The Sunday Mail
ALLAH Almighty declares in the Holy Qur’aan, “No person utters any word except that a meticulous recorder is present by him (recording his speech).” (Ch 50 : v 18)
Every word uttered does not go and cannot go unrecorded. The Almighty has made it such that each person will be accountable to everything they say – and of course also for that which they do.
Importance of speech
The tongue is a very small piece of flesh in the human body yet it plays such a major role in different aspects of life. God Almighty, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, has bestowed mankind this amazing ability to communicate through the use of the tongue.
He declares in the holy Qur’aan, “It is He who created the human and taught him the art of expression (speech).” (Ch 55 : v 3-4).
Speech is indeed one of the indications of what a person thinks or feels – it is an account from the person himself. Islam focuses on building the character of an individual and has even made the etiquette of speech as part of the religion.
One of the qualities which paints an individual as reckless and mindless is too much talking. Not only does it display a person’s lack of wisdom and intelligence (when it is needless), it can also lead to many problems due to lack of caution.
On the other hand, a wise person is that of a few words carefully chosen and reflected upon. Furthermore when a reserved person speaks, his or her speech is given more importance due to the fact that the person does not saturate the conversation with a lot of throw-away ideas and rambles. Empty vessels make the most noise.
It is for this very reason that Ibn Mas’ood, one of the companions of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) once declared: “The thing which is most deserving of imprisonment is the tongue”. One philosopher has even said, “No one has ever regretted what they have not said, regret is always for what has been said (wrongly)”.
How often have we ourselves experienced situations when we actually regret what we have said and wish we could take back the words – then we find it’s too late and the damage has already been done.
The tongue is tied to the heart
Islam upholds that the faith of a servant of The Almighty – a believer, is not correct until his heart is correct and his heart is not correct until his tongue is correct. Thus Islam teaches us that the heart is indeed tied to our actions, specifically speech.
It is not enough to have belief in the heart and claim a high level of faith – it must shape a person’s character as well and become manifest in speech. This is why the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) even enjoined on us, while appealing to believe in Allah The Almighty: “Let the one who believes in Allah and the Hereafter utter good words, otherwise let him be silent.”
So not only is a wise person sparing in his or her speech, but is also selective about when it is necessary to engage his or her mind.
Things that are futile or harmful should be avoided so as not to use precious energy nor pollute one’s soul with useless clutter. One should avoid delving in matters of no benefit, arguing needlessly to the point of hatred, talking too much and too fast, in a rude and uncouth manner. These exaggerated styles of speech paint a person as loud, annoying, and undignified.
Therefore, if a person aims to go far in their worship of Allah and refinement of character, they should begin by taming the tongue. Again, as mentioned above, speaking less, while a virtue in and of itself, is also beneficial due to the fact that it reduces the possibility of a person uttering wrong things.
All limbs are dependent on the tongue
We are told that the heart and all limbs are dependent on the tongue.
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) has said, “When a person gets up in the morning all the limbs (of his body) plead before the tongue and say: ‘Be fearful of the Almighty for our sake, for we are dependent on you, If you are straight or upright, we will be straight and if you are crooked, we will be crooked.”
This actually gives us an indication that once the tongue utters something, the mind and the rest of the limbs will work towards upholding that – so if it is good they will be upholding good and if it is otherwise, they will be bent on upholding that!
Prophetic advice
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) reminds us that if we do not speak we cannot engage in incorrect speech and if we lessen our speech we are less likely to fall into evil speech.
“You shall be saved as long as you are silent, for if you speak, it will either be in your favour or stand against you.” The importance of thinking carefully and choosing words wisely before we speak cannot be over-emphasised.
As for the social impact of incorrect speech, we find a very stark reminder in the age old saying, “The wounds of a sword may heal one day, but the wounds of the tongue – they never may.”
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected].
