LOL: Laughter as Medicine

By the end of this khutbah, the listener/reader will appreciate the gift of laughter by actively seeking humor and joy in everyday life.

Smile. A smile says, “I’ve done this before. Trust me. Sit back and enjoy the show.” People who are preoccupied, unprepared, and nervous don’t smile. So show some teeth. Keep your head and eyes up. Your smile eases tension and creates a relaxed atmosphere. As you share this message, laugh at your jokes and be generous with your smiles so the message really sinks in. Also remember that joy is good dawah.

Khutbah tul Haajah

Innaal-hamdu Lillaahi nahmaduhu wa nasta’eenahu wa nastaghfiruhu

wa na’oodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa min sayi’aati a’maalinaa

Man yahdih Illaahu falaa mudilla lahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya lahu

Wa ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu la sharika lahu

wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha waqooloo qawlan sadeedan

Yuslih Lakum A’malukum wa yaghfir lakum dhunubakum wa mayin yuti illaha wa rasulahu faqad faza fauzan adheema.

Amma ba’ad.

Fainna khairal hadeethi kitabullah, wa khairal hadi, hadi Muhammad (saw), wa sharrul umur muhdathatuha, wa kullu bida’atin dalaala, wa kullu dalalatin finnar

A Muslim rancher was selling his horses at a market in a mountain village. An interested buyer approached, wanting to see his best horse. The rancher brought out a horse that looked old and thin. The man laughed, but the rancher told him that it was a unique horse: In order to make it walk, you had to say “Subhanallah.” To make it run, you had to say “Alhamdulillah,” and to make it stop, you had to say “Allahu Akbar.” The buyer could hardly believe it, so he asked if he could go for a test drive. The rancher said, “Of course!” The guy sat on the horse and said, “Subhanallah.” The horse started to walk. Then he said, “Alhamdulillah,” and it started to run. He kept saying “Alhamdulillah,” and the horse ran faster and faster. The man was amazed by this “Muslim” horse—it was swift and comfortable. Suddenly the man noticed that the horse was running towards the edge of the mountain. He forgot which dhikr would stop the horse. In his confusion, he shouted whatever words came to mind. When the horse was just near the edge, he remembered “Allahu Akbar,” and said it out loud. The horse screeched to a halt at the very edge of the cliff. The man took a deep breath, looked up towards the sky, and said, “Alhamdulillah!”

Life is Fast

Our morning alarm is like the starting gun at a track meet. Run downstairs! Run to the car! Run to class! Run a red light! Run to work! Run home! Wanna hang out? Nope, gotta run. Run through the internet! Run through the prayer! Run to bed!

Laughter slows time down. Here’s proof: When you remember times that you were laughing out loud, you see it in slow motion.

Things get tough. You’ll have many reasons to not smile and get depressed. Let’s remember that a lighthearted spirit is essential to our spirituality and a healthy life in general. We cannot be holy if we cannot be happy. And we cannot be happy if we fail to find humor and joy and laughter. Holiness brings you closer to Allah—He is the source of all joy. [1]

Find something that makes you laugh out loud. I like watching Tom & Jerry cartoons, or the Three Stooges. Find authors who make you laugh. (I recommend Calvin and Hobbes or the humor sections from Reader’s Digest.) Keep a toy on your desk or in your car.[2] Smile, slow down, and you will get closer to Allah.

Vitamin L

This khutbah is about Vitamin L—laughter. It’s a simple reminder about the importance of laughter in the life of believers. If we continue to take it every day, it will help us live longer, it will make us more creative, and it can even help us look better. Some of us need a lot of Vitamin L!

Can you imagine the joy we’ll experience when we enter Jannah? You may laugh out of extraordinary joy when you meet the Prophets. Joy is a characteristic of those close to Allah. It shows confidence in Allah’s promise, and gratitude for His blessings. Joy, humor, and laughter are gifts. In Surah an Najm, Allah says, “Waannahu huwa adhaka waabka” He has granted you laughter and tears [53:43]. Have you ever laughed so hard that you cried? Those are two gifts in one.

In fact, I want to take this a step further and add that being ticklish is also a gift. Many children fall down out of laughter because they are so ticklish. One brother shared that some of his happiest memories are of his grandfather making him and his cousins all scream with laughter. Do you want to know a little marriage secret? I’ve discovered where my wife is most ticklish, and when I can’t convince her with logic or bribery, I resort to making her laugh into submission. It is truly an unfair advantage.

Laughter is from the Sunnah: Allah Laughs [3]

There is a famous hadith about the last man to enter Paradise. After him, the gates of Paradise were to be sealed forever. So obviously, he has the smallest portion of Jannah. He will live in the “ghetto” of Jannah. This guy says, “Oh Allah, just let me go sit by the gate.” So Allah says, “Oh, really? What else would you like? Would you be happy if I give you the earth and everything in it?” The man says, “Oh Allah, yes, that will be enough for me.” Allah then says, “Oh my servant, I will give you the earth and everything in it. And ask from me whatever else you want.” So this man asks, and keeps asking till he runs out of wishes. Then Allah reminds him of other things to ask for: “Why don’t you ask me for this, and for that?” The man continues to wish, and Allah adds, “All of that which you ask for, I will double it for you.” The man pauses, knowing that this is the lowest position in Paradise, yet he is given so much. He finally asks, “Oh Allah, are you making fun of me?” Allah laughs. The man says, “Are you laughing at me, and you are the King of the world?” Then Allah opens the gate and gives him everything that He promised.

This is the person with the lowest status in Paradise. [4]

Of course, the Prophet (S) laughed.

A man broke his fast during Ramadan. The Prophet (S) told him that it was a big sin and that he must either free a slave, fast for two months consecutively, or feed 60 poor men. The man said, “I am a poor person and cannot afford to free a slave or feed so many poor people!” The Prophet (S) said, “Sit down.” Thereafter, a huge basket of dates was brought to the Messenger of Allah. He said, “Take this and give it as sadaqah.” The man went around for a long time and came back with all the dates. He said, “Oh Messenger of Allah, I looked near and far, but I couldn’t find anyone poorer than myself.” The Prophet (S) laughed and said, “Eat it yourself.” [5]

Abu Hurayrah was one of those Companions who lived in the Masjid. He said that he used to get so hungry that he would wrap a stone into his waistband. One day, he said, I was sitting like this, and the Prophet (S) passed by me. When he saw me, he smiled at me and knew my condition and my feelings. He asked me to join him and I did. We went to his place and he brought out a small bowl of milk. Just as he was about to hand it to me, he said, “Why don’t you call the others from the masjid, and bring them over, too.” Abu Hurayrah looked at this small bowl of milk and thought, Normally, I don’t mind sharing, but this is such a small bowl, and truly I deserve it more than anyone else right now. But he called the others, and there seemed to be more people than usual. Everyone came over and sat down. The Prophet (S) said, “Oh Abu Hurayrah, take this bowl to everyone and make sure that they all drink.” So he went around with the bowl. Some took little sips and some just gulped, and finally there was just a few drops left in the bowl. The Prophet (S) asked if everyone got some, and they all said yes. Then the Prophet (S) looked at the bowl and laughed and finally told Abu Hurayrah to drink some. When he put the bowl to his lips, the milk gushed into his mouth, sweet and cold. Prophet (S), still smiling, said, “Drink some more.” Abu drank until he was full. The Prophet (S) was still smiling and said, “Drink some more.” Abu Hurayrah said that he had no room left, so he handed the bowl to the Prophet (S), who finished the bowl of milk. [6]

Muslims are amazingly funny people!

An Imam from Egypt, a scholar from Pakistan, and an American khatib are sitting outside a Starbucks talking about how wrong it was to discuss humor at the Friday prayers. Out of nowhere, a beautiful woman walked by. The Egyptian Imam shakes his head and says, “Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah!” The Pakistani scholar grabs his ears and says, “Tauba, Tauba!” The American khatib smiles and says, “Inshallah, Inshallah.”

Sheikh Yusuf Estes, a former minister, shared this story: An old man was on his death bed. When asked what his religious background was, he said he was a Christian. The local minister was called, and as he leaned in real close to the dying man, the minister said, “Say ‘La illaha ill Allah.” The old man was startled and said, “I’m a Christian.” The minister said sincerely, “I know, I know. Trust me. Just say, ‘La illaha ill Allah.’” The old man had heard about priests and rabbis who were closet Muslims. But he was on his death bed, and he figured, it’s the same Creator, so why not? So he said, “La illaha ill Allah Muhammadur Rasullah.” And with that, he took his last breath. The minister looked up and said, “Alhamdolillah, we just got rid of another Mozlem.” [7]

If we open our eyes to all the funny things that happen to us every day, I think we’ll see that Allah wants us to laugh. I wore my Crocs to the masjid once, and after the salah they were totally wet. Then, right in front of me, someone came by, slipped into them, and went off to make wudu. My friends thought that was hilarious.

A local high school student met a visiting Imam from a huge masjid in India. The Imam asked the kid a few questions—his name, where he was from, what he wanted to do when he grew up, etc. The kid very politely answered his questions and said that one day he wanted to be an Imam, too. The Imam said “Mashallah!” Then the kid asked the Imam for some advice. He asked, “What is the most important skill to have in such a critical position?” The Imam said, “Yes, the most important skill is listening. Listen carefully to the people. Mashallah, that is a good question. What is your name? And where are you from?”

The Best Medicine

Childhood and Laughter

A family that laughs together is a family that stays together. My first challenge to you is to keep your home fun. Have a game night at the house where everyone participates in a board game, like Cranium or Pictionary or Charades. Laughter makes your family stronger. John Gottman, a psychologist who specializes in marriage and parenting, says that one of the best predictors of divorce for couples that have been married for more than seven years is the absence of laughter. Sharing a laugh or an inside joke is one of the highest acts of love. Humor and joking are signs of intimacy, trust, and hope. The founder of the National Institute of Play discovered a common factor of all the inmates on Death Row in Texas: none of them had normal childhoods. They never laughed or played.

Observe children closely—they are experts on playing and laughing. [9] On average, a child will laugh over 200 times per day. A typical adult only laughs 4 times each day. My challenge to you is to make that 40 times each day. A good test of your laughter quotient is how children respond to you. Do they enjoy your company? Or are they scared of you and your seriousness? Don’t you know that our Prophet (S) was beloved by children of all ages?

Warning: Too Much Laughter [10]

It seems that the more religious people get the more serious they become. Yes, there is tremendous devastation in the world today, and much to cry about. Islam shows us how to be balanced.

Bilal ibn Sa’d said: “I saw the Sahaabah pretending to fight over some goods while laughing with one another, but when night came they were like monks.”

A man said, “Joking isn’t right. It should be denounced.” Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah replied, “Rather it is from the Sunnah, but only for those who know how to do it and do it at the appropriate time.”

When a body is being lowered into the ground, no, that’s not the right time to “lighten-the-mood.” Stay away from lewd or inappropriate references. Our Prophet was never lewd or immoral, and he would say, “the best of you have the best character…” [11] And don’t use humor at someone else’s expense.

Islam helps us be balanced. A great example is when a young man came to the Prophet (S) and said, “Oh, Messenger of Allah, I want to travel with you.” The Prophet (S) asked him if his parents approved. The young man said that they didn’t exactly want him to leave…in fact, when he left, they were crying. The Prophet (S) told him, “Go back and make them laugh just as you left them weeping.” [12]

A cool ou koule hadha, astaghfirullahe wallkum, astaghfiruhu innahu wal-Ghafur rur-Raheem. [sit]

Alhamdolillah, summa alhamdolillah. Amma baadh.

A priest, a rabbi, and an Imam were chatting at an Interfaith event. They were comparing da’wah (preaching) techniques, when one of them made the comment that preaching to people isn’t really all that hard…but a REAL challenge would be to preach to a bear.

One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it. Seven days later, they would get together to discuss the experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. “Well,” he says, “I went into the woods to find a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Bible. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, splashed it in him, and he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion.”

Imam Abdur-Rahman spoke next. He was in a wheelchair with an arm and both legs in casts. He said, “I went out and found a bear. And then I began to recite from the Holy Qur’an. That bear kept turning and walked away. So I grabbed him, and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, up another and down another until I got to the verse about honey [16:69]. The bear began to cry so I quickly recited the shahadah over him!”

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV’s and monitors running in and out of him. He was in very bad shape.

After a few minutes of silent reflection, the rabbi said, “Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start.”

Dont Take Yourself So Seriously

I very clearly remember the first time I ever gave a khutbah…and, sadly, so do all the people who heard it. The podium had an attached microphone, and I had a death-grip on the rail so my trembling was amplified. I forgot the entire Arabic khutbah at the beginning, then I dropped all my note cards (none of which were numbered). All that happened in the first minute; it actually got much worse. It’s a miracle that I’m still allowed to give khutbahs, because that was brutal…and in retrospect, hilarious. Be willing to laugh at yourself. Don’t be insecure, super-sensitive, or defensive. Lighten up, and share some of your embarrassing moments!

It is said that when we take ourselves too seriously, we take other things, like our faith, too lightly. Humor reminds us that we’re not in control. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then Allah will remind us. He shows us our weaknesses. There is a saying, if you want to make God laugh, start making plans.

One guy went to the Jumuah prayer but got held up in the office so the masjid parking lot was full. He was frantically driving around when he prayed “Oh Allah! Please help me. If you open up a parking space, then from now on, I’ll come to the masjid on time, and I’ll make all my prayers on time, and—” Right then, he saw a space. “Oh never mind, Allah,” the man says. “I found one.”

Smile

One of the first thing people notice about you is your smile. Laughing and making others laugh often helps you look more attractive.

At every khutbah, I like to recommend a book. Today, I’m going to recommend one of the best books you will have ever read: start a collection of humorous memories yourself. Reflect on the best times from your childhood, adolescence, college, early married life, etc. Think about the funny pranks, jokes, and times that you laughed out loud. Write all those down, and keep adding to the list over the years. I guarantee you that this will instantly become your favorite book. I challenge you to write this book.

Joy: The Fruit of Eeman

If you get nothing else out of this message, remember that a common ingredient of people who live well into their 90s and beyond is not necessarily their diet or regular exercise. It is their attitude. They are joyful people. They never forget how to laugh.

Joy is a fruit of spirituality. Many people write about meeting the Dalai Lama and describe his radiant smile [14]. In fact, in almost every interview, you will see him erupting in laughter. A common trait among Chief Executive Officers at major companies around the world is their ability to laugh and relate with anyone at any level. We are naturally drawn to joyful people.

Joy is good dawah. A gentle humor and laughter is a great way to share the beauty of this faith. It’s naturally and inherently attractive. A little bit of humor helps the message stick and helps change the perception that Muslims are only good at rioting.

The Companions were joyful people. They sought the company of our Prophet (S), who brought good news and made them smile. He (S) was playful and gave some of them nicknames. Once the Prophet (S) took a nap and woke up and smiled really big. Everyone started smiling and asked him what was up? He said that he just received a wonderful set of verses: Then he started reciting: Inna a ‘taina ka-l-Kawthar. Fa salli li-Rabbi-ka wa-nhar. Inna shani’ a-ka huwa-l-abtar. [15] In the Surah, Allah says that He has given the Believers al-Kawthar (a river of abundance). [16] When you recite this surah, think about its meaning, and smile.

We are all getting older. But I challenge you to not get grumpy and bitter as you get older. Be joyful. When it’s your time to go, go with a smile on your face, laughter in your heart, and a joke in your pocket.

Innal-lahu wa Malaaikatuhu yassaloona alan-Nabi

Yaa aiyuhal latheena aamanoo, salloo alaihy, wa sallimou tasleema

Allahumma Salli ‘Ala Muhammad, wa ‘Ala alee Muhammad,

Kama sallaita ‘Ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala alee Ibrahim

Fil ‘alameena innaka hamidun Majeed.

O Allah, don’t let us think that Paradise is only for serious people.

O Allah, just as You laugh, and your Prophet laughed, then let us laugh and have joyous lives.

O Allah, let us be known as a community who is not so insecure that it can’t laugh at itself. Help us be balanced.

Ya Rahmaanu Ya Raheem, from now on let us do deeds of the people of Paradise.

Ya Rub bil-Alimeen, purify our hearts and our souls.

Ya Razzak Ya Wadud, give us the means to donate generously.

Ya Ghafoor Ya Shakoor, help us to be grateful to you and to our parents.

Ya Malik Ya Salaam, make the trials of our parents easier in their old age.

Ya Dhul-Jalal wal-Ikraam, give us Jannah through our parents.

Ya Aqeemas salati yarhumukumullah.