Making Jokes on the Deen Today, I have chosen to speak on a sin that most of us barely recognize when we commit

it. It is the mocking of the religion of Allah. Many of us make jokes abo ut the religion or about issues in the religion, and we don't even realize we ar e doing it. We joke about the man with multiple wives, we joke about the woman's hijab, we joke about our prophets and we joke about the kafir holidays (going t o a Muslim and jokingly saying Merry Christmas). We find that we can make a joke out of everything, and we do. And we consider it insignificant. This is the sad part. Even though our beloved Prophet warned us: Narrated Abu Huraira:That he heard Allah's Apostle saying, "A slave of Allah may utter a word without thinking whether it is right or wrong, he may slip down in the Fire as far away a distance equal to that between the East and the West." S ahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 484. I read a joke that was circulating on the internet about the woman's hijab. It w as making fun of women who cover less than perfectly. It was amusing, but that w as the problem. We need to advise each other, not ridicule each other -- this jo ke hit the line of backbiting. I even fell prey to the joking syndrome. I once p assed on a joke about the Friday Khutbah where the imam was less than perfect in his delivery of the khutbah. I did not see what I had done until after it was p ointed out to me by a watchful brother on my email list, Jazahu Allahu Khyran. O ur non-chalant attitude about jokes and their seriousness makes this an extremel y easy sin to fall into. Actually, if we took our Prophet' s advise, and did not seek to entertain each o ther with lies, we would avoid a large part of the problem. The other parts woul d be resolved by remembering the rights that our Muslim brothers and sister have upon us and by thinking about what we say before we say it. For the Prophet told us: Abu Huraira told that when they said, "Messenger of All ah, do you make jokes with us!" He replied, I say nothing but the truth." (Tirmi dhi) Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: Jabir heard the Prophet say: A Muslim is he from wh ose hand and tongue the Muslims are safe. Sahih Muslim: Book 1, Number 0065. and Narrated Malik: "Who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet." (i.e. abstain from dirty and evil talk, and should think before uttering). Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 73, Number 157. Our tongues can land us in the Hellfire or they can save us from it. Rasool Alla h said, Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever can guarantee (the chasti ty of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 481. and Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet; said, "A slave (of Allah) may utter a word wh ich pleases Allah without giving it much importance, and because of that Allah w ill raise him to degrees (of reward): a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carel essly) which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of tha t he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Numbe r 485.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Do not laugh too much, for laughing too much deadens the heart. (Saheeh al-Jaami, 7 312) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2305; Ibn Maajah, 4193.

We have to be very careful not to fall into the trap of joking about the deen. A llah warned us: "Of the people there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day;" b ut they do not (really) believe. They think to beguile Allah and those who belie ve, and they beguile none save themselves; but they perceive not. In their heart s is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: And grievous is the penal ty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves). When it is said to them : "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make peace!" Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not. Wh en it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe:" They say: "Shall we beli eve as the fools believe?" Nay, of a surety they are the fools, but they do not know. When they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe;" but when they ar e alone with their evil ones, they say: "We are really with you: We (were) only jesting."Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in thei r trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (To and fro). These are they w ho have bartered Guidance for error: But their traffic is profitless, and they h ave lost true direction, Their similitude is that of a man who kindled a fire; w hen it lighted all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in utte r darkness. So they could not see. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not return ( to the path). Or (another similitude) is that of a rain-laden cloud from the sky : In it are zones of darkness, and thunder and lightning: They press their finge rs in their ears to keep out the stunning thunder-clap, the while they are in te rror of death. But Allah is ever round the rejecters of Faith! The lightning all but snatches away their sight; every time the light (Helps) them, they walk the rein, and when the darkness grows on them, they stand still. And if Allah willed , He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing; for Allah hath power o ver all things." (Al Quraan: 2:8-20) And Allah says, Beautified is the life of the world for those who disbelieve; they make a jest o f the believers. But those who keep their duty to Allah will be above them on th e Day of Resurrection. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will. (Quraan: 2:21 2) I recognize this is talking about the non-believers and the hypocrites, but it c ontains a warning in it for us. This is the behaviour of the hypocrite and the n on- believer, to say one thing in front of the pious and to say another in front of the non-believer, or to act in a way that is equal to saying this. I will pr ovide you with an example. A Muslim is among other Muslims and he has a discussi on about the necessity of hijab for the woman. Then, a few days later, he is tal king to a non-Muslim who says -- oh, don't you think the women who wear face vei l look like ninjas? And he makes ninja jokes with this person. This is mocking t he Muslims and the religion. Instead of advisinng the person, and making the per son realize that this is a beautiful part of Islam, he sinks to their level, tel ling them with his actions that its OK to disrespect Muslim women with these jok es. He is saying -- I am really with you, not them. Or we have the Muslim who when polygamy is discussed, falls into jokes which may sometimes be quite distasteful, something which is specifically forbidden in Is lam.

Narrated Anas bin Malik:The Prophet was not one who would abuse (others) or say obscene words, or curse (others), and if he wanted to admonish anyone of us, he used to say: "What is wrong with him, his forehead be dusted!" Sahih Bukhari: Vo lume 8, Book 73, Number 58. Abu Said Al Khudri reported that the messenger of Allah said, "On the day of Jud gement of the people of Allah, in His sight, will accord lowest position to the man who consorts with his wife and then publishes her secrets." (Muslim) This all amounts to mocking or joking about the religion of Allah, and Allah say s, In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil; for t hat they rejected the Signs of Allah, and held them up to ridicule. (Quraan: 30: 10) Not only is it haram for us to make fun of the deen or elements of the deen, we are not to sit in the company of those who do so. Sit in the company of can have many connotations. It does not, in today's media-pervasive society have to be c onfined to physically sitting among the ones who mock Allah or His deen. It can be done by watching a TV show or listening to a radio program that does so. This is not confined specifically and only to jokes which do not specifically mentio n Islam. Any joke against God -- by any name, is a joke against Allah because re gardless of their beliefs there is only one ilah and that is Allah. Also, when t hey joke about Moses or Jesus or any prophet, it is an insult to the deen we sho uld not tolerate. When they joke about these things, even though they are wrong in their beliefs, we know better, and we know that these things are insults to g reat prophets of Allah. We have to set the example in respect to Allah and His p rophets. We should not sit and listen to these types of jokes either in person o r over some media medium. When Muslims are prortrayed in a bad manner, we should not participate by watching -- we should protest it as we should protest any in sult to Allah and His great deen. There is no excuse for being with those who mock Allah Allah and His deen, be th ey Muslims or non - Muslims. For Allah says, Already has He sent you Word in the Book, that when ye hear the signs of Allah h eld in defiance and ridicule, ye are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme: if ye did, ye would be like them. For Allah will collect the hy pocrites and those who defy faith - all in Hell (Quraan: 4.140) In short, we need to be careful about what we say as much and maybe even more th an what we do. Our tongue can bring us Jannah or naar, and we need to guard it a nd use it in the best manner. The prophet's advise to us to speak a good word or remain silent is timeless. We can not ignore the tongue because it is a great s ource of fitnah for us. We can not say this is unimportant in the long run, beca use in the religion of Islam, nothing is unimportant. We can not be like the Chr istians and Jews, taking only that which we want to follow from the religion. We must take it as a whole. Allah says: After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a pa rty of you from their homes; assist (Their enemies) against them, in guilt and r ancour; and if they come to you as captives, ye ransom them, though it was not l awful for you to banish them. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who b

ehave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shal l be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do. (Quraan 2: 85) We can not say that something the Prophet commanded or warned about is unimporta nt, because it was important enough for Allah and His Messenger to address it, s o it is important enough for us to follow it. Our religion is complete. Allah sa ys, ...This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you , and have chosen for you Islam as your religion... (Quraan 5:3) Subhanak allaahuma wa bihamdik/Glory & praise/gratitude is to You OH Allaah, ash -hadu allaa illahaa illa Ant/I bear witness there is none that has the right to my worship but You, astaghfiruka wa a tubu Eellaik/I ask Your forgiveness and re pent unto You. BarakAllahu Feek for the reminder. Umar ibn Abd al-Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Fear joking, for it is folly and generates grudges. Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The kind of joking which is forbidden is that which is excessive and persistent, for it leads to too much laughter and hardening of the heart, it distracts from remembrance of Allah, and it often leads to hurt feelings, generates hatred and causes people to lose respect and dignity. But whoever is safe from such dangers , then that which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do is permissible for him. Sad ibn Abi Waqqaas said: Set a limit to your jokes, for going to extremes makes you lose respect and incit es the foolish against you. Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whoever laughs too much or jokes too much loses respect, and whoever persists in doing something will be known for it. So beware of joking, for it causes a person to lose face after he was thought of as respectable, and it brings him humiliati on after esteem. Fighting Jihad is an obligation on us. What is this talking of Jihad only being of the nafs? Conditions of permissible joking Question : What are the conditions for joking to be permissible? Answer : Praise be to Allaah. 1 It not should not involve any element of making fun of Islam. That is one of the things that nullify a persons Islam. Allaah says (interpretati on of the meaning): If you ask them (about this), they declare: We were only talking idly and joking. S ay: Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, r evelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking?

Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed [al-Tawbah 9:65-66] Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Making fun of Allaah, His Signs and His Messenger is kufr (disbelief) and the one who does that disbelieves the reby after he had believed. The same applies to making fun of some Sunnahs, an action which is widespread, s uch as making fun of the beard and the hijaab, or of shortening ones garment, etc . Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen said in al-Majmoo al-Thameen, 1/63: The matters of Divine Lordship, Prophethood, Revelation and religion are sacred m atters which are to be venerated. It is not permissible for anyone to show disre spect towards them, whether by mocking them to make others laugh or to poke fun at them. If anyone does that, he is a kaafir, because this is indicative of his disrespect towards Allaah and His Messengers, Books and Laws. Whoever does that has to repent to Allaah for what he has done, because that is a kind of hypocris y. So he has to repent to Allaah, seek His forgiveness, mend his ways and develo p fear of Allaah, veneration towards Him and love for Him in his heart. And Alla ah is the Source of strength. 2 The jokes should only be truthful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh, woe to him. (Narrated by Abu Dawood). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning against th is kind of behaviour which some jokers are accustomed to: A man may say something to make his companions laugh, and he will fall into Hell as far as the Pleiades because of it. (Narrated by Ahmad). 3 Not scaring people Especially those who are very energetic or strong, or who are holding a weapon o r a piece of iron, or who take advantage of the darkness and peoples weakness to use that as a means of scaring and alarming them. It was narrated that Abu Layla said: The companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sai d that they were travelling with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be u pon him), and a man among them fell asleep. Some of them got a rope and tied him up, and he got scared. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah b e upon him) said: It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim. (N arrated by Abu Dawood). 4 Mocking people by winking behind their backs or making snide remarks People vary in their ability to understand things and in their characters. Some weak people, those who like to make fun of others and wink behind their backs or make snide remarks, may find a person to be an object of fun for them and the b utt of their jokes Allaah forbid. Allaah has forbidden such behavior in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the lat ter are better than the former. Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it ma y be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame one another, nor ins

ult one another by nicknames. How bad is it to insult ones brother after having F aith [al-Hujuraat 49:11] Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer: What is meant here is looking down on them, beli ttling them or making fun of them. This is haraam and is counted as one of the c haracteristics of the hypocrites. Some people make fun of a persons appearance, manner of walking or vehicle. But t here is the fear that Allaah may requite the one who makes fun of others because of that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, Do not ex press malicious joy towards your brothers misfortune, for Allaah may have mercy o n him and you may be stricken by the thing you made fun of. (Narrated by al-Tirmi dhi). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against mocking p eople and hurting their feelings, because that is the path that leads to hatred and grudges. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The Muslim is t he brother of another Muslim, he does not wrong him, let him down or look down u pon him. Taqwa (piety, awareness and fear of Allaah) is here and he pointed to hi s chest three times It is sufficient evil for a man to look down upon his Muslim brother. Every Muslim is sacred to another Muslim, his blood, his property and h is honour. (Narrated by Muslim) 5 The jokes should not be excessive. Some people joke too much and it becomes a habit for them. This is the opposite of the serious nature which is the characteristic of the believers. Joking is a break, a rest from ongoing seriousness and striving; it is a little relaxation f or the soul. Umar ibn Abd al-Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Fear joking, for it is folly and generates grudges. Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The kind of joking which is forbidden is that which is excessive and persistent, for it leads to too much la ughter and hardening of the heart, it distracts from remembrance of Allaah, and it often leads to hurt feelings, generates hatred and causes people to lose resp ect and dignity. But whoever is safe from such dangers, then that which the Mess enger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do is permis sible for him. 6 Acknowledging peoples status Some people may joke with everyone indiscriminately, but scholars and the elderl y have rights, so you have to be aware of the character of the person with whom you are dealing. You should not joke with ignorant people, fools or people whom you do not know. With regard to this matter, Umar ibn Abd al-Azeez said: Fear joking, for it undermin es chivalry and manliness. Sad ibn Abi Waqqaas said: Set a limit to your jokes, for going to extremes makes y ou lose respect and incites the foolish against you. 7 The amount of joking should be like the amount of salt in ones food. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Do not laugh too mu ch, for laughing too much deadens the heart. (Saheeh al-Jaami, 7312)

Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whoever laughs too muc h or jokes too much loses respect, and whoever persists in doing something will be known for it. So beware of joking, for it causes a person to lose face after he was thought of as respectable, and it brings him humiliation after esteem. 8 It should not involve backbiting. This is a foul sickness. Some people think that they can talk about others, and say that this is by way of joking, but it is included in the hadeeth of the Prop het (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), [Backbiting is] your mentioning about your brother something that he dislikes. (Narrated by Muslim) 9 Choosing appropriate times for joking. Such as when you are taking a trip in the countryside, or attending a party in t he evening, or when meeting a friend, you may relax and enjoy some gentle anecdo tes, nice stories or light jokes, in order to generate friendship and instill ha ppiness in the heart; or when family problems are taking their toll and one of t he spouses is angry, some gentle joking may relieve the tension and cheer people up. O Muslim, A man said to Sufyaan ibn Uyaynah (may Allaah be pleased with him), Joking is not right, it is to be denounced. He replied, Rather it is Sunnah, but only for those who know how to do it and do it at the appropriate time. Nowadays, although the ummah needs to increase the love between its individual m embers and to relieve itself of boredom, it has gone too far with regard to rela xation, laughter and jokes. This has become a habit which fills their gatherings and wastes their time, so their lives are wasted and their newspapers are fille d with jokes and trivia. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much. In Fath al-Baari it says: What is mean t by knowledge here has to do with the might of Allaah and His vengeance upon th ose who disobey Him, and the terrors that occur at death, in the grave and on th e Day of Resurrection). Muslim men and women have to be inclined to choose righteous and serious friends in their lives, who will help them to make good use of their time and strive fo r the sake of Allaah with seriousness and steadfastness, good and righteous peop le whose example they can follow. Bilaal ibn Sad said: I saw them [the Sahaabah] j okingly pretending to fight over some goods, and laughing with one another, but when night came they were like monks. Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was asked, Did the Companions of the Pro phet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) laugh? He said, Yes, and the fait h in their hearts was like mountains. So you have to follow the example of such people, who were knights by day and mo nks (i.e., devoted worshippers) by night. May Allaah keep us, you and our parents safe on the Day of the Greatest Terror, those to whom the call will go out on that great Day: Enter Paradise, no fear shall be on you, nor shall you grieve

[al-Araaf 7:49 interpretation of the meaning]