Humour and its ethics
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Farooq Hassan
Abstract
Today Islam appears to many to be a stiffly austere religion that denigrates humour, but in its earliest phase of development it endorsed humour and set guidelines in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Islam encourages humour of the positive kind and discourages the humour, which becomes a tool for insulting people. This paper aims to discuss the permissible and forbidden kinds of humour, its need, benefits, and specifications along with its assigned place in medieval Islamic heritage. This paper focuses on the ethics of humour and Muslim responses to it and argues that humour needs to be incorporated in communication for a more tolerant and enlightened society.
Abstract
Today Islam appears to many to be a stiffly austere religion that denigrates humour, but in its earliest phase of development it endorsed humour and set guidelines in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Islam encourages humour of the positive kind and discourages the humour, which becomes a tool for insulting people. This paper aims to discuss the permissible and forbidden kinds of humour, its need, benefits, and specifications along with its assigned place in medieval Islamic heritage. This paper focuses on the ethics of humour and Muslim responses to it and argues that humour needs to be incorporated in communication for a more tolerant and enlightened society.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- About the contributors ix
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Part I. Humour as tool and topic (essays)
- Humour, risk and religion 3
- Religion and humour 11
- The unquenchable laughter of the gods 17
- Is the application of modern humour theories on historical cases a joke? 23
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Part II. Christianity and Judaism in Late Antiquity
- Derisive laughter and religious identity in ancient Christianity 33
- Opponent or advocate? 47
- “This joke has gone on for long enough” 63
- The smile of the martyr 81
- Divine mockery and laughing Rabbis 93
- Converting comedians 107
- Biblical fun 127
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Part III. The Qur’an and early Arabic literature
- Humour and its ethics 145
- A laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection 155
- Poetic parodies of Islamic discourses by Abū Nuwās 183
- Greek and Buddhist jokes and their corresponding versions in classical Arabic literature 207
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Part IV. Buddhism
- How is this sutra different from my ass? 221
- Finicking monkeys 235
- “Are you really serious?” 253
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Part V. Conclusion
- Humour in religion 273
- Index 301
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- About the contributors ix
-
Part I. Humour as tool and topic (essays)
- Humour, risk and religion 3
- Religion and humour 11
- The unquenchable laughter of the gods 17
- Is the application of modern humour theories on historical cases a joke? 23
-
Part II. Christianity and Judaism in Late Antiquity
- Derisive laughter and religious identity in ancient Christianity 33
- Opponent or advocate? 47
- “This joke has gone on for long enough” 63
- The smile of the martyr 81
- Divine mockery and laughing Rabbis 93
- Converting comedians 107
- Biblical fun 127
-
Part III. The Qur’an and early Arabic literature
- Humour and its ethics 145
- A laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection 155
- Poetic parodies of Islamic discourses by Abū Nuwās 183
- Greek and Buddhist jokes and their corresponding versions in classical Arabic literature 207
-
Part IV. Buddhism
- How is this sutra different from my ass? 221
- Finicking monkeys 235
- “Are you really serious?” 253
-
Part V. Conclusion
- Humour in religion 273
- Index 301
