Is it forbidden or permissible for a teacher to work in the afternoon in a musical band where he tells jokes and imitates artists, and for which he receives a good wage that helps him cope with the difficult cost of living?

The impermissibility of a comedian imitating artists becomes apparent for several reasons: it necessitates mixing with and sitting alongside those who commit forbidden acts like singing and music; jokes often involve lying and mockery, as stated in the Hadith (definition): "Woe to him who speaks a narration to make people laugh thereby, and he lies. Woe to him! Woe to him!"; and imitating artists is not free from prohibitions such as forbidden singing or mockery. Even if it were free from these prohibitions, which is impossible, it would still be considered earnings from a lowly profession. So, let him fear Allah and abandon this work, for what is permissible is sufficient over what is forbidden.