Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The jokes of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were always truthful and intended to bring forth affability. He joked with his companions only according to the need. For this reason, one should be moderate in his sense of humour and refrain from insulting and mocking others.
Al-Nawawi said,
The forbidden type of joking is that which is immoderate and highly frequent for this hardens the heart and makes laughing a habit of the person, distracting the individual from the remembrance of Allāh and the religious obligations. Not to mention that excessive joking can often lead to hurting the feelings of others, thereby inducing hatred and compromising one’s dignity and respect before the people. If the joke is free of all these defects, then it is the lawful joking that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did.
235. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) once called me, ‘O two eared one!’” [271]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The statement of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) to Anas was to joke with him and it shows his humbleness as he joked with his servant.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The statement of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) was said to praise Anas for being an attentive listener who understands the words he hears accurately. The humorous aspect of the statement is that it gives the impression that the person possesses no sense except for that which emanates from the ears.
236. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to mix with us (i.e. me and my family) to the extent that he said to my younger brother, ‘Abū Umayr, what happened to the Nughayr?’”
Al-Tirmidhī said: “This hadīth shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to joke with others and that it is allowed to give young children birds to play with.” [272]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
Al-Nughayr is a type of bird and the Prophet (peace be upon him) used a kunya to call the young child to bring joy to his heart as he knew that his bird had died.
Al-Baghawī said, “This hadīth shows that it is allowed to rhyme if it is natural and intended.”
The fiqh of this hadīth is:
· It is allowed to have birds in a cage to enjoy their colour or play with so long as they are fed and looked after.
· It is allowed to call children with a kunya (i.e. the father of so and so).
· It is allowed to joke so long as the joke does not involve sins.
· It shows the kind manners and compassion of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
· It is from the recommended good manners to look after the vulnerable ones and bring happiness to their hearts.
237. Abū Hurairah narrated: “The companions said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him)! Verily, you joke with us!’ He said, ‘Yes, except I do not say but the truth.’” [273]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) joked but his jokes did not include anything unlawful as all of his statements were truthful.
238. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “A man requested from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) a means of transport. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘I will give you the baby of a camel to ride.’ The man said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh! What shall I do with the baby camel?’ He replied, ‘[Do you not know that] every camel is the baby of a camel?’” [274]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The response of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the reaction of the man teaches us that one should contemplate the words he hears and not rush to respond and reject a statement or offering until after it is understood well.
239. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “There was a resident of the desert whose name was Zāhir, whenever he visited the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) he brought with him a present to give to the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) and when he intended to leave Madīnah, the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to present him with provisions of the city. Once the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Zāhir is our desert, and we are his city.’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) had a strong bond with him though he had an unpleasant appearance. One day, the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) approached him while he was selling his merchandise in the market and caught him in between the arms from the back in such a manner that he could not be seen. Zāhir said, ‘Who is this? Let me go.’ But when he turned and saw with the corner of his eye that it was the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), he straightened his back and began pressing it to the chest of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, ‘Who will purchase this slave?’ Zāhir replied, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, if you shall sell me, you will be selling something defective.’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) replied, ‘No, you are not defective in the sight of Allāh, but very valuable.’” [275]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
Zāhir used to gift the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) from the items that the Bedouins used to make such as dry milk, ghee etc. In return, the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to reciprocate with a better gift when Zāhir wanted to leave Madīnah.
The statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that, “Zāhir is our desert and we are his city” was to show that both sets of people complete each other as the people in the desert need the ones in the city and the people in the city need the ones living in the desert.
This hadīth shows that joking is not limited to words but can also include action as can be seen from the act of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) when he held Zāhir from the back.
The reason Anas mentioned Zāhir’s appearance was to clarify the reason why Zāhir described himself as defective merchandise that no one would want to buy.
The statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Zāhir shows the virtue of this companion and at the same time goes in line with the other hadīth, “Allāh does not look at your image and wealth, rather He looks at your deeds and hearts.”[276] The virtue of a person depends on his piety and not his physical appearance.
240. Al-Hasan al-Basrī narrated: “An old woman came to the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh! Ask Allāh to grant me entrance into Paradise.’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) replied, ‘O mother of so and so! No old women will enter Paradise.’ The woman started crying and began to leave. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Say to the woman that she will not enter Paradise in a state of old age. Allāh says: {Lo! We have created them a [new] creation and made them virgins, lovers, equal in age.}[277]’” [278]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was intended to teach the woman in a humorous manner that old women will be created new and their age when they enter Paradise will be thirty three as stated in the hadīth reported by Mu’ādh ibn Jabal and documented in the Musnad of Imām Ahmad.