The honor of being the greatest writer in Arabic prose, at least in the eyes of numerous Arab literati for the last millennium, belongs to the Iraqi Abu ‘Uthman ‘Amr ibn Bahr al-Jahiz. Born in Basra in 776 C.E., a full millennium before our own nation was founded, Jahiz lived most of his life between the recently founded Baghdad and Samarra. He is the acknowledged master of Arabic adab literature, an eclectic form both entertaining and instructive. The elegance of his writing is matched by the grounding of his reflections on the ordinary and the lowest parts of the social order.

One of his most entertaining works that survives is a satirical look at misers and the nature of avarice. In a culture that idealized hospitality from the poor Bedouin’s goat-hair tent to the sumptuous silk cushions of the sultan’s palace, this is a telling admission that not everyone abides by the social norms. Given the passions that rage out of control in many parts of modern Iraq, it is interesting to follow Jahiz in his suggestion that tears be followed by laughter. As might be expected, he says it best, even in translation.

Now, it is my contention that crying is beneficial and good for the constitution, as long as it is not inappropriate, out of place or excessive. It is a mark of gentleness and remote from cruelty. It may be considered a kind of redemption and akin to the intensity of feeling we experience towards those whom we love. It is one of the things that brings people closer together and by which those who live in fear seek mercy…

If such is the case with tears, what do you think about laughter, where the laugher experiences such boundless pleasure that he quite forgets why he is laughing? If laughter was something offensive on the part of the laugher or of its cause, why should a flower, a pretty dress, jewellery or a fine house be said to be ‘as if laughing’? The Word of God says, ‘He it is who maketh laugh and cry. He it is who giveth life and death.’ [Quran, 53:33-34] thus has the Lord linked laughter with life and coupled tears with death. He does not ascribe unto Himself that which is repugnant or bestow imperfection on His creation. How can laughter fail to play a major part in human happiness and physical well-being when it is something in the basic fabric of temperament and character? Laughter is the first fine thing to appear in an infant. It delights the child’s soul, puts flesh on his ribs and increases the blood supply, which is the cause of happiness and the substance of good health.

It is because they appreciate the benefits of laughter that the Arabs often nickname their children ‘smiler’, ‘chuckler’, ‘sparky’ and ‘easy’. The Prophet laughed and joked, as did all the righteous and the pious. Expressions like ‘he smiles from ear to ear’, ‘he has a smile of welcome in the evenings’, ‘he greets guests with a smile’ and ‘a man with a generous smile’ are accepted as compliments. But ‘scowler’, ‘crabbit’, ‘frosty-face’, ‘pinched-face’, ‘ugly-mug’, ‘torn-face’, ‘’sour-face’ and ‘vinegar-face’ are all expressions of reproach.

Fun and laughter have their proper place and limits. If these are exceeded, frivolity ensues and if curtailed, there is a sense of loss. It is only inappropriate fun and laughter that people criticize, while if fun is had for profit or if laughter hides a motive, the fun turns serious and dismal and the laughter cracks.”

[Excerpts from al-Jahiz, Avarice & the Avaricious (Kitâb al-bukhalâ’), London, Kegan Paul International, 1999, pp. 7-8. Translated by Jim Colville.]