It is a common practice to tell our children lies in order to keep them quiet, or to make your friends laugh. The below narrations warns against lying even while joking, which is the ‘norm’ in today’s society. The article is concluded with narrations to show permissibility of joking.
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Lying while Joking?
The Messenger of Allah [Allah bless him] forbade lying even while joking and condemned those guilty of it:
عَنْ بَهْزِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ “ وَيْلٌ لِلَّذِي يُحَدِّثُ فَيَكْذِبُ لِيُضْحِكَ بِهِ الْقَوْمَ وَيْلٌ لَهُ وَيْلٌ لَهُ ”
[Sunan Abu Dawud: 4990]
‘’He who tells a lie in order to amuse people will be afflicted with loss.” He then used the expression ‘’May loss be upon him!’’ thrice.
In another narration mentioned in at-Targhib wa-Tarhib by Imam Munziri (656 AH) رحمه الله:
Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir:
‘‘The Messenger of Allah was in our house. My mother, with her closed palm [showing to me], asked me to come inside, saying that she would give it to me [the dates inside her closed palm]. The Messenger of Allah [Allah bless him] asked her if she really meant it. When she replied that she wanted to give me some dates which were in her palm, he told her, ‘Had you not given him dates, this would have been recorded as a lie on your part’ ’’.
Lying is totally forbidden in Divine Law, under all circumstances. This rule even applies to children as mentioned above, as this also falls into deception.
Also, we learn that even if an act becomes ‘acceptable’ in society, this does not entail it to be permissible.
We ask Allah’s protection from causing his displeasure.
Permissibility of Joking
Joking is permissible and there are various hadiths which show that The Messenger of Allah [Allah bless him] made jokes. However a joke can’t consist of the following:
- Lies.
- Deception.
- Hurting people’s feelings.
- Exaggerating [going to great lengths].
- Excessive joking is detested.
Examples of the humour of The Messenger of Allah [Allah bless him]:
عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، قَالَ: أَتَتْ عَجُوزٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، ادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنِي الْجَنَّةَ، فَقَالَ: يَا أُمَّ فُلانٍ، إِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ لا تَدْخُلُهَا عَجُوزٌ، قَالَ: فَوَلَّتْ تَبْكِي، فَقَالَ: أَخْبِرُوهَا أَنَّهَا لا تَدْخُلُهَا وَهِيَ عَجُوزٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى، يَقُولُ: إِنَّا أَنْشَأْنَاهُنَّ إِنْشَاءً، فَجَعَلْنَاهُنَّ أَبْكَارًا، عُرُبًا أَتْرَابًا.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:
“An old woman came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, beseech Allah to let me enter the Garden of Paradise!’ He replied: ‘O Mother of So-and-so, no old woman will enter the Garden of Paradise!’ She turned away weeping, so he said: ‘Tell her that she will not enter it as an old woman, for Allah says: ‘We have created them a new creation, and made them virgins, loving, equal in age [inna ansha’na-hunna insha’a: fa-ja’alna-hunna abkara ‘uruban atraba].’” (Al-Qur’an; 56:35-37) [Shamail al-Mahmudiyah: 239]
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلا اسْتَحْمَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي حَامِلُكَ عَلَى وَلَدِ نَاقَةٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، مَا أَصْنَعُ بِوَلَدِ النَّاقَةِ؟ فَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَهَلْ تَلِدُ الإِبِلَ إِلا النُّوقُ؟
Anas ibn Malik said:
“A man asked Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) to provide him with a mount, so he said: ‘I will mount you on the offspring of a she-camel The man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what shall I do with the offspring of a she- camel?’ He said (Allah bless him and give him peace): ‘To what does a she-camel give birth, except more she-camels?’” [Shamail al-Mahmudiyah: 237]
