The Bounty of Speech by Imam Sameh Asal

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The power of speech is a great bounty that Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed on us. Allah, Exalted be He, has always reminded us in the Qur’an of the great bounty of making us articulate and able to express ourselves unlike other creatures. Allah, the Almighty, says:

"الرحمن علم القرآن خلق الإنسان علمه البيان."

“The Most Merciful, Taught the Qur'an, Created man, [And] taught him eloquence.”

A Muslim is duty bound to show gratitude to Allah for such a great bounty, by making good use of his tongue, in saying what is pleasing to Allah, and refraining from saying what displeasing to Him. The human tongue can be a means to attaining happiness in this life, and the Hereafter, or a means to reap suffering in this life and punishment in the Hereafter. It can be a means to attaining Allah’s pleasure or a means to incur his wrath, a means to establish good relations with others or a means to create hatred and sow grudges between people. It could also be a means to friendship or a means to enmity. It all depends on the way we use it. To envision the seriousness of the matter, one needs to reflect on the questions:

• How many times a family conflict occurs because of a word that is said at the time of anger?
• How many times two brothers or sisters had a conflict because of something said?
• How many fights started and inflamed because of a bad word word?
• How many times family ties are disrupted due to an irresponsible talk?
• How many times people lose their friends because of something said irr we said?
• How many time a person put himself in trouble because an irresponsible talk that he did not think about before saying it?

That is why Islam teaches us to always say the good word and refrain from saying the bad word, to be responsible when we talk, and to refrain from irresponsible talk. The Prophet (SAW) has taught us that the good word is a charity. He (SAW) said:

"الكلمة الطيبة صدقة."

“The good word is a charity.”

Allah, the Almighty, told us in the Qur’an about the status of a good word and the good effect it has on others versus the bad word and its bad effect. Allah (SWT) likened the good word to the good fruitful tree and the bad word to the bad tree uprooted from the surface of the earth with no stability. Allah (SWT), says:

"ألم تر كيف ضرب الله مثلا كلمة طيبة كشجرة طيبة أصلها ثابت وفرعها في السماء تؤتي أكلها كل حين تؤتي أكلها كل حين بإذن ربها ويضرب الله الأمثال للناس لعلهم يتذكرون.  ومثل كلمة خبيثة كشجرة خبيثة اجتثت من فوق الأرض ما لها من قرار."

“Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky? It produces its fruit all the time, by permission of its Lord. And Allah presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded. And the example of a bad word is like a bad tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, not having any stability.”

Brothers and Sisters!

Some of us may think they are free to say anything at anytime without having any sense of accountability. They might engage in an irresponsible talk not knowing that everything is counted on it and that we will be accountable to Allah for every word we say. We should always remember when we say anything that what we say is recorded by the angels. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

"ما يلفظ من قول إلا لديه رقيب عتيد."

“Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) once corrected the misconception that one of his Companions had in this regard. This companion thought, like many of us may think, that we are not held responsible for what we say. He asked the Prophet (PBUH) saying, “Shall we be called to account in respect of that which we say?” He answered: “…What else other than what people say that causes them to be thrown in the Hell-Fire upon their faces?”

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) taught us we that should only say what is good or be silent. He (PBUH) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or keep silent.” This means that we should think about what we will say before we say it,  and we should evaluate the benefits versus the harms. Based on that we should decide whether it is good to say something or to keep silent. Imaam Al-Shafi`i (may Allah have mercy on him) said. “If you wish to speak then it is upon you to think before you speak. If you think there is good in it then speak and if not then do not speak.”

Every time we want to say something, we should ask ourselves these questions:

Is this saying of mine pleasing to Allah? Will I be rewarded for saying it or will I incur sin instead? If the answer is yes, then we should say it, otherwise we should keep quiet.

We should keep our tongues from any foul, irresponsible talk, backbiting of others, tale-carrying or interfering in other people’s affairs, which are all bad manners. A good Muslim is described by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to be the one that the people feel safe from his tongue and hands. Abu Musa al-Ash`ari (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (PBUH), saying, “O Messenger of Allah! Which of the Muslims is better?” Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said, “The one who does not harm the Muslims with his tongues and hands.” Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Whoever guards what is between his jaws and legs. I shall guarantee him paradise.”

There are many good things that we could use our tongues for like making dhikr (i.e. remembrance of Allah), asking Allah for forgiveness, reciting the Qur’an, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, giving advice, bringing peace between people and giving da`wah to Muslims and non-Muslims. Allah (SWT) says:

"...وقولوا للناس حسنا وأقيموا الصلاة..."

“And speak to people good [words] and establish prayer and give zakah."

Imam al-Qurtubi said, “A Muslim should be gentle while speaking to people. His face should be smiling to both the righteous ones as well as the defiantly disobedient ones, without being hypocritical. Allah, the Almighty, ordered Prophet Musa and Prophet Haroun (peace be upon them both) to speak gently to Pharaoh, saying:

"فقولا له قولا لينا لعله يتذكر أو يخشى."

“And speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may be reminded or fear [Allah]." Imam al-Qurtubi commented on the ayah saying, “There is no one who would speak gently to people who is not better than Prophets Musa and Haroun (peace be upon them both), and there is no bad person that we would ever talk to who is more wicked than Pharaoh; however Allah commanded Musa and Haroun to speak gently to him.

To conclude, Islam teaches us that we should think before we speak, and if you think there is good in what we want to say, then we say it; otherwise we should refrain from saying it. We are instructed to speak nicely to people. We will be held accountable for everything we say; therefore, we should take this matter seriously to avoid the punishment of Allah on the Day of Judgment and to attain His Pleasure and enter Jannah in the Hereafter. We should show gratitude to Allah, for the great bounty of speech by using it in Remembering Allah, reciting His word, giving da`wah to his deen and making reconciliation between people.