Let not a group scoff at another group (Surah Al-Hujurat 49: 11)

O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame yourselves, nor insult one another by nicknames. Evil is the name of wickedness after faith. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed wrongdoers. (Surah Al-Hujurat 49: 11)


Prohibition of mocking and ridiculing One Another

Allah the Exalted forbids scoffing at people, which implies humiliating and belittling them. In the Sahih, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

Arrogance is refusing the truth and belittling people.  And in another Version

And despising people. It is forbidden to scoff at and belittle people, for the injured party could be more honored and dearer to Allah the Exalted than those who ridicule and belittle them. This is why Allah the Exalted said,

O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former   thus, stating this prohibition for men and then women.

The statement of Allah the Exalted,

Nor defame yourselves,  forbids defaming each other. He among men who is a slanderer, and a backbiter, is cursed and condemned as Allah states

Woe to every Humazah, Lumazah (Surah Al-Humazah 104: 1) Hamz is defamation by action, while Lamz is by words. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

Hammaz (defaming), going about with slander. (Surah Al-Qalam 68:11) meaning, he belittles and defames people, transgressing and spreading slander among them, which is the Lamz that uses words as its tool. Allah's statement here,

Nor defame yourselves,  just as He said in another Ayah,  

Nor kill yourselves (Surah An-Nisa' 4: 29),  meaning, nor kill one another. `Abdullah bin `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and Muqatil bin Hayyan said that the Ayah,

Nor defame yourselves, means, none of you should defame each other,' while,

nor insult one another by nicknames  means, `you should not address people by nick names that people dislike.' Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Jabirah bin Ad-Dahhak said, "This Ayah was revealed about us, Banu Salamah;

nor insult one another by nicknames.  When the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) migrated to Al-Madinah, every man among us had two or three nicknames. When the Prophet called a man by one of these nicknames, people would say, `O Allah's
Messenger! He hates that nickname.' Then this Ayah,

nor insult one another by nicknames  was revealed.'' Abu Dawud also collected this Hadith. The statement of Allah the Exalted and Most Honored,

Evil is the name of wickedness after faith,  means, the names and descriptions of wickedness are evil; meaning, `to use the nicknames that were used by the people of Jahiliyyah, after you embraced Islam and understood it,'

And whosoever does not repent, means, from this sin,

then such are indeed wrongdoers.



Source: Tafsir ibn Kathir (Abridged)