Short answer
Yes, in practice. April Fools' Day is built on lying and tricking people, and the Prophet ﷺ warned against lying to make people laugh and against frightening a Muslim, even as a joke. Light humour with true words is fine on any day.
Lying is haram, including in jest, and so is frightening or humiliating someone with a prank. Taking part in April Fools' pranks that rely on lies is therefore not permitted. Joking with true words is permitted.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Islam does not ban humour. The Prophet ﷺ joked with his Companions, but he only ever said what was true. The problem with April Fools' Day is that the whole day is built on lies: fake news, fake breakups, fake pregnancy announcements, fake accidents. He said, 'Woe to the one who speaks and lies to make people laugh. Woe to him, woe to him.'
Many pranks also frighten or hurt people. Some Companions once took a sleeping man's rope as a joke and he woke up scared. The Prophet ﷺ said it is not lawful for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim. He also said nobody should take his brother's things, whether joking or serious. So hiding someone's phone, faking an emergency or scaring someone for a video all fall under this.
What you can do:
- share clean jokes and funny stories that are true or clearly fiction that nobody takes as real;
- play games and riddles where everyone knows it is a game;
- say no kindly if friends ask you to help with a prank, and do not forward fake 'news' made for the day.
A message that goes around claims the day began when Muslims in Spain were tricked. We found no reliable historical source for that story, so do not pass it on as fact. The ruling does not depend on the history anyway: lying and frightening people are wrong on any date. For more, see are white lies haram. The four schools agree on this ruling.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hujuraat 49:11
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌۭ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَآءٌۭ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا۟ بِٱلْأَلْقَٰبِ ۖ بِئْسَ ٱلِٱسْمُ ٱلْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ ٱلْإِيمَٰنِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ ﴿١١﴾
O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Making fun of people is forbidden.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2315
Grading to be checked... ويل للذي يحدث بالحديث ليضحك به القوم فيكذب ...
"Woe to the one who talks to make people laugh and lies in doing so."
Lying for a laugh is condemned.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5004
Grading to be checked... لا يحل لمسلم أن يروع مسلما ...
"It is not lawful for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim."
Scaring people as a prank is not allowed.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5003
Grading to be checked... لا يأخذن أحدكم متاع أخيه لاعبا ولا جادا ...
"None of you should take his brother's belongings, whether joking or serious."
Hiding or taking things as a joke is forbidden.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha, on lying. Lying is haram except in the narrow cases named in the hadith.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.