There was no one more surprised by Baba Ali’s ascension to fame than the man himself. In 2006 when he produced a vlog called “Funny Things You See during Jummah” on YouTube that went viral, he was never intending to be a comedian. He didn’t even think of himself as being funny! As a convert to Islam, he was thirsty for and growing in knowledge but his experience around Muslims wasn’t matching the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah. In “The Reminder Series” he just shared observations about everyday events and the ironies he saw in the Muslim community. And that happened to strike a cord with millions of viewers!
Baba Ali had never been a public speaker (outside of brief stints as a science teacher), was extremely nervous on stage, and was so discouraged by his first foray in front of a large audience at an Eid event, that he dubbed the experience a “complete disaster.” In the 16+ years and more than 400 performances since, he has perfected his craft by focusing on details. His brand of humor has been appreciated by audiences worldwide, by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Baba Ali has always been impressed that Islamic guidance has a prescription for conduct in every aspect of daily life. In considering future opportunities to give reminders, he notes that there is guidance about the way he conducts himself when making people laugh, too. He calls it “halal humor.” And not all Muslim comedians are abiding by these same rules.
Over the years, Baba Ali has consistently abided by one general rule: “the means are more important than the laughter.” He takes seriously the amana that is entrusted to him when he agrees to headline an event. And he also consistently and conscientiously applies the following etiquettes to his work:
- He does not make jokes about Islam or the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
- He tries to avoid lying on stage.
- He will not engage in ethnic humor and or disparage others for a laugh.
- He never curses.
- He takes careful notes to ensure that he never repeats the same material in the same locale.
I asked Baba Ali whether the attention to these details has stimied his professional stand-up career and his response was emphatic. “Allah will hold all of us accountable for our actions. I believe my success is only because of Allah.” He believes that each of us is responsible for every word that rolls off our tongues and for being “ambassadors” of Islam. He added that we can attend to the rules that are prescribed and also add creativity into that mix.
He used an interesting analogy to make this point. He likened the need for attention to details related to humor to the copyright laws that exist in the West. There are strict rules about copying someone else's material and they are enforced in a wide variety of ways that require paying close attention when using it. The same can be true of our need to attend to the details of guarding our tongues because our attention to theserules is being recorded and will also be enforced on the Day of Judgement. Muslims can be funny and have their own unique styles of humor without mimicking the denigrating and immoral practices we find around us (both here and abroad!).
And herein lies a caution for parents. It is important that we correctly convey this advice to our children with our words and our actions! Being religious doesn't mean you have to be rigid or superhuman. According to the Seerah, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, smiled often and reminded us that even a smile can be considered a charity. He laughed and joked with his companions and his wifes. And we should use his example when interacting with our family, friends, and everyone we meet.
You can still catch Baba Ali in a wide variety of venues, teaching about his love of Islam and challenges of everyday life. He is entertaining and is a great role model, especially for Muslim youth. He uses his unique style of humor with a younger audience as one of the host teachers in Sound Vision’s Colors of Islam Club online children’s programming. Classes for the 2022 Summer Camp session will start soon. More information can be found at https://academy.adamsworld.org/.
For more online content from Baba Ali, visit his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/ummahfilms/featured.
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