diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c b/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
index 22192deb8828..077fd641b300 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c
@@ -346,10 +346,13 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(ib_destroy_srq);
 static void __ib_shared_qp_event_handler(struct ib_event *event, void *context)
 {
 	struct ib_qp *qp = context;
+	unsigned long flags;
 
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&qp->device->event_handler_lock, flags);
 	list_for_each_entry(event->element.qp, &qp->open_list, open_list)
 		if (event->element.qp->event_handler)
 			event->element.qp->event_handler(event, event->element.qp->qp_context);
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&qp->device->event_handler_lock, flags);
 }
 
 static void __ib_insert_xrcd_qp(struct ib_xrcd *xrcd, struct ib_qp *qp)
diff --git a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
index 645c3cedce9c..a84d3dfc4076 100644
--- a/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
+++ b/include/rdma/ib_verbs.h
@@ -635,6 +635,12 @@ enum ib_qp_create_flags {
 	IB_QP_CREATE_RESERVED_END		= 1 << 31,
 };
 
+
+/*
+ * Note: users may not call ib_close_qp or ib_destroy_qp from the event_handler
+ * callback to destroy the passed in QP.
+ */
+
 struct ib_qp_init_attr {
 	void                  (*event_handler)(struct ib_event *, void *);
 	void		       *qp_context;