April Fool

‘He, who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second or third time, till at length, it becomes habitual’ –Thomas Jefferson’

Since, it’s April fool’s Day, let’s talk about joking shall we.

No, I’m not going to preach you.

And no, I’m not someone with zero sense of humor,

Nor am I a perfect human being,

But recently, I came across something, which made me go ‘ouch’ dalam hati, so I’d like to share some of it with all of you.

Joking in Islam 101

1)  It’s a no, no, making fun of Allah, Islam, His Messenger, or verses of the Quran.

 Allah says:“If you ask them, they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allah, and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking? ’Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed” (Surah al-Tawbah 9:65-66)

2)  No lying!

Someone asked Rasulullah (SAW)): “Do you joke with us?” Rasulullah (SAW) replied: “I do, but I only say that which is true” (Al-Bukhari, Tirmidhi)

Rasulullah (SAW) said, “Woe to the one who speaks and tells a lie in order to make the people laugh at it. Woe to him. Then again, woe to him.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

3) Don’t joke around someone’s misfortune.

Rasulullah (SAW) said, “Do not express malicious joy towards your brother’s misfortune, for Allah may have mercy on him and you may be stricken by the thing you made fun of.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

4) Make sure it is during an appropriate time/person/place.

In gatherings, a joke or two, might lighten up the mood, however, during a funeral for example, it just doesn’t seem right to laugh out loud when people are grieving. Be considerate to the people around you, please.

And it’s not right to pull a prank on a complete stranger. You don’t know him or what he’s been through. Plus, you don’t know his medical condition. It could be that you scare someone random and he dies from heart attack. What will you do then?

5) Mind your words

Joking does not mean it’s okay to swear or curse at someone. And when you prank someone, it’s highly probable you might end up getting cursed at as well.

6) Laughter is the best medicine, people say, BUT excessive laughing is rather toxic. Excessive joking included.

Among our friends, there’s always at least this one person who jokes a lot, so we call him/her, ‘The Joker’. Sadly, because that particular person tends to do it a lot, we can’t take him/her seriously anymore to the extent that even when they are telling the truth, we shrug it off as lies. Sad but true story.

7) Beware of backbiting

E.g.: ‘Mina’s so fat; I doubt she’ll fit that dress. Just joking’

Talking about other people in their absence, especially if you know that if they were to hear it, they’d be upset, EVEN IF IT’S JUST A JOKE is considered backbiting.

8) Don’t overdo it

I remember the time I was in high school when the seniors pulled a prank on someone among them. What was supposed to create laughter ended up in yelps of pain, as the ‘victim’ needed stitches on her eyebrows afterwards.

The moral of the story is don’t joke around and make someone experience misfortunes just because you’re too preoccupied in being the ‘cool’ one responsible for generating laughter.

Believe it or not, the prophet Muhammad did joke around too. He was someone with a sense of humor, just like the rest of us. But remember, there’s a way to joke too. And you laughing shouldn’t be in expense of someone’s mishap.

Hud_hud

Medical University of Warsaw