Islamic Morality
Forms of Politeness
Joke: It means to jest with friends and buddies to ginger up and cheer up the mood of the environment of speech or conversation. However, just as there is an extent for every behavior, joke also has an extend and a limit. If it exceeds its extent, then it will backlash and cause quarrels. A joke should be like the amount of salt in a soup.
It is necessary to avoid humiliating words and attitudes that will offend the other person when it comes to joke. Even if it is a joke, it is not right to lie. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) stated that a pavilion in the middle of the heaven would be given to someone who avoids lying even if it is a joke. (1)
Our Master (pbuh) ask “Aren’t you the wife of the man who has whiteness in his eyes?” to a woman who consults him for a situation. The woman claims that there is no whiteness in her husband’s eyes. Our Master (pbuh) smiles and says, “There is no one without whiteness in his or her eyes”.(2)
1- Ebu Davut, Edep 7.
2- Tirmizi, Birr 57.
Translation: Asuman İşler