How did He laugh?
Muhammad (peace be upon him) kept His dignity in all conditions; even in laughter, He was never reported to have grinned from ear to ear, but rather smiled. Aisha says, “I have never seen Messenger of Allah laughing so heartily that his uvula could be seen. He used to smile only.
“Abdullah bin Al-Harith (may Allah bless him) says,”The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Won laugh was only that of a smile.
“The way Muhammad (peace be upon him) is characterized is perfect for men who do make laughter an end in itself, but gust a broad smile to overcome difficulties and soften hearts. Anyone following up His biography finds that He smiles much with people, becomes nearer to grief being alone by way of shouldering the burden of His nation in this life and the afterlife.
Muhammad’s Humor
Muhammad (peace he upon him) was never harsh or too strict, but He rather mingled with His companions, making fun and smiling with them. When we compare the successive narrations concerning His making fun with His companions (may Allah be satisfied with them) with those in the field of seriousness, we could appreciate how serious He was.
Though people mostly regard humorous situations as nonessential, charging the humorist with no responsibility, but Muhammad’s humor was of a different kind. In His humor, He told nothing but the truth; Abu Hurair (may Allah bless him) says, “The sahabah (companions) asked, “O Messenger of Allah, you joke with us?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Yes, I do not say but the truth.” Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not content to abide by this conduct Himself, but He urged His companions and supporters to stick to the truth, and warned against willful lying merely for arousing laughter. He said, “Woe to him who tells things, speaking falsely, to make people laugh thereby.
Woe to him! Woe to him!”
As an example of truth-telling when He made fun with someone with something he really possesses as He says to Anas, “O you with the two ears.”
A man came to Him wishing to fight in the cause of Allah, but he had no female camel, and asked the Prophet for one, He (peace be upon him) told him, we shall give you a she-camel’s child to ride on.
“He said, what shall I do with a she-camel’s child?”
The Prophet replied, “Do any others than she-camels give birth to camels?”
His (peace be upon him) humor and fun were not limited to old men, but He made fun with the young by way of being sociable; His servant Anas bin Malik (may Allah bless him) says, “The Prophet used to mix with us to the extent that He would say to a younger brother of mine, ‘O father of Umar! What did the nughair (a kind of bird) do?”
The nughair was a small bird, Abu Umair kept as a pet.
Anas (may Allah bless him) also narrates that a Bedouin called Zaher. The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved him and he was ugly. One day Zaher was selling some property of his own. The Prophet (peace be upon him) came unseen and embraced him from behind so that Zaher could not see Him. Zaher (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Who is this?, leave me.” But when he saw with the corner of his eye that it was the Prophet, he straightened his back and began pressing it to the chest of the Prophet. The Messenger of Allah then said, “Who will purchase this slave?” Zaher (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “O Messenger of Allah, If you shall sell me, you will be selling a detective thing, and will earn very little sum”. The Messenger of Allah said “No, you ate not defer live in the sight of Allah, but very valuable.”
As He made fun with His companions, He accepted their humor, Auf bin Malik (may Allah bless him) narrated, “I came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) at the expedition to tabuk when he was in a small Skin tent, I gave him a salutation and He returned it, saying, “Come in
I asked, “The whole of me Apostle of Allah?”
He replied, “The whole of you:’ So I entered.”
Apart from accepting fun making with His companions, He did not leave the situation unrestrained, He forbade humor that caused sadness, or anger or harm. He said in a tradition of His, “None of you should take the property of his brother in amusement (jest), nor in earnest.”
The narrator Suleiman said, “Out of amusement and out of earnest. If anyone takes the staff of his brother, he should return it.”
Walking with His companions, one of them fell asleep and another tied him with a rope, the man was scared, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “It is not lawful for a Muslim that he frightens a Muslim.”
Muhammad’s Grief
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not a hard-hearted man or one who looked upon a man’s weeping as a kind of weakness, but He rather was a soft-hearted man who was easily influenced by a situation and moved to tears. A stern heart is against nature and does not soften with situations, therefore, the prophet used to ask Allah to save Him from a solid heart, He says,”O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the knowledge which is not beneficial, and from a heart which does not fear (You), and from desire which is not satisfied, and from prayer which is not answered.”
Many a situation witnessed Muhammad’s weeping among His companions or people. Although He easily shed many tears weeping, this did not draw Him away from dignity or Allah’s satisfaction; He wept, as His companions mentioned, with a sound like that of a boiling kettle, He did not raise His voice in weeping or laughter.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) wept in appreciation of Allah’s merits and elevation of His status. Being alone, He was always concerned. His two companions, Anas and Abu Hurairah (may Allah bless them both, narrates, “If you knew that which I know you would laugh little and weep much.”
These are few eloquent words that leave impressions upon the listener opening the scope for his imagination to think by himself of their meaning. What is that which Muhammad (peace be upon him) knows of that makes them -should they know of it – weep more and laugh less?
They know some of these things that will occur on the Day of Judgment; of reckoning and punishment, but they were taken by surprise, and thought of themselves and of their limitations, the narrator said, “Thereupon those present covered their faces and began to sob.”
