Islamic humour
Encyclopedia
Islamic humour is the long tradition of humour
in Islam
, dating as far back as the Prophet Muhammad
.
s generally abide by some basic rules on making jokes, such as humour being within the limits of Islamic tolerance, and not going beyond the bounds of truth.
, Omar Regan
and the Allah Made Me Funny
comedy tour featuring Azhar Usman
, Preacher Moss
and Mohammed Amer
; in the UK there is Shazia Mirza
and Shaista Aziz
; in South Africa there is Riaad Moosa; and in Norway
, the controversial Shabana Rehman
.
and beyond. On the surface they are short humorous tales. They are told and retold endlessly in the teahouses and caravanserais of Asia and can be heard in homes and on the radio. But it is inherent in a Nasruddin story that it may be understood on many levels. There is the joke, but there is also the structure of the tale that functions as an analogy or metaphor for some aspect of human nature or learning.
One day, Mullah Nasruddin decided to go fishing. He called upon his good friend Rabbi Moishe, got their poles and bait together, rented a small rowboat at the local harbor, and off to sea they went.
After an amazing afternoon of fishing, the two men had caught thirty fish. An elated Mullah Nasruddin said to Rabbi Moishe, "Better mark this spot so we can come here tomorrow!"
The next day Mullah Nasruddin met up with Rabbi Moishe at the rental harbor for another day of fishing.
"Did you mark the spot?" Mullah Nasruddin asked Rabbi Moishe confidentially.
"Of couse," replied Rabbi Moishe, "I painted a big white X on the bottom of the rowboat."
"You fool!" shouted Mullah Nasruddin, slapping his forehead, "What if we can't rent that same boat today?"
----
A thief went to Nasrudin's house and carried away almost all the possessions of the mullah to his own home. While Nasrudin had been watching from the street. After a few minutes Nasrudin took up a blanket, followed him, went in to his house, lay down and pretended to go to sleep. The thief asked Mullah, "who are you? And what are you doing in my house?" Mullah replied, "we were moving into your house, weren't we?"
----
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, dating as far back as the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Islamic restrictions on humour
In accordance with Islam, MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s generally abide by some basic rules on making jokes, such as humour being within the limits of Islamic tolerance, and not going beyond the bounds of truth.
Muslim comedians
There are many Muslim comedians around the world who feel comfortable making fun of Muslim stereotypes. In the USA there is Baba AliBaba Ali
Baba Ali is the co-founder of UmmahFilms, a Muslim film company that has produced a web series including the "Reminder" series and "Ask Baba Ali" series...
, Omar Regan
Omar Regan
Omar Regan is an American Muslim actor, stand-up comedian and former musician.-Background:Omar Regan was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, United States to African American parents.-Music career:...
and the Allah Made Me Funny
Allah Made Me Funny
Allah Made Me Funny is a documentary film directed by Andrea Kalin, an independent filmmaker , and produced by . This live concert features three Muslim Americans Mohammed "Mo" Amer, Bryant "Preacher" Moss and Azhar Usman....
comedy tour featuring Azhar Usman
Azhar Usman
Azhar Usman is a Indian American Muslim comedian and actor born in Chicago, Illinois, United States.He is a former lecturer, community activist and lawyer and is often referred to as the 'Ayatollah of Comedy' and 'Bin Laughin'.-Background and education:...
, Preacher Moss
Preacher Moss
Preacher Moss is an American comedian and writer.-Background and education:Born Bryant Moss in Washington, D.C., United States. He began practicing comedy at the age of seven, when he earned the nickname "Preacher" for his imitations of the pastor at his family's church...
and Mohammed Amer
Mohammed Amer
-Background:Mohammed Amer is originally of Palestinian decent, and the youngest of six children. He and his family fled his birth country of Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War when he was 9 years old...
; in the UK there is Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza is a British comedian and columnist from Birmingham, England.-Background:Shazia was born as the eldest daughter in Birmigham to Pakistani parents, Mohammed and Sarwat Mirza...
and Shaista Aziz
Shaista Aziz
Shaista Aziz is a British journalist, writer, stand-up comedian, and former international aid worker.-Background and education:Shaista Aziz was born and raised in Oxford, United Kingdom. She studied BA in English Literature and Women’s Studies at university....
; in South Africa there is Riaad Moosa; and in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the controversial Shabana Rehman
Shabana Rehman
Shabana Rehman Gaarder is a Norwegian stand-up comedian, writer and columnist.-Brutalized by adolescence boyfriend:...
.
Mullah Nasruddin
Jokes about the Mullah Nasruddin are told throughout the muslim worldMuslim world
The term Muslim world has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization...
and beyond. On the surface they are short humorous tales. They are told and retold endlessly in the teahouses and caravanserais of Asia and can be heard in homes and on the radio. But it is inherent in a Nasruddin story that it may be understood on many levels. There is the joke, but there is also the structure of the tale that functions as an analogy or metaphor for some aspect of human nature or learning.
One day, Mullah Nasruddin decided to go fishing. He called upon his good friend Rabbi Moishe, got their poles and bait together, rented a small rowboat at the local harbor, and off to sea they went.
After an amazing afternoon of fishing, the two men had caught thirty fish. An elated Mullah Nasruddin said to Rabbi Moishe, "Better mark this spot so we can come here tomorrow!"
The next day Mullah Nasruddin met up with Rabbi Moishe at the rental harbor for another day of fishing.
"Did you mark the spot?" Mullah Nasruddin asked Rabbi Moishe confidentially.
"Of couse," replied Rabbi Moishe, "I painted a big white X on the bottom of the rowboat."
"You fool!" shouted Mullah Nasruddin, slapping his forehead, "What if we can't rent that same boat today?"
----
A thief went to Nasrudin's house and carried away almost all the possessions of the mullah to his own home. While Nasrudin had been watching from the street. After a few minutes Nasrudin took up a blanket, followed him, went in to his house, lay down and pretended to go to sleep. The thief asked Mullah, "who are you? And what are you doing in my house?" Mullah replied, "we were moving into your house, weren't we?"
----
"When I was in the desert," said Nasruddin one day, "I caused an entire tribe of horrible and bloodthirsty bedouins to run."
"However did you do it?"
"Easy. I just ran, and they ran after me."