Are Jokes, Laughter and General Humour Allowed in Islam?
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
6 December
2023
Islam
Accepts Laughter and Joking Within Certain Boundaries, Reflecting Human
Desires. It Values Happiness and Humour as Positive Aspects of Life. Sharing
These Sentiments with Family and Friends Brings Pleasure and Honour. However,
Excessive Humour That Harms or Denigrates Others Is Unpleasant and Dangerous,
So It's Important to Balance These Qualities.
Main
Points:
1. Several reports hint at the humorous
act of the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).
2. According to the Quran and Hadith, while
joking is acceptable, certain boundaries need to be maintained.
3. Islam prohibits jokes that can
degrade, annoy, or insult others.
-----
Islam is a
natural religion that permits laughing and joking within certain bounds that
correspond to the natural desires of humans. Happiness, vitality, and humour
are positive aspects of human existence. To be devoid of these subtle
sentiments is a flaw in a man, just as having too much of these things is
unpleasant and dangerous and can occasionally make a person feel dry. The
subtle grace and humour they share with their relatives and friends at
different times might bring them considerable satisfaction and even honour.
People are funny by nature, and there are plenty of justifications why this is
the permissible case in Islam.
Even the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a sense of
humour, but his humour was clean, meaning it never involved lying or hurting someone's
feelings. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is
reported to have spoken jokingly and pleasantly on several occasions. In
addition to showing his most exquisite sympathy for those in need, the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) occasionally cracked jokes with them.
However, his humour was also very subtle and wise.
Hazrat Abu
Hurairah narrated:
"They
[the companions of the Prophet] said: 'O Messenger of Allah! You joke with us?'
He said: 'Indeed I do not say except what is true.'"
[Jami`
at-Tirmidhi 1990]
Once a
large tray of dates was placed in front of Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar
Farooque, Hazrat Uthmaan, and Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with all of
them), with the Prophet (peace be upon him) present. The Prophet took one of
the dates and placed the seeds in front of Hazrat Ali. This is a common
practice where people place seeds in front of themselves when eating dates.
However, when the Prophet ate the date, he placed his seeds in front of Hazrat
Ali. Everyone placed their seeds in front of themselves, and the Prophet placed
his seeds in front of Hazrat Ali. When everyone finished eating, the Prophet
smiled and said, "There are more seeds in front of 'Ali." Hazrat Ali
replied, "Yes, O Prophet of Allah! Certainly, there are more seeds in my
share."
This event
hints at the humorous act of the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).
An elderly
lady once approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and addressed him, saying,
"O Messenger of Allah! Please make a supplicant for me. "What kind of
Dua?" inquired the Messenger of Allah. "Pray that Allah grants me
heaven," she uttered. The Messenger
of Allah said,
“O Mother
of so and so! No old woman will enter heaven.”
(Al-Shamail
Al-Muhammadiyyah Li-Tirmidhi, Vol:1, Page:197, Hadith:241)
When she
heard this, she rushed outside and sobbed, saying, "This is very
unfortunate." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Go and inform
the lady that no woman will enter heaven in her old age; rather, she will be
made young and then enter".
Joking
around is acceptable, but some boundaries need to be discussed. The Almighty
Allah says in the Quran:
“O you
who have believed, let not a people ridicule [other] people; perhaps they may
be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be
better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by
[offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's]
faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” [49:11]
Hazrat Ibn
’Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“Don’t
dispute with your brother; don’t make jokes with him; and don’t make him a
promise which you would break.”
Related by
At-Tirmidhi with a weak chain of narrators. [Bulugh al-Maram, Book 16, Hadith
62]
It appears
that jokes are prohibited by this hadith. However, this hadith only forbids
jokes that degrade, annoy, or offend others. It is well known that under
Islamic Shariat, jokes that don't even slightly allude to harassment or hurt
sentiments are permissible. However, humour that verges on ridicule, diminishes
the worth of other people, or uses derogatory language is not permitted.
Anybody who has engaged in any of the forbidden actions mentioned above should
humbly ask the Almighty Allah for forgiveness. If the people he has mistreated
are still living, he should also request their forgiveness.
----
Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-q-a/jokes-laughter-humour-islam/d/131262
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