Ibn Luhayʿa narrates from Anas, who said:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was the person who joked the most with children among people."
Indeed, regarding this, the hadith of Anas about the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) joking with his brother Abu ʿUmayr was mentioned on previous pages. As described in that hadith, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Abu ʿUmayr—referring to the young nightingale he was playing with: "O Abu ʿUmayr, what happened to the little nightingale?" Abu ʿUmayr then told the Messenger of God that the young nightingale he had been playing with had died.
By narrating this hadith, Anas intended to express that the Messenger of God would joke with small children, following the custom of people.
Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal, through the transmission of Khalaf b. Walid, narrates from Anas b. Malik, who said:
"A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked for a mount. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
- We shall mount you on the offspring of a she-camel.
- O Messenger of God, what am I to do with the offspring of a she-camel?
- Are camels born from anything other than she-camels?"
Abu Dawud narrates from Nuʿman b. Bashir, who said: "Abu Bakr sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Inside, he heard ʿAʾisha raising her voice at the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Upon entering, he moved towards his daughter ʿAʾisha to strike her, saying:
- Are you raising your voice at the Messenger of God? He rebuked her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tried to prevent him. Abu Bakr then left angrily. As he was leaving, the Messenger of God said to ʿAʾisha:
- Do you see, I have saved you from your father? A few days later, Abu Bakr again sought permission to enter upon the Messenger of God. Upon entering, he saw that the Messenger of God and ʿAʾisha had reconciled, and he said to them:
- Just as you involved me in your quarrel, now involve me in your reconciliation as well.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:
- Indeed, we have done so, we have done so."
Abu Dawud narrates from ʿAwf b. Malik al-Ashjaʿi, who said:
"During the expedition of Tabuk, I went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), who was sitting in a leather tent, and greeted him. He returned my greeting and said:
- Enter. I asked:
- Should I enter with my whole body, O Messenger of God? He replied:
- Yes, do so. So I entered."
Walid b. ʿUthman b. Abi ʿAmila said: ʿAwf b. Malik al-Ashjaʿi had asked whether he should enter with his whole body because the tent in which the Messenger of God was sitting was small."
Abu Dawud, through Ibrahim b. Mahdi, narrates from Anas, who said:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me, 'O two-eared one!'"
Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal, through ʿAbd al-Razzaq, narrates from Anas, who said:
"A man from the desert named Zahir would come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with gifts. When he was about to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would provide him with what he needed and see him off. After seeing him off, he would say: 'Zahir is our desert-dweller, and we are his townsfolk.' He loved him greatly. Zahir was a lively man. While he was selling his goods in the market, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) came up behind him and embraced him, but Zahir could not see who it was. He said, 'Let me go, who are you?' When he turned his head, he realized it was the Messenger of God embracing him. After realizing this, since his back was pressed against the Messenger's chest, he did not even try to escape. The Messenger of God then said:
- Who will buy this slave? Zahir replied:
- O Messenger of God, if you were to sell me as a slave, by God, you would find me worthless.
- No, you are not worthless in the sight of Allah. On the contrary, you are precious to Him."
Al-Bukhari, in his Sahih, also narrates a similar report, saying: "There was a man named ʿAbdullah—known by the nickname 'donkey.' He would make the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) laugh with his jokes. One day, he was caught for drinking wine and brought before the Messenger of God. Someone said:
- May Allah curse him, how often he is brought for drinking! The Messenger of God said to that man:
- Do not curse him, for he loves Allah and His Messenger." Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrate from Anas, who said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a camel driver named Anjasha. He used to drive the camels on which the Prophet's wives rode. He made the camels move quickly and tired them. The Messenger of God said to him:
- Woe to you, O Anjasha, be gentle with the glass vessels! In this hadith, the term 'glass vessels' refers to women. This is a playful expression. The Prophet, in jest, used the word 'glass vessels' instead of 'women.' May Allah's blessings and peace be upon him until the Day of Resurrection."
As evidence of the Messenger of God's beautiful character, noble morals, and sense of humor, it is also mentioned that he listened at length to the hadith of Umm Zarʿ from ʿAʾisha. In some narrations, it is reported that he himself related this hadith to ʿAʾisha.
According to the narration of Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal from Masruq, ʿAʾisha said:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) conversed with his wives one night and told a hadith. One of his wives said: 'O Messenger of God, this is the hadith of Hurafa.' The Messenger of God asked her:
- Do you know who Hurafa was? Indeed, Hurafa was a man from the tribe of ʿAzira. In the pre-Islamic period, the jinn captured him. He remained among the jinn for a long time. Then they returned him to the people. He would tell people about the astonishing things he saw among the jinn, and so people called these stories 'the hadith of Hurafa.'"
I say: This is among the strange hadiths and contains some objectionable elements. Allah knows best the truth.
Al-Tirmidhi narrates from Hasan, who said: "An old woman came to the Messenger of God and said:
- O Messenger of God, pray to Allah to admit me to Paradise.
- O mother of so-and-so! Old women will not enter Paradise! Upon this, the old woman left the Messenger of God in tears. After she left, the Messenger of God said to those present:
- Go and tell her that she will not enter Paradise as an old woman. For the Exalted Allah has said:
'Indeed, We have produced them [i.e., the women of Paradise] in a [new] creation and made them virgins.' (al-Waqiʿa 56:35-36)
Al-Tirmidhi, through ʿAbbas b. Muhammad al-Duri, narrates from Abu Hurayra, who said: They said:
- O Messenger of God, you joke with us.
- I only speak the truth (even when I joke)."