She said: 'Seek him in the mosque.' A man said to him: 'I mentioned someone with something, so how may I excuse myself to him?' He said: 'Say to him: By Allah, Allah knows that I did not say any of that.' The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to joke, and he would say nothing but the truth (16). His joking consisted of causing the listener to imagine something other than what he intended by his speech, which is ta'wil (figurative interpretation). He said to an old woman: 'No old woman shall enter Paradise' (17), meaning that Allah will recreate them as virgins, beloved, and of the same age. Anas said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, carry me [provide me a mount].' The Messenger of Allah said: 'We will carry you on the offspring of a she-camel' (18). He said: 'And what shall I do with the offspring of a she-camel?' He said: 'Do she-camels give birth to anything but offspring?' Narrated by Abu Dawud (19). He said to a woman, when she mentioned her husband to him: 'Is he the one who has whiteness in his eyes?' She said: 'O Messenger of Allah, he has healthy eyes' (20). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intended by the whiteness the part surrounding the iris (21). He said to a man who embraced him from behind: 'Who will buy the slave?' (22) The man said: 'O Messenger of Allah, you will find me to be unsellable then.' He said: 'But with Allah, you are not unsellable' (23). All of this is from the realm of ta'wil and ma'arid (innuendo), and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called it truth, saying: 'I do not say anything but truth' (16). It is narrated from Shurayh that he left Ziyad while he was dying, and it was said to him: 'How did you leave the Amir?' He said: 'I left him commanding and forbidding.' When he died, it was said to him: 'How could you say that?' He said: 'I left him commanding patience and forbidding crying and anguish.' It is narrated from Shaqiq that a man proposed to a woman while he had another wife, and they said: 'We will not marry you to her until you divorce your wife.' He said: 'Bear witness that I have divorced three.' So they married her to him, and he remained with his wife. They said: 'You have divorced
(16) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter of What Has Been Said Regarding Joking, from the Chapters of Piety and Maintaining Ties. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 8/157; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/340, 360. (17) Al-Suyuti attributed it to al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat. Al-Durr al-Manthur 6/158. (18) In M: "al-naqa" (the she-camel). (19) In: The Chapter of What Has Been Said Regarding Joking, from the Book of Etiquette. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/596. It was also narrated by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter of What Has Been Said Regarding Joking, from the Chapters of Piety and Maintaining Ties. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 8/158. (20) See: Al-Tabaqat al-Sunniyya 1/61. (21) In M: "al-bayad" (the whiteness). (22) In M, the addition: "hadha" (this). (23) Narrated by Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 3/161.
فقالتْ: اطْلُبُوه فى المَسْجِد. وقال له رجلٌ: إنِّى ذكَرْتُ رجُلًا بشىءٍ، فكيف لى أَنْ أَعْتَذِرَ إليه؟ قال: قُلْ له: واللَّهِ إنَّ اللَّهَ يعلَمُ ما قُلْتُ من ذلك من شَىءٍ. وقد كان النَّبِىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- يَمْزَحُ، ولا يقولُ إِلَّا حَقًّا (١٦)، ومُزاحُه أَنْ يُوهِمَ السَّامِعَ بكلامِه غيرَ ما عَناهُ، وهو التَّأْويلُ، فقال لِعَجوزٍ: "لا تَدْخُلُ الجَنَّةَ عجُوزٌ" (١٧). يعنى أَنَّ اللَّه يُنْشِئُهُنَّ أَبْكارًا عُرُبًا أَتْرابًا. وقال أَنَس: إن رجُلًا جاءَ إلى النَّبِىِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، فقال: يا رسولَ اللَّه، احْمِلْنِى. فقال رسولُ اللَّه: "إِنَّا حَامِلُوكَ عَلَى وَلَدِ نَاقَةٍ" (١٨). قال: وما أَصْنَعُ بوَلَدِ النَّاقَةِ؟ قال: "وهَلْ تَلِدُ الإِبلَ إِلَّا النُّوقُ؟ ". روَاه أبو داود (١٩). وقال لامْرَأَةٍ وقد ذَكَرَت له زَوْجَها: "أهُوَ الذِى فِى عَيْنِهِ بَيَاضٌ". فقالتْ: يا رَسُولَ اللَّه، إنَّه لَصَحِيحُ العَيْنِ (٢٠). وأرادَ النبىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- بالبياضِ (٢١) الذى حولَ الحَدَق. وقال لرجُلٍ احْتَضَنَه مِن ورائِه: "مَنْ يَشْتَرِى (٢٢) العَبْدَ؟ ". فقال: يا رسولَ اللَّهَ، تَجِدُنِى إذًا كاسِدًا. قال: "لكِنَّكَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لَسْت بِكاسِدٍ" (٢٣). وهذا كُلُّه من التأوِيلِ والْمَعاريضِ، وقد سَمّاه النَّبِىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- حَقًّا، فقال: "لَا أَقُولُ إلا حَقًّا" (١٦). ورُوِىَ عن شُرَيْحٍ، أنَّه خرجَ من عند زيادٍ، وقد حَضَرَه الموتُ، فقيل له: كيف تَرَكْتَ الأَمِيرَ؟ قال: ترَكْتُه يأمرُ ويَنْهَى. فلمَّا ماتَ قيل له: كيف قُلْتَ ذلك؟ قال: تَرَكْتُه يأمُر بالصَّبْرِ، ويَنْهَى عن البُكاءِ والجَزَعِ. ويُرْوَى عن شَقِيقٍ، أَنَّ رجُلًا خطبَ امرأَةً، وتحتَه أُخْرَى، فقالُوا: لا نُزوِّجُك حتى تُطَلِّقَ امْرَأَتَك. فقال: اشْهَدُوا أَنِّى قد طَلَّقْتُ ثلاثًا. فَزَوَّجُوه، فأقامَ على امْرَأَتِه، فقالُوا: قد طَلَّقْتَ
(١٦) أخرجه الترمذى، فى: باب ما جاء فى المزاح، من أبواب البر والصلة. عارضة الأحوذى ٨/ ١٥٧. والإمام أحمد، فى: المسند ٢/ ٣٤٠، ٣٦٠.(١٧) عزاه السيوطى إلى البيهقى فى شعب الإيمان، والطبرانى فى الأوسط. الدر المنثور ٦/ ١٥٨.(١٨) فى م: "الناقة".(١٩) فى: باب ما جاء فى المزاح، من كتاب الأدب. سنن أبى داود ٢/ ٥٩٦.كما أخرجه الترمذى، فى: باب ما جاء فى المزاح، من أبواب البر والصلة. عارضة الأحوذى ٨/ ١٥٨.(٢٠) انظر: الطبقات السنية ١/ ٦١.(٢١) فى م: "البياض".(٢٢) فى م زيادة: "هذا".(٢٣) أخرجه الإمام أحمد، فى: المسند ٣/ ١٦١.
