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What is permissible jesting that does not contradict Islamic law, and what are its regulations?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Lying is entirely forbidden by the consensus of Muslims. Humor, on the other hand, takes several forms:

First: Humor that contains no lies is permissible, as long as it is not excessive or distracts from the remembrance of Allah.

Second: Lying humor is forbidden, and its perpetrator is disobedient [to Allah].

Third: Humor that involves narrating stories whose veracity is not certain is permissible, as long as their falsity is not known and they are not forbidden.

Fourth: Fictional anecdotes are permissible if they serve a benefit or a lesson, and are not attributed to a specific person.

Fifth: Humorous sarcastic speech with a tone of voice that conveys the opposite of the apparent meaning: This form is ambiguous, but the closer opinion is that it is permissible if the listener understands the true meaning.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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