al-Marah fi al-Mizah
- Author died
- 984 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm
al-Marāḥ fī al-Mizāḥ (Cheerfulness in Jesting) is a treatise by the Shafi'i jurist and scholar Badr al-Din al-Ghazzi (904–984 AH / 1499–1577 CE) examining the legal status, ethical boundaries, and traditions of joking and humor in Islam.
Background and Purpose
Al-Ghazzi explains in the introduction that he was initially asked about joking—specifically what is disliked about it and what is permissible. He replied that it is recommended (mandūb) among brothers, friends, and companions for the sake of lightening the heart and fostering cordiality, provided it remains free of false accusation (qadhf), backbiting (ghība), indecency that stirs hidden resentments, or excessive indulgence that compromises dignity and lessens reverence. After the inquirer later requested a broader exposition supported by textual evidence, al-Ghazzi authored this treatise.
Content and Method
The work seeks to reconcile two sets of transmitted reports: those censuring jesting and those praising or exemplifying it. Al-Ghazzi interprets texts that condemn joking as applying strictly to habitual excess and persistence (al-muthābara wa-al-ikthār), which he notes causes harm, exposes honor, emboldens the insolent, and leads to estrangement and enmity. Conversely, he argues that commendable jesting serves two sound purposes:
- Fostering friendship and pleasing companions through pleasant words and conduct.
- Dispelling boredom, worry, or grief from the soul.
To illustrate these principles, the author gathers historical incidents, prophetic traditions, and accounts from early figures:
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Narrations highlighting his wit and truthful jesting, such as his remark to an elderly woman that no old women enter Paradise before clarifying that all enter young, teasingly asking a young boy named Abu 'Umayr about his pet bird ( يَا أَبَا عُمَيْر مَا فعل النغير؟ ), calling a camel "the offspring of a she-camel", and playful interactions with his household and companions.
- The Companions and Successors: Anecdotes of Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah ibn Umar, Ibn Sirin, and others engaging in lighthearted remarks while preserving religious boundaries.
- Poetry and Literary Wisdom: Verses and maxims regulating humor, including lines by Abu Nuwas, Abu al-Fath al-Busti, and didactic verse by al-Ghazzi's own father regarding social conduct in joking.
Al-Ghazzi cites earlier ethical and literary treatises, notably al-Mawardi's Adab al-Dunyā wa-al-Dīn.
Impact and Transmission
The book served as a core reference for later works on Islamic humor and adab. The Hanbali scholar Mar'i ibn Yusuf al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH) drew directly upon al-Marāḥ fī al-Mizāḥ when composing his own work on the topic, Ghidhā' al-Arwāḥ bi-al-Muḥādatha wa-al-Mizāḥ, incorporating many of its reports and quoting al-Ghazzi's commentary.
Manuscripts of the treatise are preserved in international collections, including the Berlin State Library (MS 5428).
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