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]
Funny? Definitely not.
Islamic viewpoint:
Our religion’s stance is crystal clear. We will focus on the following points, which are sufficient for you to stop having anything to do with this day:
1. Lying – even as a joke:
It was narrated that Mu’aawiyah ibn Haydah said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: ‘Woe to the one who talks to make the people laugh and tells lies, woe to him, woe to him.’” [5. narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 235. He said: this is a hasan hadeeth]
2. Scaring others:
‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Laylaa said: the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us that they were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). A man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people laughed. The Prophet said, “What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.” [6. Ahmad 22555, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami’, 7658]
3. Promoting the habit of lying in our children:
This is not a trivial matter, rather the fuss made over it is genuine. Why you ask? Because these little things leave a deep and long lasting effect on the minds of our children. They learn it is OK to lie, cause pain and frighten others. Needless to mention, our religion looks down upon all such practices, whether done in jest or otherwise.
Allowing the children to play such pranks on one hand, and advising them to be truthful, honest and kind on the other would confuse them. Also, it is essential to note that children emulate what they see rather than what they hear. And we don’t want them to grow up to be liars. So no compromises here.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever says to child, ‘Come here and take this,’ then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.’” [7. Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991, classed as hasan by Shaykh al-‘Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami’, 1319]
Bottom line:
So after knowing the Islamic stance and the disasters that this fooling around can lead to, either we love this day or hate it. Either we are a part of it or we leave it. Maybe you’re one of them who has been fooled your entire life into believing that April Fools day is actually OK and even fun. It’s not.
“O you who believe! Fear Allah SWT, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)” [8. al-Tawbah 9:119]
Source: http://blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com/poisson-davril-global-day-of-lies/
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"April Fools? - or ' MUSLIM' FOOLS DAY?"
"O you who believe, fear Allah and always speak the truth." (33:70)
Now as regards the incorrect story circulating amongst the Muslims on the Internet saying that April Fool's Day is the celebration of the kufar over the conquest of Muslim Spain. I felt that it was necessary to clarify a few points in the interest of truth, inshallah.
In the Name of Allah, I praise Allah and ask for His Peace upon Muhammad, ameen. Allah Alone is The All-Knower.
To continue:
Once again, Muslims are circulating a fabrication on the Internet trying to claim things which can easily be proven incorrect by Christians and non-Muslims who rejoice in watching us play the part of Everyday Fools.
The most recent story says that Christians could not conquer the Muslims there and sent spies to discover why. According to the story, they found that the Muslims there were on the 'Taqwah' (God Fearing and Pious) of Islam. Then the story says the Christians sent in alcohol and cigarettes which the Muslims used and lost their 'Taqwah' and then the Christians defeated the Muslims on April first and began celebrating 'April Fool's Day' ever since.
This story is not correct in many aspects.
1.) First, let us consider the historic fact that Muslim Spain ended on the 12th of January in the Christian year of 1492 A.D. Yet 'April Fool's Day was not heard of until over fifty years later.
Once upon a time, back in 16th-century France, before computers, people celebrated New Year's Day on March 25, the advent of spring. It was a festive time. They partied steadily until April 1. In 1564, when the calendar reformed and became Gregorian, under the influence of Pope Gregory, King Charles IX proclaimed, perhaps pompously, that New Year's Day should be celebrated on January 1st instead of in the spring. Diehard conservatives resisted the change (or perhaps didn't hear about it due to the absence of e-mail) and continued to celebrate New Year's from March 25 to April 1. During this period of spring festivity, the more flexible French mocked the rigid revelers by sending them foolish gifts and invitations to nonexistent parties. The victim of an April Fools' Day prank was called a "Poisson d 'Avril," or an "April Fish," because at that time of year, the sun was leaving the zodiacal sign of Pisces.
April Fools' Day hit its stride (avoiding the banana peel) in England in the 18th century, and was brought to colonial America by the English, Scottish, and French.
2.) Second, we should know that cigarettes were not even invented until AFTER the time of the fall of Muslim Spain (January 1492). According to the State College in Framingham, the Human Biology course by Dr. Roger Morrrissette, Ph.D., smoking of any kind did not exist in Spain until after it was brought back from the New World AFTER King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had come to rule Spain.
This is from their website:
Introduction to Human Biology Framingham State College
Roger N. Morrrissette, Ph.D.
I. The History of Smoking.
1492: Columbus notes the natives of the New World smoke leaves.
1550: Spaniards begin cultivating tobacco in the West Indies to export to Europe.
1880: Tobacco use is widespread but people only use small amounts.
3.) Muslim Spain began to deteriorate at the time of Ibn Seenah and others who were beginning to use their logic in place of Divine Revelation of Allah. Some were very interested in the Greek and Roman philosophies and concepts and began to try to 'rethink' Islam much the same as some 'modernists' are doing today. It was right after this that Muslim Spain began to divide up into small kingdoms and fight against each other for control and gold. They employed mercenaries from amongst the Christians and killed and destroyed each other for a number of years. When the Christians came against them the first time, they appealed to the ruler of Maghrib (Morocco) across the Mediterranean Sea who sent troops to quell the attacks. He stipulated that the Muslims must stop fighting each other and go back to the Islamic system of rule under one leader. They did not do it. When they began fighting each other again, the Christians came in very strong against them and this time the ruler of Morocco refused to help them. They lost battle after battle against the Roman Christians and finally the last stronghold of Islam fell to the Christian King, Ferdinand, in January of 1492. [for details order the video "Muslim Spain"]
So regarding the email claiming that April Fools Day is a celebration of the take over of Muslim Spain, it is clear the whole thing is a made up lie. This is totally unacceptable and should be brought to the attention of the one who sent you this lie in the first place. A good Muslim would never accept to repeat lies and fabrications especially in presenting facts about the history of Islam.
If you have received such a letter it is your duty in front of Allah to write back to those who also received it and ask them to contact all of those on their lists and email the truth about this issue. And we should all fear a Day when we will stand in front of Allah and be asked about these matters.
If we don't do something about correcting the education of our beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, then everyday on the internet is MUSLIM FOOLS DAY.
Again, it is only Allah who has All Knowledge. May He forgive me my mistakes and guide us all to the right way, ameen.
Yusuf Estes