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." 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.