered obligatory.[27]

Mocking the religion of Islam,[28] the Shari'a, or God constitutes explicit kufr (disbelief) and legally invokes the ruling of apostasy. However, jurisprudents note that since many individuals engage in such conduct out of profound ignorance, they are generally subject to disciplinary correction (ta'zir) rather than immediate capital punishment.[29] Additionally, deriving financial income through the systematic mockery of others is strictly classified as a haram livelihood, a topic thoroughly scrutinized within classical jurisprudential texts.[30]

Cases of Permissibility

While mockery is fundamentally reprehensible and haram, specific exceptions exist within Islamic ethics. If the act serves a punitive function, constitutes lawful retaliation in kind, and yields a rational, overarching benefit—such as advancing a righteous cause or establishing an undeniable proof (itmam al-hujja)—it may be exempted from general condemnation.[31] Moreover, if an individual willingly exposes themselves to self-deprecating humor and finds joy in it, such mutual banter is categorized as innocuous joking and falls strictly outside the scope of the haram.[32]

Motives

Various underlying psychological and social motives have been identified for mockery, including:

  1. Ignorance and foolishness
  2. Arrogance[33]
  3. Vengefulness
  4. The desire to entertain a gathering
  5. Pleasing others at a victim's expense
  6. Ruining the reputation and honor of others
  7. Facilitating backbiting
  8. Weakness of faith
  9. Compulsive Fault-finding[34]
  10. Enmity and spite
  11. A calculated desire to humiliate others[35]

Effects and Consequences

The Qur'an and prophetic narrations detail severe spiritual and eschatological consequences for those who mock, which include:

  1. Not passing away from this world until they themselves are afflicted with the precise humiliation they inflicted upon others.[36]
  2. Divine sorrow or lamentation over those who blindly mock and refuse spiritual guidance.[37]
  3. An ultimately tragic end for those who mock divine verses.[38]
  4. Exacting retaliation in kind from God.[39]
  5. The nullification and ultimate fruitlessness of their worldly efforts and endeavors, as highlighted in Qur'an 18:104 and Qur'an 18:106.[40]
  6. Forgetting the remembrance of God due to an absolute preoccupation with mocking the believers and laughing at their expense.[41]
  7. Ensuring that the fire of Hell will become their final abode.[42]
  8. An eschatological torment illustrated in a narration from the Prophet (s), wherein a door to Paradise is opened for a mocker, and he is told to come. He struggles to reach the door, but precisely as he arrives, it is slammed shut. Another door then opens, and the psychological torment is continuously repeated.[43] Scholars interpret this divine act in the Hereafter as a perfectly tailored reflection of the mockery they inflicted in the world, allowing them to tangibly experience the identical despair they caused others.[44]

Treatment Strategies

Mulla Ahmad al-Naraqi outlines a structured methodology to treat and cure the vice of mockery. The prescribed steps include:

  1. Deeply reflecting upon the scriptural verses and narrations that categorically condemn the act of mockery.[45]
  2. Meditating on the severe otherworldly consequences of the vice, particularly the impending punishment, abasement, and humiliation awaiting the mocker in the Hereafter.[46]
  3. Introspectively identifying and eradicating root causes such as enmity and arrogance; dissolving these underlying issues naturally extinguishes the impulse to mock.[47]
  4. Recognizing that if the mockery is motivated by a desire to acquire worldly wealth or status, true sustenance derives only from God Almighty. Adopting divine piety and abandoning this sin will instead multiply a believer's lawful sustenance.[48]
  5. Severing ties and abandoning habitual association with individuals who engage in mockery.[49]

Notes

  1. ↑ Khurramshahi, Danishnama-yi Qur'an wa Qur'an-pazhuhi, 1377 Sh, vol. 2, p. 1196.
  2. ↑ Qur'an 49:11.
  3. ↑ Qur'an 104:1.
  4. ↑ Qur'an 9:58; Qur'an 9:79.
  5. ↑ Qur'an 83:30.
  6. ↑ Qur'an 49:11.
  7. ↑ Qur'an 23:110.
  8. ↑ Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, 1403 AH, vol. 2, p. 155.
  9. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, p. 297.
  10. ↑ Naraqi, Mi'raj al-sa'ada, 1381 Sh, p. 556.
  11. ↑ Naraqi, Mi'raj al-sa'ada, 1381 Sh, p. 555.
  12. ↑ Kashif al-Ghita', Anwar al-faqaha, 1422 AH, vol. 6, p. 33.
  13. ↑ Qur'an 83:29.
  14. ↑ Qur'an 2:14-15.
  15. ↑ Qur'an 18:56-57.
  16. ↑ Qur'an 5:58.
  17. ↑ Kulayni, al-Kafi, 1407 AH, vol. 2, pp. 350-356; Muhammadi Rayshahri, Mizan al-hikma, 1389 Sh, vol. 5, pp. 248-249.
  18. ↑ Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, 1403 AH, vol. 75, p. 292.
  19. ↑ Qur'an 2:15; Qur'an 9:79.
  20. ↑ سَخِرَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ‌ Qur'an 9:8 وَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ‌ اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ‌ Qur'an 2:15 وَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ‌ وَ مَكَرُوا وَ مَكَرَ اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْماكِرِينَ‌ Qur'an 3:54 وَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ‌ يُخادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَ هُوَ خادِعُهُمْ‌ Qur'an 4:141
  21. ↑ Saduq, 'Uyun akhbar al-Rida (a), Jahan, vol. 1, p. 124; Tabrisi, al-Ihtijaj, 1403 AH, vol. 1, p. 15.
  22. ↑ For example, see Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami Publisher Beirut, vol. 2, pp. 297-300.
  23. ↑ Ghazali, Ihya' 'ulum al-din, Dar al-Kitab al-'Arabi, vol. 9, p. 30.
  24. ↑ Dastghayb, Gunahan-i kabira, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 292.
  25. ↑ Fayd al-Kashani, al-Mahajjat al-bayda', 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 236.
  26. ↑ Ghazali, Ihya' al-'ulum, Dar al-Kitab al-'Arabi, vol. 9, p. 31.
  27. ↑ Tabataba'i Yazdi, 'Urwat al-wuthqa, 1397 AH, vol. 3, p. 301.
  28. ↑ Najafi, Jawahir al-kalam, 1362 Sh, vol. 41, p. 600.
  29. ↑ Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi, al-Ghayat al-quswa, al-Maktabat al-Murtadawiyya, vol. 2, p. 305.
  30. ↑ Kashif al-Ghita', Anwar al-faqaha, 1422 AH, vol. 6, p. 33.
  31. ↑ Da'irat al-Ma'arif Tahur: A'lam, 1395 Sh, p. 4043.
  32. ↑ Ghazali, Kimiyay-i sa'adat, 1333 Sh, p. 483; Fayd al-Kashani, al-Mahajjat al-bayda', 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 237.
  33. ↑ Research Unit of Jam-i Tahur Cultural and Artistic Institute, Da'irat al-Ma'arif Tahur: Adab wa Akhlaq, 1395 Sh, pp. 40-43.
  34. ↑ Salmani Kiyasari, Akhlaq-i 'amali, 1385 Sh, pp. 110-111.
  35. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, p. 297.
  36. ↑ Kulayni, al-Kafi, 1407 AH, vol. 2, pp. 350-356.
  37. ↑ Qur'an 36:30.
  38. ↑ Qur'an 30:10.
  39. ↑ Qur'an 11:38.
  40. ↑ Qur'an 18:104; Qur'an 18:106.
  41. ↑ Qur'an 23:110; Saduq, I'tiqadat al-Imamiyya, 1414 AH, p. 26.
  42. ↑ Qur'an 18:106.
  43. ↑ Hindi, Kanz al-'ummal, 1401 AH, vol. 3, p. 650, h. 8328.
  44. ↑ Al-Saffarini, Ghidha' al-albab fi sharh manzumat al-adab, 1414 AH, vol. 1, p. 131.
  45. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, pp. 298-299.
  46. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, p. 300.
  47. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, p. 298.
  48. ↑ Naraqi, Jami' al-sa'adat, A'lami, vol. 2, p. 298.
  49. ↑ Qur'an 6:68.

References

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  • Khurramshahi, Baha' al-Din, Danishnama-yi Qur'an wa Qur'an-pazhuhi, Tehran, Dustan Nahid, 1377 Sh.
  • Al-Saffarini, Muhammad b. Ahmad, Ghidha' al-albab fi sharh manzumat al-adab, Qurtaba Institute Publication, 1414 AH, n.p.
  • Salmani Kiyasari, Muhammad, Akhlaq-i 'amali, Qom, Holy Mosque of Jamkaran, 1385 Sh.
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  • Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi, 'Abbas b. Muhammad Rida, al-Ghayat al-quswa, Tehran, al-Maktabat al-Murtadawiyya li-Ihya' al-Athar al-Ja'fariyya, n.d.
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  • Tabrisi, Ahmad b. 'Ali, al-Ihtijaj, ed. Musawi Khursan, Muhammad Baqir, Mashhad, al-Murtada, 1403 AH.
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  • Fayd al-Kashani, Muhammad b. Shah Murtada, al-Mahajjat al-bayda', fourth edition, Qom, Islamic Publication Institute, 1417 AH.
  • Kashif al-Ghita', Hasan, Anwar al-faqaha, Najaf, Kashif al-Ghita' General Foundation, 1422 AH.
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  • Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-anwar, n.p., Al-Wafa' Foundation, 1403 AH.
  • Naraqi, Muhammad Mahdi, Jami' al-sa'adat, fourth edition, Beirut, A'lami, n.d.
  • Naraqi, Mulla Ahmad, Mi'raj al-sa'ada, Qom, Hijrat, 1381 Sh.
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