Woe to him who speaks and tells lies so as to make people laugh thereby. Woe to him! Woe to him!

Explanation

This Hadīth includes severe warning against lying, and a promise of destruction for the person who tells lies for the sake of joking and making people laugh. This is one of the most abominable acts, and it is strictly forbidden. It belongs to evil manners that the believer must shun and deem himself far above it. A believer should purify his tongue from lying in all situations, except in the few situations in which lying is justified in the Shariah. Just as it is prohibited to tell lies for the sake of joking, it is also prohibited to listen to such lies they are known to be as such. Rather, it is an obligation on the listeners to express their disapproval of it.