All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is permissible to seek nearness to Allah Almighty through His Names and Attributes that are established in the Qur’an and Sunnah. This includes the Attribute of laughter. It is also permissible to supplicate using what has been mentioned in the texts concerning hastening, in a manner befitting Allah Almighty, without asking how or likening Him to His creation.
Seeking nearness to Allah Almighty through His Names and Attributes is prescribed and established in the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ used to say:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot enumerate Your praises; You are as You have praised Yourself.”
Narrated by Muslim (486).
In the hadith of ‘Uthman ibn Abi al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet ﷺ taught him to say:
“I seek refuge in Allah and His Power from the evil of what I feel and fear.”
Narrated by Muslim (2202).
This demonstrates the permissibility of asking Allah Almighty and seeking nearness to Him through His Names and Attributes.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Asking Allah by His Names, Attributes, and Words is permissible and prescribed, as stated in the hadiths.”
The Attribute of laughter is established for Allah Almighty in authentic hadiths. Among them is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Allah laughs at two men, one of whom kills the other, yet both enter Paradise.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari (2826) and Muslim (1890).
It is also established in another hadith that Allah Almighty laughs at His servant who asks Him for salvation and then permits him to enter Paradise, as narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari (806) and Sahih Muslim (182).
Accordingly, the Attribute of laughter is established for Allah Almighty in a manner befitting His Majesty, without likening it to the laughter of created beings and without claiming to know how it occurs.
Ibn Khuzaymah, may Allah have mercy on him, stated in Kitab al-Tawhid that one must believe that Allah laughs as the Prophet ﷺ informed us, while refraining from asking how His laughter is, because Allah Almighty has not informed His servants of the manner of His Attribute.
Accordingly, there is no objection to seeking nearness to Allah through this Attribute in a supplication appropriate to its meaning, such as saying:
“O You who laugh toward Your servants, have mercy on me and bring me near to You.”
Or:
“O You who laugh toward Your servants, do not make me among the most wretched of Your creation, and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants.”
Here, seeking nearness is based on an Attribute established in the Sunnah. Its permissibility should not be denied merely because this form of supplication is uncommon in people’s speech.
It is stated in the hadith qudsi:
“If he draws near to Me by a handspan, I draw near to him by an arm’s length; if he draws near to Me by an arm’s length, I draw near to him by a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him hastening.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari (7405) and Muslim (2675).
This hadith should not be understood as making Allah Almighty’s drawing near resemble the drawing near of created beings. It does not mean that Allah walks in the manner that a human being walks, just as the servant’s drawing near does not mean physically covering a distance toward Allah Almighty.
The more apparent interpretation is that the servant draws near through obedience and turning toward Allah, while Allah’s drawing near to His servant is through reward, bounty, mercy, and benevolence.
Accordingly, a Muslim may supplicate to Allah Almighty with words appropriate to this meaning, such as:
“O You who promised that whoever comes to You walking, You will come to him hastening, accept my repentance and forgive my sin.”
Or:
“O You who said—and Your word is truth—‘Whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him hastening,’ accept my repentance and have mercy on me.”
This falls under supplicating to Allah by what He has informed us about Himself, while believing in what befits Him, without asking how or drawing comparisons with creation.
Some people may find it unusual to seek nearness to Allah through certain Attributes because they are accustomed to doing so through well-known Names and Attributes such as knowledge, power, mercy, and forgiveness. However, the fact that a particular Attribute is not commonly used in supplication does not mean that seeking nearness through it is impermissible if it is authentically established regarding Allah Almighty.
The basis for affirming Allah’s Attributes is the Qur’an and Sunnah, not merely the expressions that people are accustomed to using in supplication.
Nevertheless, a Muslim should choose clear expressions in supplication that are appropriate to the intended request and adhere, as much as possible, to what has been authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ.
It is permissible to seek nearness to Allah Almighty through His Names and Attributes established in the Qur’an and Sunnah, including the Attribute of laughter. It is also permissible to supplicate using what is mentioned in the hadith concerning hastening, while understanding the texts in a manner befitting Allah Almighty, without asking how or likening Him to His creation.
The Attribute of laughter is established in the Sunnah, and hastening is mentioned in the hadith qudsi. Established Attributes should not be rejected merely because some people find seeking nearness through them unusual or are unaccustomed to this form of supplication.
The required approach regarding the divine Attributes is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, while declaring Allah Almighty free of any resemblance to His creation.
And Allah knows best.