Jesting with derision to a Muslim is a big sin. There is no worldly or economic benefit in it but common Muslims are involved in this sin unknowingly. It is written in Quran. TRANSLATION: “None of the congregation should jest with any other because it may be that the other ones are better in the eyes of ALLAH”. Derision means to make fun of someone in an insulting manner which makes others laugh at him/her. It includes many forms i.e. to imitate the style of someone’s walking, talking, laughing, speaking or to make fun of someone’s outlook or body structure. To laugh at someone’s sayings or actions, to express one’s shortcomings through eyes, hands or feet, it’s that sin which is prevalent among Muslims like a viral disease. From common people to prominent ones all are indulged in this sin though in above mentioned verse of Quran this deed is clearly mentioned to be illegal. In the explanation of this verse HAZRAT IBN ABAAS رضی اللہ عنہا said that small sin is to smile at someone in taunting way and big sin to laugh at someone as to make fun of him. HAZRAT AYESHA رضی اللہ عنہا said that once I imitated a person on which HAZRAT MUHAMMAD ﷺ stopped me from it and said that if someone gives me a big wealth even then I would not imitate any human being.
In this it may be pointed out that this sin does not contain any advantage or pleasure and even if it may contain an advantage it would still be prohibited.
HAZRTA HASSAN رضی اللہ عنہا said that HAZRAT MUHAMMAD ﷺ once said that: Ones who make fun of others, in the hereafter one door of heaven will be opened for them and when they will reach that door tediously that door will be closed for them, then second door will be opened and when they will reach it, it will be closed too. In this manner many doors will be opened and closed for them until they will become hopeless.
Once everybody made fun of some person’s voice on which HARZTA MUHAMMAD ﷺ criticized this act in a sermon and said that why you laugh at something which you all do yourselves. HAZRAT MAAZ BIN JABAL رضی اللہ عنہا narrated that once HAZRTA MUHAMMAD ﷺ said that if someone tries to embarrass some person on his sin then he won’t die until he himself would indulge in the same sin. Here sin means that sin on which one has repented.
WARNING: Some people misunderstand derision with joking in a light mood and get involved in it though there is a big difference between them. Legal jesting which is proven from HAZRAT MUHAMMAD ﷺ should not contain any word against anyone or it should not be a source of hurting someone’s sentiments and that too should not become a habit but one can do it occasionally. Joking in such a manner in which someone’s sentiments are bound to get hurt is not allowed and thinking of it as legal is also a sin and ignorance.
