Jokes in Social Life
"Thus it is due to mercy from Allah(God) that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you" ( Quran : 3/159 ) .
The noble Prophet (pbuh) was sincere and frank with those around him, and avoided ceremony or formality. He spoke according to his listeners' level of understanding, and sometimes made wise and meaningful jokes. Although he suffered inwardly from the unbelief, injustice, and sins he witnessed, and was anxious about everyone's end and afterlife, he always smiled and behaved pleasantly.
Due to his nature he always acted in moderation. His gentleness is also referred in the Holy Quran as: "Thus it is due to mercy from Allah(God) that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you" ( Quran : 3/159 ) .
As related by Hasan; An old lady from the residents of Medina came to the Prophet(pbuh) and told him:
- "Please pray for me, so that I go to heaven."
The Prophet(pbuh) replied:
-"Did you not hear it? Old women cannot go to heaven."
The old lady became upset upon this. Then in a pleasant manner he explained to the old lady that old women would go to heaven as young girls and thus he cheered her.
The people he joked with the most were obviously the grandchildren of the Prophet, Hasan and Hussein. He would hold their hands, place them on his feet and then lift them to his bosom, hug and kiss them. Sometimes he would even carry them on his shoulders.
One day while Prophet Muhammad was going to a meeting, he ran into Hussein who was playing on the street. He stopped in front of him, opened his arms and called him. But Hussein did not want to come to him and he ran away playfully. Then the Prophet ran after Hussein laughing and caught him. Then he kissed and petted him and gave him his blessings.
In another rivayah (narration) by Jabir, the Prophet was pretending to be a camel and his grandsons were riding on his back. He was walking on his hands and feet and made a compliment to them:
"How wonderful riders you are!"
Our heart is like a mirror; too much and too frequent solemnity may cause it to steam up, and telling pleasant jokes will remove that steam, but our jokes must never hurt a person's feelings.
( pbuh = peace be upon him )
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