Knowledge combines the virtues of all other acts of worship: Imam Ibn Rajab

Virtue of Knowledge

by Imam Ibn Rajab

Among that which indicates the preference of seeking knowledge over voluntary (nafil) worship is the fact that knowledge combines the virtues of all other acts of worship. 

Knowledge is the best form of dhikr, as has been explained. lt is also the best form of jihad. 

It is related from Abdullah ibn Amr and Numan ibn Bashir directly from the Prophet (SAWS), "The scholar's ink will be weighted against the martyr's blood and the scholar's ink will prove weightier. " Tirmidhi relates from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (SAWS) said, "Whoever treads the path of knowledge, he is in the way of Allah until he returns."

Another hadith relates, "lf death comes to the student he is a martyr."

Muadh ibn Jabal RA. relates:

Acquire knowledge because doing so is good. Seeking it is worship. Reviewing it is glorifying Allah. Researching it is jihad. Teaching it to the ignorant is charity. Serving the scholars is a way of drawing near to Allah because knowledge is the path of ascension to the stations of Paradise. It is a companion in isolation and a comrade in distant lands. It speaks to you in solitude. It is a guide to prosperity and a shield against adversity. It beautifies one among friends and is a weapon against enemies. With it Allah elevates people and makes them guides and bellwethers of good. The scholars are people whose words are sought and whose actions are imitated. The angels long for the scholars' company and comfort them with their wings. Everything, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth, the predators of the land and sea, and the cattle pray that blessings come upon them. This is because knowledge enlivens the heart against ignorance, illuminates the eyes against darkness, and strengthens the body. It transports the servant to the mansions of the select and the righteous and to the highest ranks in the world and in the Hereafter. Contemplating it is equivalent to fasting, and reviewing it is equivalent to the Night Prayer vigil. With it, kinship is united and the lawful is distinguished from the unlawful. knowledge is an imam which leads to righteous actions. lt is craved by the people destined for Paradise and shunned by people destined for Hell.

This hadith has also been related by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (SAWS).

Scholars and Worshippers

A well­ known narration exhorts us, "Be a scholar, a teacher, a listener, or one who loves them. Do not be in a fifth category and thereby be ruined." One of the righteous predecessors (Salaf) said, "Glory be to Allah who has made for the people a way out."

This means that whoever abandons any of the first four praiseworthy categories necessarily enters a fifth and is thus ruined. He is neither a scholar, a student, a Listener, nor one who loves scholars. He is therefore ruined. 

The Full Moon, the Stars, and the Planets

The Prophet said, "The superiority of the scholar over the devout worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon over the rest of the heavenly bodies." The meaning conveyed by this hadith has been related from the Prophet, by way of Muadh and Abu Darda with a broken chain of transmitters. This metaphor contains a comparison between the scholar and the full moon. The full moon represents the scholar, owing to the exquisite luminescence of its Light, while the planets represent devout worshippers. The difference in the radiance of the full moon and that of the planets represents the difference in virtue between the scholar and the devout worshipper. The underlying reason for this and Allah knows best is as follows: a planet's light does not extend beyond itself, whereas the light of the full moon shines upon the earth's inhabitants; they are illuminated by it and guided in their travels.

The Prophet mentioned the planets, not the stars, because the planets are not used for guidance [as much as the stars]. Hence, they have the status of the devout worshipper whose benefit is limited to himself. As for the stars, they are the heavenly bodies that are used for guidance, as Allah the Exalted says: And by the stars are {people} guided [through the land and sea] (Quran, 16:16). He also says, It is He who has set for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darkness of the land and sea (Quran, 6:97). In another hadith, the Prophet also compared the scholars of his nation to the stars.

It has been said that the moon derives its light from the sun, just as the scholar is a reflection of the light of the divine message. For this reason he has been compared to the moon and not the sun.

The Prophet was a lamp and a luminous moon which shone upon the earth. The scholars, as his heirs and successors, are compared to the bright and luminous full moon.

Righteous Scholars: the First to Enter Paradise

The Prophet narrates in a sound hadith, "The first contingent to enter Paradise will resemble the full moon; those entering after them resemble twinkling stars.'' It is not unreasonable to say­ and Allah knows best that the righteous scholars are among this first contingent because they occupied the status of the full moon in the world. They are joined by the distinguished believers, those whose anecdotes are remembered, hearts are softened when they are mentioned, and their words are sought. As for the second contingent, they are the ordinary believers.

When al-Awza'i died he was the imam of the Syrians in knowledge and was intensely fearful of Allah, a person saw him in a dream saying, "I haven't seen anything in Paradise greater than the rank of the scholar and the righteous sober individuals who fear Allah."

The Virtue of Knowledge over Ordinary Worship

The hadith of Abu Darda clearly indicates the preference of knowledge over ordinary worship. There is much evidence for this position. Allah says, Are they equal those who know and those who know not? (Quran, 39:9). He also says, Allah elevates in degrees those who believe among you and those possessing knowledge (Quran, 58:11). Ibn Masud and others among the righteous forbears have explained this to mean that Allah raises those endowed with knowledge degrees above the unlearned believers.

Tirmidhi relates from Abu Umama that two men were mentioned to the Prophet one of them a devout worshipper and the other a scholar. The Prophet said, "The virtue of the scholar over the devout worshipper is like my virtue over the lowest of you."

Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah relate a hadith from Ibn Abbas who related that the Prophet said, A single knowledgeable believer is harder on Satan than a thousand devout worshippers."

Ibn Majah relates that Abdallah ibn Amr said:

The Messenger of Allah emerged one day and entered the Masjid. He found before him two gatherings. One engaged in Quranic recitation and invoking Allah, the other in scholarly discourse. The Prophet said, "In each group there is good. These are reciting the Quran and invoking Allah. If He wills He will grant their request, and if He wills He will withhold it. These are engaged in scholarly discourse, and I have been sent as a teacher." He then sat with the latter.

Ibn al-Mubarak, after relating this hadith in Kitab al-Zuhd, adds, "The [latter] are better."

Tabarani relates from Abdallah ibn Umar from the Prophet "A little knowledge is better than abundant worship." Bazzar, Hakim, and others relate from the Prophet on the basis of numerous chains, "Copious knowledge is more beloved to Allah than copious worship, and scrupulousness is the best thing for your religion." Zuhri - attributes the following saying to the Prophet, "The scholar is seventy degrees more virtuous than the devout worshipper. Between each two degrees is a distance that would take a swift horse a hundred years to traverse."

The narrations from the righteous forbears on this subject are quite numerous. For example, it is related from Abu Hurayrah and Abu Dharr, "The least amount of sound knowledge is more beloved to us than a thousand units [Rakah] of voluntary Prayer."

Ibn Majah states that Abu Dharr related this directly from the Prophet. Abu Darda said, "Studying religious knowledge for an hour is better than spending a night in Prayer." It is related from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet, "[Attaining religious knowledge] is more beloved to me than standing the entire night in Prayer. "

Abu Hurayrah also said, "Knowing a ruling relating to a command or prohibition is more beloved to me than [fighting] seventy battles in the way of Allah. "

lbn Abbas said, "Studying part of the night is more beloved to me than spending its entirety in Prayer." Abu Musa al-Ashari said, "Studying with Abdallah ibn Masud is better for my soul than a year of worship.

Hasan al-Basri said, "Learning an aspect of knowledge and teaching it to a Muslim is more beloved to me than possessing the entire world and using it in the way of Allah." He said on another occasion, "If a man correctly learns an aspect of knowledge and acts upon it, it is better for him than the entire world; even if he were given the world and used it all toward the Hereafter." He also said, "The ink of the scholars and the blood of the martyrs flow in a single stream." He said, "Nothing which Allah has created is greater, in terms of its reward, than seeking knowledge, neither Hajj nor Umrah [Lesser Pilgrimage], nor Jihad, nor Zakat, nor emancipating slaves. If knowledge had a physical image it would be more beautiful than the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, and a magnificent throne."

Al-Zuhri said, "[Seeking knowledge] is better that the worship of two hundred years." Sufyan al-Thawri and Abu Hanifah said, "There is nothing after obligatory worship better than seeking knowledge.'" Sufyan also said, "We know of no action bet­ter than seeking knowledge and hadith, if one does so with a good intention." He was asked, "What should his intention be?" He said, "He should desire Allah and Paradise."

Al-Shafi said, "Seeking knowledge is better than voluntary Prayer." Imam Malik saw one of his students recording knowledge. The student abandoned his writing and stood up to perform a non-obligatory Prayer. Thereupon, Imam Malik said, "I'm surprised at you! That which you stood for is not better than what you abandoned."

Imam Ahmad was asked, "What do you consider better, that I spend the night in voluntary Prayer or that I record knowledge?" He replied, "That you record what you know of your religion is more be loved to me." He also said, "Nothing is equivalent to knowledge." Muafi ibn lmran said, "Writing a single hadith is more beloved to me than spending a night in Prayer."

Extracted from 'The Heirs of the Prophets' of Imam Ibn Rajab (RA), translated by Imam Zaid Shakir.

The danger of taking sins lightly :

The danger of taking sin lightly:

O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow, on the Day Allah will not disgrace the Prophet or the believers with him. Their light will shine ahead of them and on their right. They will say, “Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us. ˹For˺ You are truly Most Capable of everything…”   [al-Tahreem 66:8].

Allah has given us time to repent before the honourable scribes ( kiraaman   kaatibeen  – recording angels) record our deeds.The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The (scribe) on the left hand raises his pen (i.e., delays writing) for six hours  [this may refer to six hours of 60 minutes as measured by astronomers, or it may refer to short periods of time during the day or night  –  Lisaan al - ‘Arab] before he records the sinful deed of a Muslim. If he regrets it and seeks Allah ’s forgiveness, the deed is not recorded, otherwise it is recorded as one deed.”  (Reported by al- Tabaraani in  al -Kabeer and al -Bayhaqi in  Shu’ab al -Eemaan; classed as  hasan by al -Albaani in  Silsilat al -Ahaadeeth al- Saheehah, 1209).

  A further respite is granted after the deed has been recorded, up until the moment before death approaches.The problem is that many people nowadays do not place their hope and fear in Allah. They disobey Him by committing all manner of sins, day and night.

There are those who are being tested by the idea of regarding sins as insignificant, so you may see one of them regarding certain  “minor sins”  (saghaa’ir) as inconsequential, so he might say,  “What harm can it possibly do if I look at or shake hands with a (non -mahram) woman?”  They think nothing of looking at women in magazines and on TV shows. Some of them, when they are told that this is haraam, may even facetiously ask, “So how bad can it be? Is it a major sin ( kabeerah) or a minor sin ( sagheerah)?”

Compare this attitude with that reflected in the following reports narrated by Imam al -Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him):-

  Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we used to count them as things that could destroy a man.” 

 Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:  “The believer regards his sin as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he fears may fall on him, whereas the sinner regards his sin as if a fly lands on his nose and he swipes it away.” 

Will these people then understand the seriousness of the matter when they read the following hadeeth of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? 

“Beware of the minor sins which are often thought of as insignificant, for they are like a group of people who stopped in the bottom of a valley. One of them brought a stick, and another brought a stick, until they had gathered enough to cook their food. These minor sins, if a person is called to account for them, will destroy him. ”  According to another report, he said:  “Beware of minor sins, for they will pile up until they destroy a person.”  (Reported by Ahmad;  Saheeh al- Jaami ’, 2686- 2687).

The scholars said that when minor sins are accompanied by a lack of shame or remorse, and with no fear of Allah, and are taken lightly, then there is the risk that they will be counted as major sins. Hence it is said that no minor sin is minor if you persist, and no major sin is major if you keep on seeking forgiveness. So we say to the one who is in this situation: Do not think about whether the sin is major or minor; think about the One Whom you are disobeying. 

Insha Allah, these words will benefit those who are sincere, and who are aware of their sins and shortcomings, and do not insist upon doing wrong and adhering to their faults.

These words are for those who believe in the words of Allah: 

 “Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.”  [al-Hijr 15:49] and in His words  “And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment. ”  [al-Hijr 15:50].

 It is essential to keep this balanced view in mind.

From the book "I want to Repent But.." by Saleh Al-Munajjid

Arrogance of knowledge- Qarun's quality

Many people today become arrogant and start feeling superior to others when they get some degree in modern education and they look down upon at the less educated. Indeed, the way modern education is taught almost invariably makes one arrogant! But a Muslim must realise that such arrogance of knowledge is a character trait of the cursed Qarun mentioned in the Holy Quran and we must be humble when Allah gives us knowledge.

Though Qarun was from Musa’s (AS) people, Bani Israel, he rebelled against him and became an ally of the Firaun. Allah had made Qarun the wealthiest man on earth to the extent that the keys to his treasure were so heavy they could not be carried by the strongest men. 

إنَّ قَـٰرُونَ ڪَانَ مِن قَوۡمِ مُوسَىٰ فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيۡهِمۡ‌ۖ وَءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلۡكُنُوزِ مَآ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ ۥ لَتَنُوٓأُ بِٱلۡعُصۡبَةِ أُوْلِى ٱلۡقُوَّةِ إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُ ۥ قَوۡمُهُ ۥ لَا تَفۡرَحۡ‌ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡفَرِحِينَ

Indeed Qarun was from the people of Musa, then he rebelled against them. And We had given to him such treasures as their keys would weigh too heavy for a strong group of people. (Remember) when his people said to him, “Do not exult. Surely, Allah does not like the exultant. (28:76)

In his Tafseer of Surah Qasas, Imam Ibn Katheer RA says:

Allah informs us how Qarun responded to the exhortations of his people when they sought to guide him to what is good.

﴿قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعاً وَلاَ يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ﴾

(Surah Qasas:Ayah 78. He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.''...)

 meaning, `I have no need of your advice; Allah has only given me this wealth because He knows that I deserve it and because He loves me. ' In other words: `He has given it to me because He knows that I am fit for this.'

This is like the Ayat:

﴿فَإِذَا مَسَّ الإِنسَـنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَـهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ﴾

When harm touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We have changed it into a favor from Us, he says: "Only because of knowledge I obtained it.' '(39:49)

An alternative interpretation of this Ayah says that the meaning is: "Only because of what Allah knows about me did I obtain this favor.''

This is like His saying:

﴿وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَـذَا لِى﴾

"And truly, if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is from me.'' (41:50)
meaning, "I deserved it.''

 Imam `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam explained this Ayah very well. Concerning the phrase,

﴿قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى}

He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.''
 He said: "Were it not for the fact that Allah is pleased with me and knows my virtue, He would not have given me this wealth.''

Ultimately Allah destroyed Qarun and he was swallowed up by the earth along with his wealth..

"Then We caused the earth to swallow him up, along with his home. There was no one to help him against Allah, nor could he even help himself." (28:81)

This arrogance can also be because of Religious knowledge, particularly if it's self acquired with out sitting at the feet of real Ulama. That's why proper Spiritual Tarbiyah and Tazkiya is considered by the ulama as essential for the students of Deeni Ilm too.

 May Allah protect us from the arrogance of knowledge. Aameen.

A sign of Mudāhanat (compromising & diluting the Deen) is having lots of friends & followers

"Having plenty of friends is a sign of weakness in Dīn, i.e., Mudāhanat (compromise) in commanding the good. 

This is because whichever person forbids and stops others from wrong in the matters of Dīn, people become displeased with him. He cannot have many friends."

-Maqālāt e Ṣūfiyyah by Mawlānā Ashraf Alī Thānawī (r.a) & Muftī Shaf'ī (r.a)

 Imam Ibn Hajar says that Mudāhanat is taken from the word ad-Dahhān (the painter) who glosses over something and covers what is actually there. The scholars have explained it as lying with a sinner (by not pointing out his sin) and openly displaying happiness with what he is doing without forbidding him at all. (Fath ul-Bārī [Dār ur-Rayyān], vol.10, pg.545)

So, generally it's done to please the sinners in expectation of some Dunyawi benefits.

Since this compromises the Shariah and goes against the Hukm of Amr bil Maroof and Nahi anil munkar and displays lack of gheerah for Deen, it's prohibited. 

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says that mudāhanat is a quality of a Munafiq (hypocrite). The mudāhin (compromiser) uses kindness in order for the person to remain established upon falsehood and leaves him upon his desires. (Ar-Rūh pg. 231)

Many modern 'social-media scholars' and 'Chocolate Daiees' fall into this error to gain followers & publicity on social media and end up creating a very imbalanced and one-sided concept of Dīn in the masses. May Allah protect us.

Wisdom behind not cutting one's hair or nails in the first 10 days of Zul Hajj until Qurbani and it's Fiqh status:

With regards to not cutting one’s hair and pairing one’s nails, Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم has mentioned, “When the ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) commence and a person has a sacrificial animal, which he intends to slaughter, then let him not cut his hair or pare his nails.” (Muslim) 

قال إذا دخل العشر وعنده أضحية يريد أن يضحي فلا يأخذن شعرا ولا يقلمن ظفرا

(مسلم رقم الحديث 1977, دار إحياء التراث العربي) 

Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم did not mention the exact reason why a person should not cut his hair or nails; therefore, any explanation for its underlying reason is mere conjecture. 

Nevertheless, some ‘Ulamā and commentators of Hadīth state various possible reasons for this instruction. 

Imām Nawawī رحمه الله states that the wisdom behind not cutting the hair and trimming the nails is to include these body parts in the emancipation from the fire after the sacrifice of the animal along with the remainder of the body. This understanding is possibly based on the following narration quoted in al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, “Whoever offers a sacrifice with a contented heart anticipating reward for his sacrifice, it will serve as a veil for him from the fire.” 

وروي عن الحسين بن علي رضي الله عنهما قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم من ضحى طيبة نفسه محتسبا لاضحيته كانت له حجابا من النار (الترغيب والترهيب رقم الحديث 1664, دار الكتب العلمية) 

Other commentators of Hadīth such as Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله state that it constitutes part of the completion of the sacrificial rite of the Qurbānī. He presents the following narration of Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم as evidence for this claim, “Cut your hair and nails, trim your mustache and shave your pubic hairs for verily that constitutes the completion of your sacrifice by Allah, the Most-Honored and Sublime” 

تأخذ من شعرك وأظفارك وتقص شاربك وتحلق عانتك فتلك تمام أضحيتك عند الله عزوجل 

(ابو داود رقم الحديث 2789 , دار الفكر) 

Imām Suyūtī رحمه الله mentions that some ‘Ulamā are of the opinion that the wisdom behind not cutting one’s hair and nails is to resemble, in some way or the other, the pilgrims of Hajj.

(Taken from Shaikh Yusuf bin Yaqub's fatwa on askimam.og) 

Majority of the Ulama consider this to be a recommended act and not compulsory. 

According to the Hanafi Fiqh, It is Mustahabb (meritorious, preferable) for one intending to make Qurbani not to trim the nails and not shave during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. (Raddul Muhtaar V6 P185). If one does trim, etc. no sin will be incurred.

This is understood to be a recommendation based on the fact that ‘A’isha relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him) sent a sacrificial animal to be slaughtered during the Hajj seasons while in Madina but he did not abstain from those things that a person performing Hajj abstains from (due to the rules of ihraam). [Bukhari; Muslim] 

As such, this action indicates that the instruction of the Prophet (Allah bless him) mentioned in the first narration was not for obligation but recommendation. 

According to the Shafaee Fiqh, It is Sunnah for one intending to make Qurbani not to trim the nails and not shave during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. (Mughnil Muhtaaj V4 P283). It will be Makrooh to trim without need. 

However, in the Hanbali fiqh , the rulling is stricter and it is considered haraam (forbidden) to cut your hair and nails if you’re intending to do Qurbani.

Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked us, "Which month is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better." He kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it Dhul-Hijja?" We said, "Yes." He asked "What town is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better.' Then he kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. He then said, "Isn't it the (forbidden) town (Mecca)?" We said, "Yes." He asked, "What is the day today?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better. Then he kept quiet so long that we thought that he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it the Day of An-Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifices)?" We said, "Yes." ...- Sahih Al-Bukhari 7447

This incident is from the Hajjatul wida and has a very profound message for us. How we have to surrender ourselves totally to the teachings and the message of the Prophet ﷺ. 

The sahabah in this hadith surrender their very sense of time and place to the will of the prophet though they all knew that it was the month of ZilHaj and city of Makkah as they all had come to perform Haj! 

But none from the 120000 sahabah present there dared to answer any of the even basic questions of the prophet. Apart from their tremendous Adab for the prophet ﷺ, it shows that the Sahabah did not consider their knowledge and information as worthy of any consideration at all and they waited for the Prophet ﷺ to teach them and enlighten them in every matter. 

Unfortunately, our attitude today is of arrogance and resistance to Islamic teachings instead of willing submission. We try to judge the Shariah and Sunnah from our own limited knowledge and experience and try to raise objections, doubts and contentions when they appear to be against our ideas and desires and our understanding which is shaped by modern culture, western ideologies, media, our family and society and the dominant baatil discourse. 

The more "educated" we are, the more we show this behaviour. Instead of submitting ourselves to the Shariah, we try to submit the Shariah to our whims and fancies. How can we attain true Imaan if we continue this behaviour? May Allah guide us.

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Hadith 1.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, ''When a person curses anything (man or an inanimate object), the curse rises up to the heaven but the gates of heaven are locked against it, so it comes down to earth but its gates are locked against it. So, it turns to the right and the left. If it does not find any point of entry, it comes again to that which was cursed (and effects it) if it deserves the curse. If not then it reverts on him who had uttered the curse." Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: People take the curse very lightly but this hadith points out how serious it is and the one who curses is himself liable to fall prey to it.
Hence, no one may be cursed unless one is confident that he deserves it, but this can only be known when the Prophet ﷺ tells us who deserves it.

Hadith 2.
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas narrated that (one day) the wind blew away the cloak of a man, so he cursed it. Allah's Messenger said,
"Do not curse it, because it is under command. If any one curses something and it is not liable to it, then the curse rebounds to him." Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: the wind is not independent but it follows the command of Allah. Hence, it is very bad to curse it and it is contrary to servitude.
The same command applies at other occasions like when facing reverses of fortune or grief, etc. One must keep one's tongue in check. No complaint must be made. It is against Islamic teachings.

Hadith 3.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, "those who are accustomed to curse often will not be witnesses or intercessors on the day of resurrection." (Muslim)

COMMENTARY: On the day of resurrection, the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will be presented as witnesses over the previous peoples. They will testify that the Prophet ﷺ had conveyed to those peoples the messages of Allah and had invited them to Allah's path. But, they did not listen to them. Allah says about it:
{And thus have we made you mid-most justly balanced) community so that you may be witnesses to mankind.} (2: 143) The Prophet ﷺ said that on the day of resurrection such people who are given to cursing will not be honoured as witnesses over the past ummahs, they will also be deprived of the honour of interceding (doing Shifa'at) for anyone on the day of resurrection.

This is why the Ahl us sunnah wa al jama'ah refrain from cursing anybody, even if he deserves it. However, there is no harm in cursing the disbelievers about whom it is known for certain that they died as disbelievers.

(Taken from Mazahir e haq- sharah Mishkat English translation.)