What is the wisdom behind the Prophet's -may Allah bless him and grant him peace- description of Abu Jahl's daughter as "enemy of Allah"? Is it permissible to associate the parents' sins with their children? Is this not backbiting, taking into account Allah's saying: "And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another"? And does the ruling differ in the cases of marriage and engagement?
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not describe the daughter of Abu Jahl as an enemy of Allah. Rather, he attributed her to her father by his well-known epithet, "enemy of Allah," to illustrate the incompatibility between her and the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. The intention was not to taunt or insult his daughter. The evidence for this is his prohibition against reviling the dead, which harms the living, as stated in the of Al-Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. Therefore, it is not permissible to revile children or relatives with the faults of their fathers, except for what has been exempted for legitimate purposes, such as inquiring about a suitor. In such a case, the one being asked must state the truth as an act of advice to the Muslim.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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