I have recently heard from someone that it is not allowed to use the slang ‘LOL’ which means ‘Laugh Out Loud’ in conversations because it is discouraged to laugh like that in Islam. However, in reality no one actually laughs like that while typing LOL on their screens so it is usually just used as a gesture to show that one found something funny. Can you please shed some light on this.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
As Muslims, we should endeavour to ensure that all our expressions as well do not go against the spirit of Shariah. The expression ‘LOL’ means laugh out loud. Shariah discourages such laughing. The LOL expression may be complacency to the prohibition of laughing out loud even though one may not do so we therefore discourage using the term LOL.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Imran Cyclewala
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.