Have we been jesting ignorantly on April Fools Day?
When life is punctuated by a little bit of fun and joy it becomes enjoyable and Islam
also encourages followers to be cheerful at all times while ensuring that fun and
enjoyment is not made at the cost of others or through sacrificing Islamic values. Bearing
this in mind, there appeared to be no qualms when, in the name of fun, people played jokes
on April Fools Day marked on the 1st of April each year. However an article recently
carried in one Bangladesh newspaper raises concern on the history of the April Fools Day,
which if true would change the Muslim perspective and outlook towards jesting or joking on
the first of April each year.
According to the Bangladesh newspaper, the April Fools Day dates back to the 15th Century
when the decline of Muslim power started in Spain. At that time the Forces of the Spanish
rulers, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella encountered very stiff resistance from the
Muslims in the city of Granada. The valiant Muslim soldiers gathered at Granada and though
besieged for a long time they did not give up. The losses suffered by the Spanish Force in
Granada kept on mounting and the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella then resorted
to deception. They gave a declaration that if the gates of Granada were opened for
peaceful entrance of the Spanish Force, Spain would guarantee peaceful and unhindered exit
of all the Muslim Forces and Muslim civilians. No one would be harmed.
For ensuring that there would be no rebellious behaviour, the Muslim Forces and civilians
were requested to assemble in the central mosque premises unarmed while the Spanish Force
was also to enter Granada unarmed. About 40,000 Muslims of Granada believed the
declaration and all assembled at the central mosque unarmed and opened the gates for the
Spanish to enter. However the Spanish Force is reported to have entered with arms and
after surrounding the Muslim Forces and the civilians, they reportedly massacred all the
unarmed people - young and old ; boys and girls ; men and women without any consideration
except that of ensuring that the victims were all Muslims. Then they celebrated the day as
a day of joy having fooled the Muslims.
That day was 1st of April 1492 , when mere trickery and deception gave the Spanish an easy
but cruel victory. From then onward for hundreds of years, till today, 1st of April is
celebrated as the “ April Fools Day". This culture has been accepted ignorantly
by the Muslim population in many countries as a day of fun and joy. Could any Muslim in a
right frame of mind celebrate such a day of heinous crime against his fellow brothers as a
day of joy and fun ? Certainly not unless one was ignorant, as many of us have been over
the years.
Other than the article under reference in the Bangladesh newspaper I have not been able to
obtain any further historical evidence and probably one way of obtaining further data
would be to revisit Spanish history and verify on the reported incident which led to the
ruthless killings of 40,000 unarmed innocent people by mere deception.
Considering the gravity of the reported massacre, we cannot dismiss the reported April
Fool Day killing so easily and as a matter of caution would be better off refraining from
jesting on this day unless the historical facts provided are proved incorrect. Surely such
an unethical act of deception cannot be observed as a day fun and joy.