I was explaining that Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) gave seven words of advice to Hazrat Abû Dharr Ghifârî (radhiallaho anho). I related three to you. I will now relate the remaining four. The fourth advice was this:

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(???????? ?: 2? ?: 414)

“Abstain from excessive laughter.”

This is because excessive laughter kills the heart. This refers to laughter which is accompanied by heedlessness of the heart. If the heart is not heedless of Allah Ta’ala, there is no harm in laughter. However, you must not commit such excesses in this regard to the extent that you remain laughing all the time. Do not abstain from it to such an extent that you forget to laugh completely. You should therefore laugh a bit with your Allâh-fearing friends. This strengthens the heart and the nerves. When a person remains silent all the time, the nerves break. One should therefore not commit excesses in remaining silent as well. Do not laugh all the time nor remain silent all the time. Adopt a balanced approach.

Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) was sitting on one occasion and Hazrat ‘Umar Fârûq (radhiallaho anho) came to him. In the meantime, Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) began laughing over something. Hazrat ‘Umar Fârûq (radhiallaho anho) made this du‘â for Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam):

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(???? ???????? ?: 2? ?: 899? ??? ?????? ??????)

“O Rasûlullâh! May Allâh keep you laughing.”

We learn from this that the juniors also have the right to make du‘â for their seniors. For example, a Sahâbî by the name of Jarîr ibn ‘Abdillâh (radhiallaho anho) presented himself in the assembly of Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) but could not find any place to sit. Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) gave him his shawl so that he could sit on it. He took the shawl, kissed it, returned it to Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) and made this du‘â:

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(????????? ???? ?????? ?: 4? ?: 292)

“O Rasûlullâh! May Allah Ta’alahonour you as you honoured me.”

We learn from this that a murîd (disciple) can make du‘â for his shaikh, a student can do so for his teacher, and a child can do so for his parent. Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiallaho anho) therefore made this du‘â when he saw Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) laughing:

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This Hadîth is found in Bukhârî Sharîf in Kitâb ad-Dihk.

Now there could be an objection to this. A person continues laughing and his laughter does not stop for even one second. What will you and I think about such a person? Will we not think that there is something wrong with him and that we should get him examined by a doctor? So what is the meaning of laughing all the time? The Hadîth scholars say that this is not a du‘â for laughing all the time. Rather, it means:

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(???????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?: 10? ?: 388)

“O Rasûlullâh! May Allah Ta’alacontinue your joy and happiness forever.”

So laughing continuously in this context refers to the joy of the heart. If there is no joy in the heart, how will a person laugh? Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiallaho anho) thus made this du‘â by way of attachment that Allah Ta’alamust keep him happy forever, and Allah Ta’alamust maintain the joys of his heart forever.

It is for this reason I said that some people look at just one Hadîth and assume that they are muftis, and they say that Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) used to only smile, he would never laugh. Such people have not studied other Ahâdîth. Therefore, when they see an ‘âlim laughing, they object and say what kind of person is this? But now I am quoting a Hadîth to you:Hazrat Sa‘d ibn Waqqâs(radhiallaho anho) who was the maternal uncle of Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) struck a polytheist with an arrow during the battle of Badr. When the arrow struck the person, he became naked.

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(???? ????? ?: 2? ?: 281)

“Rasulullah (sallellaho alaihe wasallam) laughed so much that I saw his molar teeth.”

One should therefore possess complete knowledge. Do not read a few Urdu or English books and think you can rectify the ‘ulamâ’ and that you can become a mufti.