The Shaykh: And now, "The Chapter on Smiling," which is the twenty-fifth chapter after the one hundredth. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates with his authentic chain of narration from Jarir, who is ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, who said:

The Shaykh : And now, "The Chapter on Smiling," which is the twenty-fifth chapter after the one hundredth. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates with his authentic chain of narration from Jarir, who is ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never saw me since I embraced Islam but that he would smile in my face. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So Jarir entered.
The intended point in this hadith is its first part, which clarifies that it was among the manners and character of the Messenger (peace be upon him) in his companionship with his Companions that he would be cheerful and brighten their faces. Therefore, Jarir ibn 'Abd al-Bajali said: . This smiling was previously mentioned to us in some hadiths as being one of the charities; through it and similar easy charities made available to Muslims, a Muslim, whether male or female, can become wealthy in rewards. He may surpass many of the wealthy and rich through such actions. The Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him) said in a hadith: . Therefore, it was very natural that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would treat his Companions with such a manner, which he directed them to when he said to them: . However, there is something here that must be mentioned, especially since we are often asked about it. Recently, I was in Jordan, and one of the doctors there asked me: What is your opinion of a gathering held between men and women, or between young men and young women, where the women are wearing the jilbab in accordance with the Shari'ah? What is your opinion of this gathering? He rightly called it mixing. Indeed, it is mixing, even if it is within the limits we mentioned. I told him: If we want to stick to the literal, verbal meaning, I would say: As long as the women in this gathering are wearing the jilbab and are covered with the Shari'ah covering, there is nothing wrong with this gathering. But the truth, I told him, is that this cannot be anything but theoretical. Practically, how can you imagine such a gathering, from beginning to end, being controlled by such composure that none of the attendees speaks a word that causes one of the female attendees to smile or laugh? Who can control such a mixed gathering of women and men so that nothing comes from any of the attendees that leads the others to laugh or smile? This is practically impossible. Therefore, the more pious course is to avoid holding such mixed gatherings of women and men under the claim that the covering is available, because the availability of the covering is one of the conditions and one of the obligatory manners in Islam. But there is the nature of the speech, the nature of the conversation. If a man smiles at a woman there, or vice versa, a woman at a man, let alone laughing, let alone loud laughter, then at that point, the gathering ceases to be a matter of good manners, ceases to be an Islamic gathering. Therefore, we do not see the approval of such gatherings at all, as long as there is a way to avoid them; because a person cannot control himself from sometimes laughing, which makes the others laugh. Here, Satan has knocked on the door of the attendees for trial and fitnah. Therefore, if it was among the manners of the Messenger (peace be upon him) that he did not meet his Companions but smiling in their faces, acting on his saying to them: , then we must understand this hadith in light of the Islamic rules, one of which is the chapter of blocking the means to harm (sadd al-dhara'i'). So a man smiles in the face of a man, and a woman in the face of a woman, and not the other way around. A man does not smile in the face of a woman who is not his mahram, nor does a woman smile in the face of a man who is not her mahram, because this is a key to fitnah. Unless there is a mahram relationship, meaning a man smiles, and even laughs, in the face of his daughter, his sister's daughter, and the like of mahrams. As for a woman who is not his mahram, it is not permissible for him to meet her except with all modesty, all composure, and as far as possible from fitnah.
So, smiling in the face of a Muslim brother is a charity, but the same gender with the same gender, and a companion with his companion, this is the intended point of this hadith, which is the first part: that it was among the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Sunnah that when he met one of his Companions—(and upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings)—he would smile in his face. This means that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was not harsh, as they say today; he was not a frowning, scowling person, but rather cheerful and bright. So, by Allah (Mighty and Majestic), He describes him by saying: . Then, in the completion of this hadith, there is a benefit: when Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) came to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he told them (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him), announcing the arrival of this Jarir: . He is Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, from one of the Yemeni tribes. So he informed them (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was from the best of this tribe by saying: ; meaning: on his face are the marks of kingship, blessing, and beauty. And it was so, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not speak except the truth. This is a hadith about smiling, the smiling of the Messenger (peace be upon him).