What is gloating? Is laughing at someone who has experienced an embarrassing situation considered gloating? Does the gloater experience the same situation or something similar? And is he who shames someone for a sin afflicted with the same sin?
Schadenfreude is the joy of an enemy at a calamity that befalls their adversary. Islam has forbidden a Muslim from gloating over their brother due to the undue grief and harm it causes them, as Allah Almighty says: "And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly borne a slander and a manifest sin." (Quran 33:58) A person's faith is completed by loving for their brother what they love for themselves. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade gloating, saying: "Do not express schadenfreude towards your brother, lest Allah grants him well-being and afflicts you." He also sought refuge from it, saying: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from evil destiny, from the depths of misery, and from the schadenfreude of enemies." Furthermore, whoever shames their brother for a sin is likely to fall into it, as reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Whoever shames his brother for a sin will not die until he commits it."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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