Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- If the jokes are circulated out of ignorance or are not intended to make fun of religion, then it is imperative that we advise the individuals responsible for that with wisdom and fair preaching.
2- If they are meant to mock religion, then the belief of those who circulated them is jeopardized and they must ask Allah for forgiveness and offer repentance.
Answering your question, the General Iftaa’ Department in Jordan, states the following:
All joking and fun in religious matters is absolutely forbidden. An example of this is jokes which some individuals circulate through social media although they mock Islam and other faiths; consequently, religion gets belittled and defamed. Moreover, it is the duty of every Muslim to honor Allah, His Messenger and His Sharia, for He, The Almighty, said: “Such (is his state): and whoever holds in honor the symbols of God, (in the sacrifice of animals), such (honor) should come truly from piety of heart.” (Al-Hajj 22:32)
Moreover, jokes that dare mock Allah, His Messengers, the Glorious Qur’an, rulings of the Shari`ah, or symbols of Allah, render the person who made them in a dangerous situation as far as the status of his belief is concerned because Allah, the Almighty, has forbidden such an act. He, the Almighty, said: “Do not treat God’s Signs as a jest…” (Al-Baqarah 2:231)
In addition, it doesn’t befit a Muslim to circulate these jokes to entertain others since the Prophet (peace be upon him) has warned against uttering a single word that could incur Allah’s wrath.
He (peace be upon him) said: ” ………….another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell.” (Al-Bukhari)
On the other hand, sometimes the Prophet used to make jokes, but he always said what is true. Once he said: “I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” (Abu Dawud)
In conclusion, if the above jokes were circulated out of ignorance or were not intended to make fun of religion, then it is imperative that we advise the individuals responsible for that with wisdom and fair preaching.
However, if they were meant to mock religion, then the belief of those who circulated them is jeopardized.
Anyway, individuals who have committed this sin must ask Allah for forgiveness and offer repentance.
We advise all Muslims to employ social media for enjoining kindness and helping people attain happiness in the life of this world and the Hereafter.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: www.aliftaa.jo