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What is the interpretation of Aisha's, may Allah be pleased with her, cursing of Amr ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him, based on the hadith narrated by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, in Al-Mustadrak, in which she said: "May Allah curse Amr ibn al-'As; for he claimed to me that he killed him in Egypt," and which Al-Dhahabi authenticated according to the conditions of Al-Bukhari and Muslim?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The hadith is authentic, and Aisha's statement (may Allah be pleased with her) can be interpreted as her believing in the permissibility of cursing a specific individual if they committed a major sin or openly engaged in فسق (disobedience/immorality). So, when she was informed of the killing of Dhul-Thudayyah by Ali, she thought that Amr ibn al-Aas intended to lie and deceive. Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih that Aisha cursed Yazid ibn Qays, then sought forgiveness, citing the Prophet's saying (peace be upon him): "Do not curse the dead, for they have gone on to what they have presented."

This indicates that she believed in the permissibility of cursing a specific individual who committed a major sin. However, this contradicts the evidence that prohibits cursing specific individuals, which is the correct and most preponderant view. Aisha, despite her high status, may err like other humans, as infallibility is not for anyone after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). As for Amr ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), he is a revered companion, and his words can only be interpreted as a misunderstanding or an error on his part, and it does not warrant cursing or reviling him. One must refrain from discussing what transpired between the companions (may Allah be pleased with them).

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

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