1  He صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated: A person speaks, and does so only to make people laugh, due to it, he falls in such depth of Hell that is even more than the distance between the sky and earth. Undoubtedly, the wrongdoing that one commits through his tongue is severer than the one that he commits through his feet. (Shu’ab-ul-Iman, vol. 4, pp. 213, Hadees 4832)

2  Woe to him who lies when he speaks so that he makes people laugh through it. Woe to him! Woe to him!

(Sunan-ut-Tirmizi, vol. 4, pp. 142, Hadees 2322)

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                                                                      صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

O devotees of Rasool! There is sheer loss in having useless gatherings, wasting time in restaurants, wasting time in the gatherings of friends and telling lies in order to make people laugh. Because in such gatherings, it becomes extremely difficult to protect your tongue against the sins like useless conversation, backbiting, tale-telling and lying etc.

If in case one ever has to attend such gathering, then he shall try to refrain from these sins and speak the truth instead of lying. Our righteous predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَالٰی would never lie. Rather, they would always speak the truth even if the other person did not like it.

Sayyiduna Taa`oos رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه went to the caliph of the time, Hashshaam, and asked him: ‘Hashshaam! How are you?’ He replied furiously: ‘Why did you not address me as “Ameer-ul-Mu`mineen?”’ He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه replied: ‘Because all the Muslims do not agree with your caliphate. Hence, I feared in case calling you Ameer-ul-Mu`mineen would be deemed as a lie.’

After narrating this parable, Hujjat-ul-Islam, Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه states: Therefore, the one who is truthful to this extent and can refrain from these kinds of evils (like backbiting, tale-telling, showing off, vanity, flattering etc.) may, by all means, socialise with people. Or else, he should be ready to get his name written in the list of hypocrites.

(Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, vol. 2, pp. 287)