Short answer
A parent's dua is among those the Prophet ﷺ said are answered, and that includes a dua against a child. That is why he forbade parents from praying against their children in anger. A parent who cursed a child should repent and make good dua instead; Allah in His mercy does not hasten every hasty dua.
Cursing one's child or making dua against them is haram, and in anger it is still sinful. A parent's dua for a child is among the most hoped-for duas, so parents should use it only for good.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said there are three duas answered without doubt: the dua of the oppressed, the dua of the traveller, and the dua of a parent against a child. He also said: do not pray against yourselves, do not pray against your children and do not pray against your wealth, in case it matches an hour when Allah grants what is asked. The four schools agree that this is forbidden.
If you said it in anger:
- Repent to Allah at once and ask Him not to accept it.
- Replace it with good dua for the same child, many times.
- Apologise to the child if they heard it. Words like "I wish you were never born" wound deeply.
- Do not despair. Allah says that if He hastened evil for people as they hasten to ask for good, they would be finished, and that man is hasty. His mercy is greater than a moment of anger.
If you are the child: a parent's curse said in anger, over something that is not your wrongdoing, is not a reason to despair. Keep treating your parents well, make dua for them and for yourself, and if you wronged them, ask their forgiveness. See rights of parents.
Use the power for good. Teach yourself a habit: when a child angers you, say "May Allah guide you" instead. A parent's good dua is one of the greatest gifts a child can receive; see the dua for children and the dua for anger.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Yunus 10:11
۞ وَلَوْ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسْتِعْجَالَهُم بِٱلْخَيْرِ لَقُضِىَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِى طُغْيَٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿١١﴾
And if Allah was to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke] as He hastens for them the good, their term would have been ended for them. But We leave the ones who do not expect the meeting with Us, in their transgression, wandering blindly
Allah does not answer every hasty call for evil.
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:11
وَيَدْعُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ عَجُولًۭا ﴿١١﴾
And man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, and man is ever hasty.
Warns against praying for harm in anger.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1905
Grading to be checked... ودعوة الوالد على ولده ...
"...and the dua of a parent against his child."
A parent's dua is among those that are answered.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1532
Grading to be checked... لا تدعوا على أنفسكم ولا تدعوا على أولادكم ...
"Do not pray against yourselves, and do not pray against your children."
Parents are forbidden from praying against their children.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Adhkar (al-Nawawi), Chapter on the prohibition of praying against oneself, one's children and one's wealth. Sets out the prohibition from the hadith.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wal-Ibaha. Cursing a specific Muslim is forbidden.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.