Humour In Islam

Humour in Islam refers to the act of doing things that are considered humorous under the guidelines set by the Quran and the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Islamic sources on humour

Laughter, fun, and joking are permissible in Islam provided guidelines from the Quran and ahadith are followed. For humor to be in accordance with Islam, the joke should not be blasphemous and should be within the limits '' adab'' (manners).

Hadiths

1) Muhammad used to smile, rather than laugh.
Aisha, wife of the Prophet Muhammad narrated:

2) Muhammad's smile and his companions' laughing sessions.
Jabir ibn Samurah narrated:

3) Aisha also narrated:

4) Muhammad encouraged to be jestful with your family.
Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Prophet Muhammad said;

5) Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrated that Muhammad said;

6) Muhammad discouraged laughing at inappropriate times.
Al-Aswad ibn Yazid narrated:

7) Muhammad encouraged jokes about the truth.
Abu Hurairah narrated that;

8) Muhammad discouraged lying to make people laugh

9) Muhammad discouraged frightening anyone as a joke.

10) Muhammad discouraged joking or laughing excessively.

Muhammad said:
Muhammad discouraged backbiting and inappropriate language:

Jokes of Muhammad

Muhammad is reported by Tirmidhi to have said: "Why are there no old women in heaven? Because they become young girls when they get there."

Other instances include a man who came up to Muhammad to ask him to give him a beast to ride. The Prophet jokingly told him, "I will give you the offspring of a she-camel to ride." He said, "O Messenger of Allah, what will I do with the offspring of a she-camel?" The Prophet said: "Are riding-camels born except from she-camels?" (Reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, as Sahih).

Companions

The Prophet's companions would limit jokes, joke at appropriate times, and be cautious of joking.

Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated that;

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas said;

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz said;
In al-Adab al-Mufrad, Bukhari reports from Bakr ibn 'Abdillah who said: "The Companions of the Prophet used to throw melon-rinds at one another, but when the matter was serious, they were the only true men."

Quran

* The Quran discourages insulting anyone.

* The Qur'an discourages mocking Islam.

Classical treatise

Al Jihaz wrote a ‘Treatise on seriousness and playfulness.’ Ibn Qutaybah observed that early Muslims did not dislike joking. Writing in his ''Akhbar al hamqa'' ("History of Fools") the classical scholar Ibn al-Jawzi commented, "Humor serves as a much needed natural relaxation, and is approved for this purpose by many statements of Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims."

Recent trends

Acceptance

Since 9/11, there has been an increase in the number of Muslim comedians and humour festivals. Prominent Muslim comedians include Nabil Abdul Rashid, Azhar Usman, Ahmed Ahmed, and Dean Obeidallah. Azhar Usman blames the media for misrepresenting humor in Islam. "The fact is that within Muslim culture there is a strong tradition of storytelling, joking and laughing. The relationship between Islam and comedy goes to the roots of the religion." However, American comedian Mohammed Amer asserts that it is Muslims who have made a “terrible job” of communicating with the outside world.

In 2017, in response to the " Real Housewives of ISIS", a parody of "Real Housewives" broadcast by BBC2 show Revolting, the idea provoked widespread outrage and hilarity on Facebook.

See also

* Allah Made Me Funny
*Axis of Evil Comedy Tour
* Fear of a Brown Planet
* List of Muslim comedians
*''Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World''
*''Ramadan Roundup''
*'' The Muslims Are Coming!''
* The Bible and humor
* Muslim meme

References

Further reading

* Shah, Idries. (1978). ''Special Illumination: Sufi Use of Humour'', outlining the jokes' dual function as humour and teaching stories.
*Shah, Idries. ''The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin'', illustrated by Richard Williams
*Shah, Idries. ''The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin'', illustrated by Richard Williams.
*Shah, Idries. ''The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin'', illustrated by Richard Williams and Errol Le Cain
*Qishtayni, Khalid. (1985). ''Arab Political Humour''

External links

Humour in Islam

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Islamic culture