Funny Stories and Laughing

“Once I asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.) ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, can a man be with a people who speak and laugh at funny stories?’ The Imam said, ‘It is not an offense if there is not that.’ I (the narrator) then thought ‘ that ’ was his signal to indecent acts. The Imam then said, ‘Arabs would come to the Messenger of Allah and bring him gifts and then say, “Pay us for our gifts.” The Messenger of Allah would laugh. When he felt sad he would say, “What happened to the Arab man? I wish he comes by.’””

“There is no believer except that within him is humour." I asked, "What is humour?". The Imam said, "Jokes."

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘How is your telling funny stories for each other?’ I said, ‘It is very little.’ The Imam said, ‘Do not do so. Telling funny stories is of delightful moral discipline. You can bring joy to your brother (in belief). The Messenger of Allah would tell funny stories to bring cheerfulness feelings to a man.’”

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, loves a funny storyteller in a group free of abusive matters. ’”

“The laughing of a believing person is smiling.”

“Much laughing deadens the heart. He has also said, ‘Much laughing melts one’s religion just as water melts salt.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is ignorance to laugh without astonishment.’ The narrator has said that the Imam would say, ‘In laughing do not allow your teeth to become visible, when you have committed disgraceful deeds. One who has committed evil deeds should not feel secure about what kinds of misfortune the night may bring.”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Beware of jokes; it takes away the dignity of one’s face.’”

“If you love a person, do not play jokes on him and do not argue with him.”

“Laughing loud is from Satan.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Much laughing eliminates the dignity of one’s face.’”

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘Beware of joking; it attracts hatred and hostility and it is a minor form of name-calling.’”

“If you have laughed loudly, say, ‘O Lord, please, do not hate me.’”

“Much joking eliminates the dignity of one’s face and much laughing hurls belief far away.”

I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) say the following: “Joking is a minor form of name-calling.”

“Beware of joking; it eliminates the dignity of one’s face and his respect.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Do not quarrel; it eliminates your brilliance and do not play jokes; people grow rude and daring against you.”

“Do not play jokes; rudeness will be used against you.”

“The Imam said in his will to one of his sons or that he said, ‘My father said to one of his sons: “Beware of playing jokes; it eliminates the light of your belief, and decreases your manhood.’”

“Yahya (John) ibn Zakariya would weep and would not laugh. Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam would laugh and weep. What Isa (Jesus) did was better than what Yahya would do.”