65/5.12. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4622 — Questions Asked in Mockery
Allah's Statement: "...Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble..." (V.5:101)
Hadith About Mocking Questions and Respect for Revelation
Sahih Bukhari : 4622
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4622
حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَيْثَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْجُوَيْرِيَةِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ كَانَ قَوْمٌ يَسْأَلُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتِهْزَاءً، فَيَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ مَنْ أَبِي وَيَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ تَضِلُّ نَاقَتُهُ أَيْنَ نَاقَتِي فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَسْأَلُوا عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ إِنْ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ} حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنَ الآيَةِ كُلِّهَا.
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
Some people were asking Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) questions mockingly. A man would say, "Who is my father?" Another man whose she-camel had gone astray would say, "Where is my she-camel?"So Allah revealed this Verse in this connection: "O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble." (5.101)
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4622In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 144USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 146
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4622
This hadith about mocking questions shows that the way a person asks matters. Ibn Abbas said that some people asked Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم questions in mockery. One man would ask, “Who is my father?” Another would ask where his lost she-camel was. In this setting, the verse was revealed telling believers not to ask about things which, if made plain, may trouble them. The message is simple: religious questions should not be used as jokes, tests, or mockery. A sincere question is a way to learn. A mocking question shows poor manners toward the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and toward revelation. This hadith teaches believers to keep their speech clean and their intention honest.
What we learn from this hadith
- Questions about religion should be asked with sincerity, not mockery.
- A person should not use the Prophet’s position to test or joke.
- Some answers may bring trouble when the question itself is not needed.
- Good manners are part of seeking knowledge.
