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How does name-calling occur, and is describing a person known for their wickedness as wicked or malevolent considered name-calling? And how can it be determined if a person is known for their wickedness?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The interpretation of the noble verse, "And do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames," encompasses several meanings. Nabz refers to a nickname, and tanābūz is the act of calling each other by nicknames. It has been said that it means calling a person an infidel after they have embraced Islam. It has also been said that it means calling a person by a nickname they dislike. If a person does not dislike the nickname, then there is no harm in calling them by it. It is not considered tanābūz to describe a dissolute person by their dissoluteness if they have openly proclaimed it, and it is permissible to mention them by what they have openly proclaimed, but not by what they have not openly proclaimed.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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