Is It Permissible to Jokingly Call Someone a Khariji?
Answered by Shaykh Farid Dingle
Question: Assalamu alaykum
I had a question regarding what is considered “mocking” and what isn’t.
Is it haram if someone were to jokingly call someone a ‘khariji’? Is this considered istihza (mocking)?
Answer: Wa alaykum assalam,
It is halal as long as it is clear, and not condescending. There is a well-known hadith in which Aisha (Allah well-pleased with her) calls a lady a Kharijite for asking that seemed odd. It is clear that she making the point that such a question is extreme and has no basis in the Sunna:
Mudha al-Adawiyya asked Aisha why it was that a woman makes up fasts she missed while menstruating, but she doesn’t make up prayers. ‘Are you a Haruriyya [Kharijite]?!’ asked Aisha.
‘I am not a Haruriyya [Kharijite]. I am just asking.’
‘We used have that and we were told to make up our fasts, and not make up our prayers.’ [Bukhari and Muslim]
So we can say that calling someone a name like Kharijite is acceptable if it has a Sharia-countenanced interest, and the message is clear, and not condescending.
I pray this helps.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Farid Dingle
Shaykh Farid Dingle grew up in a convert family in Herefordshire, UK. In 2007, he moved to Jordan to pursue traditional studies. Shaykh Farid continues to live in Amman, Jordan with his wife and kids. In addition to continuing his studies he teaches Arabic and several of the Islamic sciences.
Shaykh Farid began his journey in sacred knowledge with intensives in the UK and Jordan (2004) in Shafi’i fiqh and Arabic. After years of studying Arabic grammar, Shafi’i fiqh, hadith, legal methodology (usul al-fiqh) and tafsir, Sh. Farid began specializing in Arabic language and literature. Sh. Farid studied Pre-Islamic poetry, Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, and Andalusian literature. He holds a BA in Arabic Language and Literature and continues exploring the language of the Islamic tradition.
In addition to his interest in the Arabic language Shaykh Farid actively researches matters related to jurisprudence (fiqh) which he studied with Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, and continues with Shaykh Amjad Rasheed.
