Short answer
Yes. Cursing a specific person, which means asking Allah to remove them from His mercy, is haram, and the Prophet ﷺ said cursing a believer is like killing him. Cursing animals, the weather, time or objects is also forbidden. Saying that Allah's curse is on a type of wrongdoer named in the Quran or sunnah, such as liars or oppressors, is allowed.
Cursing (la'n) a specific living person, Muslim or non-Muslim, is haram. Cursing animals, time, wind and things is forbidden. Mentioning the curse that the texts place on a category of sinners, without naming an individual, is permitted.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
In Arabic, la'n (cursing) means asking that someone be driven away from Allah's mercy. It is one of the heaviest things a tongue can say. The Prophet ﷺ said the believer is not one who taunts, curses, or speaks obscenely. He said that cursing a believer is like killing him, and that those who curse a lot will not be intercessors or witnesses on the Day of Judgement.
A curse can also come back. The Prophet ﷺ taught that when a person curses something, the curse rises to the sky, the gates of the sky close to it, it comes down and the gates of the earth close to it, then it looks for a way. If it finds none, it returns to the one it was aimed at if he deserved it, and otherwise to the one who said it.
What falls under this:
- 'Damn you', 'God curse you' and the like said to a person, in anger or as a joke.
- Cursing your own children, parents or spouse. Cursing your parents is among the major sins.
- Cursing an animal. A woman once cursed her camel on a journey, and the Prophet ﷺ had its load removed and the camel left behind.
- Cursing time, the wind, the rain, your car or your phone. These follow Allah's command, and the sunnah forbids cursing time and the wind.
What is allowed: saying 'the curse of Allah is on the liars' or 'on the oppressors' in general, as the Quran does. Scholars hold back from cursing even a named wrongdoer while he is alive, because he may still repent. If someone has wronged you, you may ask Allah for justice, but forgiving is better.
If you have cursed someone, repent, ask their forgiveness if it reached them, and make dua for them instead. The four schools agree on this ruling. For bad language in general, see is it haram to cuss.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:53
وَقُل لِّعِبَادِى يَقُولُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوًّۭا مُّبِينًۭا ﴿٥٣﴾
And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.
Believers are told to choose the best words, not curses.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1977
Grading to be checked... ليس المؤمن بالطعان ولا اللعان ولا الفاحش ولا البذيء ...
"The believer does not taunt, does not curse, and is neither obscene nor foul-mouthed."
Cursing is not the character of a believer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6105
Sahih... ولعن المؤمن كقتله ...
"Cursing a believer is like killing him."
Shows how grave cursing a Muslim is.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4905
Grading to be checked... إن العبد إذا لعن شيئا صعدت اللعنة إلى السماء ...
"When a servant curses something, the curse rises to the sky."
An undeserved curse returns to the one who said it.
Sahih Muslim 2598
Sahih... لا يكون اللعانون شفعاء ولا شهداء يوم القيامة ...
"Those who curse a lot will be neither intercessors nor witnesses on the Day of Resurrection."
Habitual cursing costs a person honour in the Hereafter.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Ihya Ulum al-Din (al-Ghazali), Kitab Afat al-Lisan (the book on the faults of the tongue), section on cursing. Explains which curses are allowed in general terms and why cursing individuals is forbidden.
- al-Adhkar (al-Nawawi), Chapter on the prohibition of cursing. Cursing a specific person or animal is forbidden; cursing those described with sins in general is allowed.
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.