Is It Disbelief to Say “Oh My God” in a Mocking or Sexual Joke?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

My friends and I say “oh my God” in a sexual or mocking voice as a joke, sometimes with sexual gestures, sometimes imitating how we think a gay person speaks, or putting on an Indian accent. I am now frightened that this is disbelief, because we are using Allah’s name alongside such jokes.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate

 

I hope you’re doing well, in sha’ Allah. Let the fear settle first: this is not disbelief (kufr), and you have not left Islam.

What you describe is sinful, in places gravely so. It is not kufr. Leaving Islam requires a knowing, willing rejection of what one knows the religion to be, and crude joking among friends, even joking that drags “God” into it, is not that. That reading your own words back frightened you tells you something true about where your heart stands.

The Line Falls at Mockery of Allah Himself

The Quran draws a parallel in the case of men who made light of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and of the revelation itself, then excused themselves by saying they were only talking and amusing themselves. They were asked in reply whether it was at Allah, His verses, and His Messenger that they had been mocking [Quran 9:65], and then told: ‘Make no excuse: You have committed unbelief after this “believing” of yours.’ [Quran 9:66; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Notice what the mockery was aimed at. Derision (istihzaʾ) directed at Allah, His verses, or His Messenger is what the verse condemns. That is not what you and your friends are doing. You are being obscene, and the English word “God” is swept up in it as a piece of slang. That is a different thing, and a lesser one.

None of This Is Small

Do not walk away with only the relief. Attaching the Divine Name to sexual mockery is grave irreverence toward the One you worship, and the religion takes even frivolous use of that Name seriously. Set beside it the mocking of gay-coded speech and of Indian accents, which is contempt for people Allah made and provides for. None of this damns you. It hollows a man out slowly, which is worse than it sounds.

Change the Words, Not Only the Feeling

Sincere remorse suffices here: repent, and it is wiped away. You do not need to repeat your shahada or tell anyone. But remorse that changes nothing on Monday is not yet remorse. So make one concrete change. Drop “oh my God” and “omg” from your speech altogether, in every register, and tell your friends plainly that you are finished with that particular joke. You will be teased for a week.

After that, it will simply be who you are, and you will never have to be frightened like this again.

And strive to uphold this: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say the good or remain silent.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

And Allah knows best.

Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

• Am I a Disbeliever for Laughing at Jokes About the Religion, and Was Retaking My Shahada Enough? — Laughing at irreverent jokes can be sinful, but leaving Islam requires a willing, knowing rejection of the religion.
• How Should I Respond When Non-Muslims Casually Say Oh My God? — The phrase is a common idiom of surprise, set apart from deliberate mockery of Allah or His religion.
• Is Joking About Something Sinful Disbelief? — Joking about sin is sinful, but not disbelief, while mocking the religion itself is a dangerous matter.
• Why Does Mocking Religion and Prostrating Idols Constitute Disbelief? — Why mockery of the religion takes the ruling of disbelief, and why we judge by outward conduct.
• Is Misusing Allah’s Name Through Acronyms or False Claims Sinful? — Using the Divine Name frivolously is a grave matter that may amount to a major sin.