Classical Islamic Philosophy
Journal
The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Humor
Publisher
Springer Nature Switzerland
Date Issued
2026
Type
text::book::book part
Abstract
This chapter explores the role of humor (hazl/muzāḥ) and laughter (ḍāḥik) within the classical Islamic intellectual tradition with special emphasis on the philosophical approach. It provides, first, an overview of some relevant studies dealing with humor and laughter in the Qurʾān and the ḥādīth materials. Then, it deals with joking and laughter in one of the most prominent Islamic theologians, namely, al-Ghazālī. Finally, it moves on to a philosophical approach to humor, joking, and laughter. Even though philosophers in Islamic lands did not treat the various manifestations of humor systematically, in several works they expressed their views in this regard usually in the context of ethical and educational discussions on the shaping of moral character, self-control, the psychology of emotions, and the moral role of poetry. I collect, perhaps for the first time, references on humor and its manifestations from the philosophical works of al-Kindī, al-Abū Bakr Rāzī, al-Fārābī, the Syriac Christian Jacobite Yaḥyā ibn ʿAdī, Miskawayh, and Avicenna. The chapter concludes with a brief comparison between the different approaches to humor and laughter within the Islamic intellectual tradition. ©The author ©Springer.
License
Acceso Restringido
How to cite
López-Farjeat, L.X. (2026). Classical Islamic Philosophy. In: Amir, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Humor. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-86247-2_9