Pondering Our Words

Abu Hurairah - radiAllahu' anhu - reported that the Prophet said,

“Indeed a servant may say a word from which Allah’s pleasure is gained and the servant does not realize it, Allah will raise him up levels. Indeed a servant may say a word from which Allah’s displeasure is gained and he does not realize it, Allah will put him in Jahanam due to it.” 

- Saheeh al-Bukhari (8/485)

I am writing simply as a reminder for us all on the importance of good speech. Speaking justly is
extremely important to emphasize in our daily lives, because our tongues can either speak good or bad upon us at Judgement Day. If it’s the latter, all our good deeds, prayers, fasts can be cancelled out if our language violates the etiquettes of Islam as shown in the hadith: The Prophet Muhammad
said:

"A man may be so close to Paradise such that the distance between him and it is one derah (an arm's length) and he speaks a word and he becomes distant from it further than Sana" (Ahmad).

It is immensely difficult to utilize proper vocabulary in an age where media and corporations
dictate what Americans should say and do, and it’s necessary to always reflect on your dialogues with
others to make sure our tongue is pure. I will briefly mention a couple common mistakes many of us
make in daily life that violates the Sunnah.

1. The Golden Rule. 

We were taught this in Kindergarten: don’t have anything nice to say about anyone then don’t say it. It’s best to avoid talking about anyone behind their backs, even if it is good (because it can often lead to other discussions about that particular individual). Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleasedwith him) reported: The Prophet said,

"He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent'' [Muslim]. 

Backbiting is a grave sin. A common trick by Shaytan is to think that as it’s okay because we may treat it as a joke with friends rather serious, but backbiting is still a major sin and should not be laughed off.

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah said,

 "During the Mi`raj (the Night of Ascension), I saw a group of people who were scratching their chests and faces with their copper nails. I asked, `Who are these people, O Jibril?' Jibril replied: `These are the people who ate flesh of others (by backbiting) and trampled people's honour" 

[Abu Dawud].

2. Foul words. 

We are at an age when we know every curse word possible. If you’re tempting to say
something vile, even a filler word, remember this hadith. Imam Ahmad and Tirmizi reported that IbnMasoud narrated that the Prophet (s) said:

 “A Muslim is not a person who slanders, curses, speaks obscene words or is abusive."

3. Useless talk.

 The Prophet would always speak good and avoid wasting time with conversations
that were of no use. We should try minimizing the amount we goof around and laugh with our friends, as The Prophet said,

 "Laugh little for much laughter deadens the heart.” 

Additionally, if we spend hours talking about basketball and football every week, then we should seriously reevaluate how much we value sports entertainment. The key to everything is moderation and not letting these petty distractions control our lives. Abu Hurayrah, May Allah be pleased with him, narrated that The Prophet said,

“A sign of one’s excellence in his Islam, is ignoring what does not concern him.’

[Ahmad, Malik & At-Tirmithi]

-Ahmad Noweder