Hadith on Takfir: False charges of unbelief backfire

Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When a man calls his brother an unbeliever, it turns against at least one of them. Either the accused is as he claimed, or else the charge will turn against him.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6104, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 60

Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ‏ أَيُّمَا امْرِئٍ قَالَ لِأَخِيهِ يَا كَافِرُ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِهَا أَحَدُهُمَا إِنْ كَانَ كَمَا قَالَ وَإِلَّا رَجَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ

6104 صحيح البخاري كتاب الأدب باب من كفر أخاه بغير تأويل فهو كما قال

60 صحيح مسلم كتاب الإيمان باب بيان حال إيمان من قال لأخيه المسلم يا كافر

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Abu Amina Elias
Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) is an academic librarian, researcher, and translator specializing in the Quran, Hadith, and their commentaries. He is a former instructor of Islamic Creed for Mishkah University.
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