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ummjuwayriyah
USA
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 Topic initiated on Monday, July 5, 2004 - 4:24 AM 
Truthfulness
Islaam prohibited lying - even in jest. Among the characteristics of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam is as one of his companions said “He joked but never said anything except the truth.” Once a woman came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and asked him about Paradise, thereupon he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “Paradise will not be entered by old women” which made the woman to cry, thereupon the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam recited to her the verse in which Allaah says that which translates as: “Indeed, We have produced them [i.e., the women of Paradise] in a [new] creation. And made them virgins, Devoted [to their husbands] and of equal age.” (Al-Waaqi’ah: 35-37). This meant that when this woman enters paradise, she will not be old.
Islaam considers truthfulness as the key to righteousness and lying as the key to evil, as the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. Lying leads to evil and evil leads to the Hellfire” Lying is an evil deception as the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “The greatest deception is to intentionally make your brother (in faith) believe something which you know to be false.” In fact, lying is one of the major signs of hypocrisy. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “The signs of a hypocrite are three: When he speaks he lies, when he promises he is unfaithful and when he is entrusted he betrays”. |
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Friday, July 9, 2004 - 11:42 AM 
salams sr 'n thnx for ur postin 'n the beautiful incidence from the Prophet's sws life
indeed the beloved sws was the one who smiled the most 
i'm not sure whether u feel that the jokes we quote come under a "lie"
there shud not b a reason to worry about that because a lie "ba'til" is something which u tell people that has happened whereas it has not
the incidences we quote from our lives r true but other postings sent as jokes r collected from here 'n there 'n are not presented as a factual happening so cannot b classed as tellin' a lie 
keep contibutin' pls
open to comments
regards |
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ummjuwayriyah
USA
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Posted - Friday, July 9, 2004 - 5:10 PM
A Muslim is naturally expected to be serious, as he was not created for the purpose of joking and amusement. When joking diverts a person from the purpose of their creation, which is to worship Allaah, it becomes dispraised. Another reason to make joking dispraised is when it is excessive and makes a person laugh too much which in turn leads to the heart becoming hardened; the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Do not laugh too much because excessive laughter kills your heart.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah & Ahmad). Waheeb Ibn Al-Ward looked at some people as they where laughing on the day of ‘Eid Al-Fitr and remarked: “If Allaah has forgiven these people, then these are not the actions of grateful people; If they were not forgiven, then these are not the actions of those who are fearful.”
A Muslim requires his heart to be alive and tender; a heart which heedlessness cannot find its way into, to be able to strongly execute his struggle against Satan. Excessive joking will lead his heart to such heedlessness. Satan pledged to distract man and misguide him, as Allaah says that which translates as: “Iblees [Satan] said [To Allaah]: By Your might, I will surely mislead them all. Except, among them, Your chosen servants.”(Saad: 82-83).
Moreover, we must know that heedlessness is a characteristic of the disbelievers. Allaah says that which translates as: “Then woe, that Day, to the deniers. Who are in [empty] discourse amusing themselves.” (At-Toor: 11-12). “So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised.” (Az-Zukhruf: 83). “Then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing themselves.” (Al-An’aam: 91),
Then, on the Day of Judgement, the disbelievers will be asked that which translates as: “What put you into Saqar [i.e., Hellfire].” (Al-Muddaththir: 42), they will reply with that which translates as: “…We used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it].” (Al-Muddaththir: 45).
Our righteous predecessors seriously warned against this type heedlessness, Abu Ya’laa used to say: “Are you laughing while your funeral-shroud may be being prepared?” Muhammad Ibn Waasi’ asked some people: “If you saw a man in Paradise crying, would you be surprised?” they replied ‘Yes’, he said: “The one who laughs in this life, not knowing what his consequence is in the next one, is more surprising than that.”
Excessive joking makes one lose their dignity and even the foolish people around the one joking will eventually despise them. ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “He who jokes, people will despise him.” Muhammad Ibn Al-Munkadir said: “My mother once told me: son, don’t joke with children for that will make you lose your dignity.” Sa’eed Ibn Al-‘Aas said: “Don’t joke with a noble man because he will hate you, or an inferior man because he will humiliate you.” Husayn Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmaan said: “We were told that joking removes one’s dignity and breaks friendships.”
In addition, joking could cause hatred to enter the hearts, as ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abdul Azeez, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “Fear Allaah and don’t joke because it causes hatred and would make an inferior person despise you. Instead, talk about Qur’aanic verses and discuss them, if this is difficult, then at least carry out a decent manly conversation”. Khaalid Ibn Safwaan said: “People used to say, everything has its seed, and the seed of enmity is joking.”
Joking becomes prohibited and not only dispraised when it involves Islamically unlawful behaviour such as:
· Scaring Muslims: Some of the Prophet’s companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, were once on a trip with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and one of them was sleeping. A group of the companions took some of the sleeping ones arrows, which he kept for self defence, and hid them. When he woke up, he was frightened, due to losing them, so they started laughing. Thereupon, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked them: “What makes you laugh?” they replied: “Nothing, its just that we took this man’s arrows and that scared him.” Thereupon, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “It is not lawful for a Muslim to scare his fellow Muslim.” (Ahmad & Abu Daawood). He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also said: “Don’t take your brother’s stick, whether jokingly or seriously. If one of you finds his brother’s stick, then let him return it to him” (Ahmad & Abu Daawood).
· Lying while joking: The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh, woe to him, woe to him” (Tirmidhi, Abu Daawood & Daarimi). He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also said: “A slave would utter a word meaning no harm except wanting to make people laugh, and it would cause him to go down in Hell as far as the distance between the Heavens and the earth.”(Ahmad) Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that people said to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “You joke with us.” He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “I do but I only say that which is true” (Tirmidhi & Ahmad). Abu Umaamah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “I guarantee an abode within the boundary of Paradise for the one who refrains from arguing even if he was correct; and an abode in the middle of Paradise for the one who abandons lying even in jest; and an abode in the sublime part of Paradise for the one whose manners are honourable.” (Abu Daawood).
· Joking that may cause harm to others: Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “None of you should point his weapon at his brother, as Satan may provoke him (to hurt his brother) and as a result, he would fall into a pit of Fire.” (Bukhaari). In another narration, he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “He who (even) points at his brother with a piece of iron is cursed by the angels until he puts it down, even if the other was his blood brother.” (Muslim).
Joking which includes transgressing the limits of Allaah: Joking could exceed the limits to reach to a point of committing major and heinous sins, like mocking Qur’aanic verses, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, Islamic rules or Muslim scholars - just like the hypocrites did on the day of the battle of Tabook when they mocked the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his companions; due to this Allaah revealed the verses which translate as: “And if you ask them, they will surely say: ‘We were only conversing and playing.’ Say, ‘Is it Allaah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?’ Make no excuse; you have disbelieved [i.e., rejected faith] after your belief.” (At-Tawbah: 65-66). Allaah warned us from even sitting with such people as He said that which translates as: “And when you see those who engage in [offensive] discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people.” (Al-An’aam: 86). He also says that which translates as: “And it has already come down to you in the Book [i.e., the Qur’aan] that when you hear the verses of Allaah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. Indeed, Allaah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together.” (An-Nisaa’: 140).
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to joke, and there are many examples for this, so this certainly indicates that joking is lawful, provided it does not contain any of the prohibitions mentioned.
Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “Whenever the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would receive revelation or preach to us, I would think to myself, due to his appearance: ‘he is warning people against a punishment that will definitely befall them’. But, when that was finished, you would see that he had the happiest and most cheerful face, which was his nature.” (Al-Bazzaar).
The Prophet’s joking was not merely for entertainment, but would include teachings and instructions for his companions. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would joke at different times for different reasons:
For the purpose of endearment, there are many stories that illustrate this point:
“Once, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam went to visit Suhayb, may Allaah be pleased with him, when he was sick with an eye ailment. When he entered Suhayb, may Allaah be pleased with him, was eating dates, so the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said to him, jokingly: “Are you eating dates while you have a sore eye!” he replied: ‘I’m using the other eye to see.’ Thereupon, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam smiled.” (Ibn Maajah).
Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that a man came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and said: “Give me an animal to ride on” the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “I will give you the son of a female camel” the man said with astonishment: “What could I do with the son of a female camel?” (i.e., thinking that he would be given a camel too small to ride). Thereupon, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “What do female camels deliver except camels?” (i.e., that every camel, even if it is fully grown, is the product of a female camel). (Abu Daawood & Tirmidhi).
‘Awf Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “I went to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam during the battle of Tabook while he was in a leather Qubbah (a small tent-like structure used for sitting in before war). I greeted him with Salaam and he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam responded and said: “Come inside” I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, all of me?’ he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “All of you” so I entered” (Ahmad & Abu Daawood). ‘Uthmaan Ibn Abi Al-‘Ataakah commented that ‘Awf Ibn Maalik asked this question because the Qubbah was very small’.
Ka’b Ibn Murrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “I heard the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam saying, “Shoot at the enemy; Allaah will elevate he who shoots and his arrow reaches the enemy, by raising him by one step in Paradise” Ibn An-Namaam, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what is this step?’ he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied with humour: “It is definitely not like your mothers doorstep; Indeed the distance between two steps in Paradise is one hundred years”” (An-Nasaa’i & Ahmad).
Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “There was a Bedouin named Zaahir whom the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam loved and he was ugly. One day the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam approached him from behind as he was selling some merchandise and hugged him and teased him saying: “Who would buy this slave (i.e., Zaahir)” Zaahir replied: ‘You would not get much for someone like me’ the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “But you are precious in the sight of Allaah.” (Ahmad).
· The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would also comfort his companions and cheer them up, as Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam once saw my young brother extremely upset, so he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked: “Why do I see Abu ‘Umayr (a fond nickname that he gave him) so sad?” the people replied ‘His bird has died.’ So he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said comfortingly: “O Abu ‘Umayr what happened to your bird?”” (Ahmad).
· Joking to reform the companions: “Khawwaat Ibn Jubayr Al-Ansaari was sitting with some women from the tribe of Banu Ka’b on the road leading to Makkah listening to their talk. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam came across him there and asked him: “O Abu ‘Abdullaah, what are you doing setting with these ladies?” He replied: ‘I lost my camel and came looking for it’ (as a false excuse). The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam left him and went to take care of some affairs. After a while he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam returned and teased him saying: “O Abu ‘Abdullaah, has your camel given up running away from you yet?” Khawwaat said: ‘I was embarrassed and kept silent, and was avoiding him after that (because the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam realised that Khawwaat was just trying to justify his sitting with the women), until we went back to Madeenah when he saw me in the mosque while I was praying, so he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam sat down next to me waiting for me to finish my prayer. Due to this, I prolonged my prayer, he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Don’t prolong your prayer as I awaiting for you” so I finished my prayer, then he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said teasing me again:, “O Abu ‘Abdullaah, has your camel given up running away from you yet?” I was embarrassed and kept silent, so he stood up and left and kept avoiding him until one day he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam saw me while he was riding his donkey and said: “O Abu ‘Abdullaah, has your camel given up running away from you yet?” So I replied: I swear by Him Who sent you with the truth, my camel has never run away from me since I became a Muslim’ (i.e., confessing to his sin which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was trying to teach him to do by his joke) so the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar, O Allaah, guide Abu ‘Abdullaah. After this, Khawwaat Ibn Jubayr Al-Ansaari became a much better Muslim”. (Tabaraani)
The companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam were the most serious of people and the least heedless of Allaahs commands, yet they used to joke. Bukhaari mentioned in his book Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, “The companions used to play with one another by throwing watermelon skins at each other, but when it was time for seriousness, they where real men”. Ibn Sireen was asked about the companions, “Did they joke?” he replied: “They were just like normal people (i.e. yes they did)”. Abu Salamah Ibn ‘Abur-Rahmaan said, describing the companions: “The companions never exaggerated in seriousness, nor were they heedless; they used to recite poetry in their gatherings and mention some incidents which took place during their pre-Islamic period and laugh, but if they saw any action against Islaam, they would become furious.” (Ibn Abu Shaybah).
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to joke with his wives and children. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, narrated: “The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam went on one of his trips and I accompanied him; he told his companions: “proceed ahead” while he and I lagged behind, then he said to me: “Let us race” so we did and I won - and he did not say anything. After some time, when I became heavier in weight, I went with him on another trip, and I had forgotten about the race. He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam told his companions, “proceed ahead” while he and I lagged behind, then he said to me: “Let us race” so we did and he won and started laughing and said, “This one makes up for the first time” (Ahmad).
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “The best among you is the best in dealing with their family - and I am the best among you in dealing with their family”
‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, was asked: “How was the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam when he was alone with his wives?” she replied: “He was just like any other man, except that he was the most kind, gentle and cheerful of them.”
“The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to line up the children of Bani Al-‘Abbaas and others and say, “Race towards me, and whoever wins will get something” so they would race towards him and he would roll over on the ground and the children would climb on his chest and roll on his back; and he would hug and kiss them.’’ (Ahmad).
‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said: “The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was in my house and Sawdah, another of his wives, was there also. I had made some food, served it and asked Sawdah to eat it. She replied: ‘I don’t want it’. I said ‘I swear by Allaah that either you will eat or I will cover your face in it.’ She replied: ‘I will not taste it’. So I took some of the food in my hand from the plate and splashed it on her face, while the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was sitting between us. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam lowered his legs so that I could not get at Sawdah, then she took a portion of the food and covered my face in it. During all this, Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was laughing.” (Abu Ya’laa). |
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ummjuwayriyah
USA
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Posted - Friday, July 9, 2004 - 5:19 PM
Slaves of Allaah! One the signs of the greatness and comprehensiveness of this religion is that it does not leave any aspect of life unaddressed. It set criteria and rules which people must adhere to and live by. All of this was through the command of Allaah and the practice of the messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
It is a widely held belief among the non-Muslims and unfortunately, some Muslims that Islaam is a religion of suppression and harshness, where laughing, joking, entertainment and fun are not permitted.
While it may understandable for non-Muslims to think this way, due to their ignorance of Islaam or the distorted image of Islaam portrayed constantly by the media, what is shocking and a disaster, is when we come across Muslims who hold the same opinions.
O Muslims! The Sunnah of our Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam has clarified this issue and he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam has set a wonderful example for the Muslim’s life style, for those who wish to live according to this guidance. If we refer to the Sunnah, we will find that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to joke with his companions, Abu Daawood and Tirmidhi reported that a man came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and said: “Give me an animal to ride on” the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “I will give you the son of a female camel” the man said with astonishment: “What could I do with the son of a female camel?” (i.e., thinking that he would be given a camel too small to ride). Thereupon, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “What do female camels deliver except camels?” (i.e., that every camel, even if it is fully grown, is the product of a female camel). (Abu Daawood & Tirmidhi).
Tabaraani reported that an old woman came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and said: “O Messenger of Allaah! Supplicate that Allaah permits me into Paradise” he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “Paradise will not be entered by old women” then he went off to pray. When he came back, his wife ‘Aa’ishah., may Allaah be pleased with her, said to him: “The old woman found what you said to be difficult” he replied: “Allaah will bring all the women of Paradise to a young age before allowing them enter.”
Imaam Bukhaari mentioned in his book, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, “The companions used to play by throwing watermelon skins at each other, but when it was time for seriousness, they were real men”
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam had the finest manners, so much so that he was always joking with and teasing children. Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to joke with us; He would call out to my young brother: “O Abu ‘Umayr! (a playful nickname), what happened to your bird (a pet that he used to keep)?”” (Bukhaari). Once, some of the companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, asked the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “Do you joke with us?” he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “I do, but I only say that which is true” (Tirmidhi & Bukhaari in his book Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).
Slaves of Allaah! All that which I mentioned is only a tiny fraction of his joking with his companions. I did not want to elaborate more on this because it was only meant to be an introduction to the main topic, which is: ‘Etiquettes of Joking’.
Brothers in faith! As you have heard, Islaam does not prohibit joking and teasing, but it sets criteria for it as our Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam instructed us, which are:
1) Saying only that which is true: If we look to the narrations mentioned above, he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam never said a word which was not true, like in the story of the camel or the old woman. This is how joking should be, without lying, fabricating and concocting stories simply to people laugh. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam warned about this saying: “Woe to the one who lies to people just to make them laugh. Woe to him, woe to him.” (Abu Daawood & Tirmidhi).
2) It should not involve verses from the Qur’aan, Prophetic sayings, or any of fundamentals of Islaam. Unfortunately, some people have fallen into this terrible practice, we ask Allaah to guide them. These people tell jokes about the angels, Prophets, Qur’aanic verses and Prophetic sayings. This is extremely dangerous as it is tantamount to disbelief. Shaikh Al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “One who mocks Allaah, His verses, His signs or His Messengers is a disbeliever because this action nullifies belief.” How can someone mock that which he believes in? In fact, one who believes in something glorifies it and esteems it by making it occupy a great position in their heart. Disbelief is two types, Shunning, or turning away, from the truth and opposing the truth. The one who mocks the religion is practicing the second type of disbelief and their action is worse than the one who prostrates to an idol. This is a very dangerous issue; a person might utter a word which would cause them intense hardship and results in their destruction. They might utter a word which causes the wrath of Allaah to descend upon them and which results in them going to the Hellfire. One who mocks praying, even if they were only joking, Zakaah, fasting or Hajj becomes a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslim scholars.
Likewise, one who mocks the signs of Allaah by saying, for example, ‘Having warm days in winter is senseless’ or by saying, ‘Having cool days in summer is silly’ is a disbeliever because all the actions and creations of Allaah are done with His complete knowledge and comprehensive wisdom.
Second Khutbah
During the battle of Tabook, while the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was riding to the battlefield, some of the hypocrites uttered words which had very grave consequences for them, although they claimed later to have only been joking. Allaah revealed verses in His Book, which is universally recited by all Muslims.
Imaam Ibn Katheer mentioned in his commentary of the Qur’aan, regarding the verse in which Allaah says that which translates as: “And if you ask them, they will surely say: ‘We were only conversing and playing.’ Say, ‘Is it Allaah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?’” (At-Tawbah: 65). Imaam Ibn Katheer said: “Muhammad Ibn Ka’b, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that a man from the hypocrites said: ‘Those who memorize the Qur’aan have the biggest stomachs, are the worst liars and the greatest cowards at the time of fighting’ This was conveyed to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, so the hypocrite rushed to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and found him on his camel. He said: ‘O messenger of Allaah I was only joking.’ Thereupon, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam recited the verses which translate as “And if you ask them, they will surely say: ‘We were only conversing and playing.’ Say, ‘Is it Allaah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved [i.e., rejected faith] after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you – We will punish another faction because they were criminals.” (At-Tawbah: 65-66). The hypocrite was holding on to the camel of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his feet were kicking the rocks on the ground, making them fly off in different directions, due to the speed of the camel. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was on his camel and would not even look at the hypocrite, although the hypocrite was holding on to the saddle and constantly repeating that he was only joking.”
This is hard evidence that joking around with any aspect of the Sharee’ah, or Islamic Law, is tantamount to disbelief.
Slaves of Allaah! When we talk about joking, we must stress on this important and dangerous issue which some people slight, either knowingly or unknowingly, which is joking with anything that is related to the religion of Allaah. Some people invent jokes about this. Moreover, some newspapers and magazines practice this in their ‘caricature’ section. We have already mentioned the Islamic ruling regarding this, so people must be fearful of the dire consequences of such actions. Let us always remember the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam “A servant (of Allaah) would utter a word, without paying attention to it, which pleases Allaah and which results in Allaah elevating his rank in Paradise; And a servant (of Allaah) would utter a word, without paying attention to it, which displeases Allaah and which results in him going down into the Hellfire.” (Bukhaari). In another narration, he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “A slave (of Allaah) would utter a word, without paying attention to it, which would result in him going down into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and the west.” (Muslim).
3) Another criterion for permissible joking is that it should not harm others, whether physically or emotionally. Allaah says what translates as, “O You who have believed. Let not a people ridicule [another] people; 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 [i.e. mention] of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Al-Hujuraat: 12). It is because these things hurt people’s feelings and may even lead to physical harm, that Allaah has prohibited it. Nowadays, people have transgressed all limits under the pretext of joking. It is sad to see that some people are eager to find out about a subject that would upset their brother and tease him about that; and this leads to their brother becoming offended, which is also prohibited.
4) The final criterion for permissible joking is that people should not do it excessively, as this leads them to commit errors and lose their dignity. One who reads through the history of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam will realise that he would joke but would never do so excessively. Therefore, based on this finest of examples, one should not joke excessively so that they do not become known for this trait. |
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ummjuwayriyah
USA
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Posted - Friday, July 9, 2004 - 5:32 PM
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Hischam khan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Sunday, July 11, 2004 - 4:58 AM
I don’t understand what’s wrong with having a bit of a joke here and there. It is clear that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) made jokes, so? Also, one is aloud to have a good time and laugh. One is not expected to live a sad life. On the contrary, one is allowed to enjoy life as long as it is through Halal means. Of course, remembering Allah (swt) always and worshipping Him much is most important but that does not mean that one isn’t allowed to have fun or crack a few jokes here and there. We know that our Perfect example did.
No offence intended,
peace to all |
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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 Posted - Sunday, July 11, 2004 - 8:23 AM
jk/many thnx for the postings
pls keep contributing
however it wud b nice to keep them summarized as generally members do not read v. long postings
short n relevant messages r easily digested
There is no denying the fact that Islam never condones telling lies in normal circumstances. Telling untruth is an universally acknowledged evil and religious guidance does nothing but to refresh our awareness bestowed upon humans innately.
The question that needs to be addressed is that whether joking is lying or not. We do not know that in any of the languages of the word take the word lying and joking interchangeably. When I am lying I am not joking and when I am joking I am not lying. Lying is defined as:
to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive (Merriam-Webster's)
to say or write something which is not true in order to deceive someone: (Cambridge Dic)
The Arabic counterpart of the verb is kidhb which means telling untruth. Though the classical dictionaries do not precisely express the intention of deception but the difference is clear to them all and they do not consider jokes as lies. Ibn e Manzoor in his Lisaan al Arab writes:
And a Hadith says: lying is not acceptable but in three cases - - -. It is said the Prophet (sws) meant use (trick) of the language where a statement is untrue to the mind of the listener and is true from the point of view of the speaker. This is same as his (sws) saying: indeed lying is indispensable in such statements. (Imam Malik has ascribed this saying to Hazrat Umar rta) (Lisaan al Arab entery K Z B.
Please note that playing jokes with someone and telling such untruth is something different from narrating such a story to amuse others. In this case we even reveal the intention and the reality of the matter before narrating that particular story. This does not way fall within even that kind of jokes which has been ascribed to the prophet (sws) in a posting above.
Of course we must not indulge in such frivolous talk and take delight only in them forgetting all the purposeful activities but it would not be appropriate to render jokes and jests tantamount to lying.
The purpose of introducing this section to the site is to keep smiling while we do our serious course studies insha'Allah
wassalaam/peace 'n regards
Edited by: hkhan on Monday, July 12, 2004 11:32 PM |
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xxbasxx
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Saturday, October 2, 2004 - 8:35 PM
thnk u 4 ur tym sr ummjuwayriyah bt if we spend every moment of our lives worshipping the one true God, wont life be a litle dull? and im sure u'l say NO how can praising God be DULL?? but that wud mean that we wudnt be able 2 spread the mesage. and what better way 2 spread the message than through the freedom of laughter? for example:
in history, we'r learning about World War One. very VERY serious matter. but alas those who have either heard of or watched Black Adder **a show about the war** will know that it is anything BUT serious. it is infact absolutely HILARIOUS! :P but we still learn such important facts from it, most of which are down right serious.
and yet to teach children of something so very serious through a smile, we make more of a difference than to teach them through a frown.
living without a smile (which is also one of Allah's many blessings!) would be to live without being alive.
SMILE!
xXx |
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surgeonakhlaq
PAKISTAN
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Posted - Monday, October 11, 2004 - 10:26 PM
| Excellent xxbasxx, Maasha’allah. |
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AmrBassiouny
HONG KONG
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Posted - Friday, February 11, 2005 - 6:24 PM
I think you misunderstood something here,
ummjuwayriyah.
1) Relax. There is no need to be so serious and there is no haram in smiling or laughing. God gave us life and he gives us free permission to enjoy the good of life because this is a ni'ma from him to us and we musn't forget this.
2) “He joked but never said anything except the truth.”
This here means that the prophet DID tell jokes, but he never lied to people. For example, if i decide it is funny to tell you your mother died (God forbid), and lie to you about it...then this joke is haram of course! But if i tell you a joke, and you know it is a joke, then you are not lying in any way and all you are doing is enjoying what God gave you.
Plus, laughing is beneficial to your health in so many ways, that, if you list all the benefits, you could very well classify telling jokes as mostahab! Being serious too much is harmful to your physical and mental health, and it is haram to harm yourself, and mostahab and in times fard to make your health better.
Enjoy the life God gave you.
Edited by: amrbassiouny on Friday, February 11, 2005 6:24 PM |
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tweety
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 9:57 PM
'A Muslim is naturally expected to be serious, as he was not created for the purpose of joking and amusement'
isnt a muslim ment 2 b a human being?
im sorry but..
such ideals have never been stated in quran or sunnah
and r very xtremist remarks *no offence*
a muslim is meant 2 capture the balance between seriousness and fun
u cnt have too much of either
cuz thats wat islam's about
balance and equality |
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xxbasxx
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 10:12 PM
maybe we shouldn't smile so often? but isn't it narrated somewhere that the Prophet (s.a.w) was always happy?
I think
please correct me if i am wrong
.xXx. smile .xXx.
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