Question
What is the punishment mentioned in Hadith for swearing a Muslim?
Answer
I have not come across a specific punishment for swearing a Muslim.
However, there are many narrations which discuss the severity of this sin:
1) Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reported that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Swearing a Muslim is a serious sin and killing him is disbelief.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 48, 6044, Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 64)
Swearing is usually accompanied with obscenity and lewdness. The following Hadiths prohibit these:
1) Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “A believer does not find fault/criticise [people], nor does he curse excessively, nor is he obscene and lewd.”
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 1977. See here)
2) Sayyiduna Abud Darda (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is nothing weightier than good character on the day of Judgement on the scales of a Believer, and Allah dislikes the obscene and lewd person.”
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2002. See here)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar