Sometimes the advocates of Islam and those who are profoundly religious give the impression that the way they go about life leaves no room for relaxation or entertainment. They appear to be too serious in their approach, even when the matter in hand should be taken lightly. Such an image tends to drive people away, because we need mental refreshment in the same way as we need a glass of fruit juice or a cup of tea for physical refreshment. As we should look to the Prophet (Pbuh) for guidance in all serious matters, we should try to find out whether he allowed entertainment or only adopted a very serious approach to life.
We learn that the Prophet laughed at jokes when some of his companions said them, but he did not allow lies. He taught that if you want to say something funny, you must not include any lie, because lies are totally unacceptable. When he saw a funny situation, the Prophet would laugh heartily, but he would not laugh at the expense of anyone. Often people play a trick on a friend for a laugh, and sometimes this could cause that person embarrassment or even humiliation. This was not approved by the Prophet. On the contrary, he spoke out against it. When there was no offence to anyone and a funny situation occurred, then the Prophet laughed with whoever is present. His back teeth may be visible, but he would not open his mouth very wide with laughter. Indeed, his family reports that in most such situations, the Prophet would not do more than smile.
There is a reason for that. Prophethood means the acquisition of knowledge that is not available to an ordinary person. It cannot be gathered through human experience or endeavor. It is a knowledge that assigns to human life on Earth its true place and measure in relation to the life of the universe. This is not an easy thing, because it requires an informed perception of the universe, which is beyond our minds. When we try to imagine how vast the universe is, we first think of our galaxy and its millions and millions of solar systems. We feel totally helpless, as our minds cannot conceive of such size and distances. We then remember that our galaxy is only one of hundreds of millions of galaxies in the universe, and the attempt to imagine the size of the universe ends in utter failure. A Prophet, however, is given knowledge that sees human life in the right perspective.
We all say that life is short, and we know that anyone’s life can end in a split second, but we behave as if life will never end. Prophet Muhammad was unlike that. When he saw approaching clouds or felt that wind would be blowing, he looked worried. His wife, Aishah, observed that. She said to him: “Messenger of God, when people see clouds, they feel cheerful hoping that rain will soon be falling, but when you see clouds, you look uneasy.” He said: “Aishah, how can I tell that it will not bring punishment? Some people were punished by winds, and when they saw clouds approaching, they thought they were about to have rain.” This was a reference to the people of Aad in southern Arabia, who were punished by means of a storm wind lasting eight days and leaving their mighty buildings in total ruin.
No Double Standards
The Prophet, peace be upon him, always sought what is best. Many people try to put on a good show in public, saying only what is correct and what people would acknowledge as the right thing.
We always speak of what is “politically correct”, referring to the need to say only what is socially acceptable. Thus, when a job is advertised, the advertisement must not include anything that may be perceived to be discriminatory. For example, the employers cannot say in the advertisement, “We are looking for a young man who has such and such qualifications.” The word “young” is taken as discriminating against old people and the word “man” discriminates against women. If the advertisement is to be published in a newspaper, the paper will reject it because it encourages discrimination. The employers will need to remove anything that suggests special preference. However, nothing can stop the employers choosing a young man for the post they have advertised. There are many other situations where certain values and standards must appear to be observed, and people make sure of doing so, yet they go ahead and do whatever they prefer.
The Prophet’s household never allowed such double standard. The Prophet never accepted anything wrong in his homes, not even in very private matters. He realised that if he kept quiet when something wrong was done in his home, the fact that he did not speak out against it meant that it is acceptable from the Islamic point of view. Indeed, his wives, daughters and servants reported many cases of what was done in his or their homes in his full knowledge. Although the Prophet did not say anything about them, scholars accepted these as perfectly permissible. Had they not been so, the Prophet would have indicated that. Scholars established the rule that says: “The lack of a statement concerning something that needs to be clarified is itself a clarification.” In other words, not saying anything for or against it means that it is acceptable. The Prophet realized this and was, therefore, keen to speak out against anything that was contrary to Islamic teachings or values. He made sure that nothing of the sort was done in his home by any member of his household. He would speak out against it, resorting to what is most suitable in every case.
He may give a kindly advice or he may reproach a person in strong terms, depending on the seriousness of the matter in hand. His aim was to make his home an image of the Qur’anic Verse that says in reference to it and its members: “God only wants to remove all that is loathsome from you, you members of the (Prophet’s) household, and to purify you fully.” (33: 33) This Qur’anic Verse gave every member of the Prophet’s household, including his wives, daughters, grandchildren and indeed his in-laws a very clear motive to try to live up to these two ideals: removing every loathsome thing, physical or mental, and seeking purity in its widest sense. The lives of his wives, even long after he departed this life was a clear example of the working of such a motive. They always aspired for what was best.