What Is the Meaning of Mockery?
ما معنى الاستهزاء؟
What is the meaning of mockery?
The answer defines mockery as ridiculing or belittling something, such as people, their work, or the religion, and the card groups it into these three targets, mockery of the religion being the most serious.
In Islamic ethics, the tongue must be guarded against words that demean or belittle others. Mockery is considered a destructive social and spiritual disease.
The Definition and Scope of Mockery
Mockery is to ridicule or be cynical of a certain thing such as people, business, or religion.
The Categories of Mockery:
According to the definition, this prohibited behavior generally falls into three main categories:
1. People: Ridiculing someone's appearance, background, or personal traits.
2. Business and Deeds: Being cynical about someone's lawful work, efforts, or contributions.
3. Religion: Making a mockery of faith, divine laws, or sacred practices, which is considered the most severe and dangerous form.
ما معنى الاستهزاء؟
يعرف الجواب الاستهزاء بأنه السخرية أو الاستخفاف بشيء معين كالأشخاص أو الأعمال أو الدين، وتجمعه البطاقة في هذه الفئات الثلاث، وأخطرها الاستهزاء بالدين.
في الأخلاق الإسلامية، يجب حفظ اللسان من الكلمات التي تحط من قدر الآخرين أو تقلل من شأنهم. ويعتبر الاستهزاء مرضا اجتماعيا وروحيا مدمرا.
تعريف الاستهزاء ومجالاته
الاستهزاء هو السخرية أو الاستخفاف بشيء معين مثل الأشخاص أو الأعمال أو بالدين.
فئات الاستهزاء:
بناء على التعريف، يندرج هذا السلوك المحرم عموما تحت ثلاث فئات رئيسية:
1. الأشخاص: السخرية من مظهر شخص أو خلفيته أو صفاته الشخصية.
2. الأعمال: الاستخفاف بعمل شخص المشروع أو جهوده أو إنجازاته.
3. الدين: السخرية من العقيدة أو القوانين الإلهية أو الشعائر المقدسة، وتعتبر هذه الفئة الأشد والأخطر على الإطلاق.
1. The Quranic Prohibition | النهي القرآني عن السخرية
Allah says: O you who believe, let not a people mock another people; perhaps they are better than them; nor let women mock other women; perhaps they are better than them (Al-Hujurat 49:11). Ibn Kathir explains that Allah forbids mocking people, which is despising and ridiculing them, because the one who is despised may be greater in rank with Allah and more beloved to Him than the one who mocks him.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِّن نِّسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ (سورة الحجرات: 11)
قال ابن كثير: "ينهى تعالى عن السخرية بالناس، وهو احتقارهم والاستهزاء بهم"، وقال: "وهذا حرام، فإنه قد يكون المحتقر أعظم قدرا عند الله وأحب إليه من الساخر منه المحتقر له".
2. Arrogance Is Looking Down on People | الكبر غمط الناس
The Prophet said: No one with an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise. A man said: A man likes his clothes and his sandals to be fine. He said: Allah is beautiful and loves beauty; arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people (Sahih Muslim 91). Ibn Kathir cites this hadith to explain that mockery comes from despising others. Luqman advised his son: do not turn your cheek away from people in contempt (Luqman 31:18).
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا (سورة لقمان: 18)
قال النبي ﷺ: "لا يدخل الجنة من كان في قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر"، قال رجل: إن الرجل يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسنا ونعله حسنة، قال: "إن الله جميل يحب الجمال، الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس" (صحيح مسلم 91). واستشهد به ابن كثير على أن السخرية من احتقار الناس. ووصى لقمان ابنه: ولا تصعر خدك للناس (لقمان 31:18).
3. Those Who Laughed at the Believers | الذين كانوا يضحكون من المؤمنين
Allah describes the criminals who used to laugh at the believers, wink at one another when they passed by them, and return to their families jesting (Al-Mutaffifin 83:29-31), then says: So today those who believe are laughing at the disbelievers (83:34). Mockery in this world is reversed in the Hereafter.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ (سورة المطففين: 29)
وصف الله تعالى المجرمين الذين كانوا يضحكون من المؤمنين، ويتغامزون إذا مروا بهم، وينقلبون إلى أهلهم فكهين (المطففين 83:29-31)، ثم قال: فاليوم الذين آمنوا من الكفار يضحكون (المطففين 83:34). فتنقلب سخرية الدنيا في الآخرة.
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir explains that mockery is despising people, and he links it to the Prophet's definition of arrogance as rejecting the truth and looking down on people (Sahih Muslim 91); the one mocked may be greater with Allah than the mocker (Al-Hujurat 49:11). Mockery of the religion is the gravest form: Allah says to those who mocked, was it Allah, His verses, and His Messenger that you were mocking? (At-Tawbah 9:65). Read more in the tafsir of Surah Al-Hujurat.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What does mockery mean?
The answer defines it as ridiculing or belittling something, such as people, their work, or the religion.
What are the targets of mockery?
People, their work and deeds, and the religion; the card names mockery of the religion as the most serious form.
Why is mocking people forbidden?
Allah says: let not a people mock another people; perhaps they are better than them (Al-Hujurat 49:11). Ibn Kathir explains that the one despised may be greater in rank with Allah than the one who mocks him.
Is mockery a sign of arrogance?
Ibn Kathir links it to arrogance, citing the hadith: arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people, and no one with an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise (Sahih Muslim 91).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →