All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
All joking and fun in religious matters is absolutely forbidden. An example of this is jokes which some individuals circulate through social media although they mock Islam and other faiths; consequently, religion gets belittled and defamed. Moreover, it is the duty of every Muslim to honor Allah, His Messenger and His Sharia, for He, The Almighty, said: "Such (is his state): and whoever holds in honour the symbols of God, (in the sacrifice of animals), such (honour) should come truly from piety of heart."{Al-Hajj/32}. Moreover, jokes that dare mock Allah, His Messengers, the Glorious Quran, rulings of Sharia, or symbols of Allah, render the person who made them in a dangerous situation as far as the status of his belief is concerned because Allah, The Almighty, has forbidden such an act. He, The Almighty, said: "Do not treat God’s Signs as a jest, "{Al-Baqarah/231}.
In addition, it doesn`t befit a Muslim to circulate these jokes to entertain others since the Prophet(PBUH) has warned against uttering a single word that could incur Allah`s wrath. He(PBUH) said: " ………….another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell."{Bukhari}.
On the other hand, sometimes the Prophet used to make jokes, but he always said what is true. Once he said: "I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners."{Abu Dawoud}.
In conclusion, if the above jokes were circulated out of ignorance or were not intended to make fun of religion then it is imperative that we advise the individuals responsible for that with wisdom and fair preaching. However, if they were meant to mock religion-God forbids-then the belief of those who circulated them is jeopardized. Anyway, individuals who have committed this sin must ask Allah for forgiveness and make repentance.
We advise all Muslims to employ social media for enjoining kindness and helping people attain happiness in the life of this world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows best.
