Knowledge Every Muslim Should Know (Book One)

April Fool's Day

POISSON D’AVRIL: GLOBAL DAY OF LIES

The Europeans call “April Fool” poisson d’avril (April fish). That could either be because:

The sun moves from the zodiacal house of Pisces to the next house,

Or because the word poisson, which means fish, is a twisted meaning of the word passion, which means suffering, “so it is a symbol of the suffering endured by Jesus (peace be upon him), according to the claims of the Christians, and they claim that this happened in the first week of April.

April Fools’ Day is observed throughout the Western world. Primarily, it’s about playing pranks on each other. And how did it originate? The theories surrounding that are many. Whether it came into being due to some pagan ritual, some change in the French calendar (when a man refused to accept it and was made a laughing stock for others by being made fun of) or the Spanish retaliation against the Muslim glory (when they saw the Muslim rule prosper in Spain, they made a plot to weaken the Muslims and took the day their plan succeeded as a day of celebration) does not matter. What matters is the Islamic ruling on lying – the only thing to be done on this day! [1.  For more information, you can refer to Shaykh Saalih Al Munajjid’s book on April Fool's or http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools’_Day]

Joking around and having a good time is no crime. In fact, it is extremely necessary to unwind and keep the mind healthy. Our religion too promotes playing around. Take this little example:

It was narrated that Ibn Umar said that the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘I joke, but I speak nothing but the truth.’” [2.  al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 12/391, classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami, 2494]

The problem starts when we limit fun to only that which is forbidden, like lying, for example. Everything has its limits and whatever crosses the limit always goes haywire. Jest and fun should be done in moderation, otherwise the consequences can be devastating. We should bear this in mind because our religion promotes moderation and balance. 

Jest and fun should also be done in moderation

One example of taking the matter of joking with others too far is on the “famous” Le poisson d’avril – April fools’ day. Surprised, huh? Let me explain.

Someone telling you that you have a flat tyre or switching salt with sugar could be termed innocent. Some might argue that they are harmless. Primarily, it is a day of light hearted fooling around and jesting; and people enjoy it and laugh. However, when the jokes are taken a step too far and result in something bizarre, people don’t find it funny anymore.

When taken a step too far, this is what you get:

“Florida country radio morning-show hosts Val St. John and Scott Fish are currently serving indefinite suspensions and possibly worse over a successful April Fools’ Day prank. They told their listeners that “dihydrogen monoxide” was coming out of the taps throughout the Fort Myers area.” [3.  http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com]

“Police say Angela Timmons, 54, who works at Virginia Colleges in Spartanburg County, texted her daughter just after 10 a.m. claiming she ‘could hear gun shots being fired inside the school.’ However, the daughter, April Timmons, who lives in New York couldn’t get hold of her mom after receiving the message and, c-oncerned, the 34-year-old proceeded to call 911 to report the incident. Sheriff’s deputies swarmed the college where they discovered that no shooting had occurred. Sheriff Chuck Wright told WPTV that he was expecting to find a serious situation as he approached the school. ‘I’m thinking Columbine High School, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech,’ he said. However, the daughter soon called back after receiving a second text from her mom explaining that it was a prank.” [4.  http://thestir.cafemom.com]