Sayyiduna Ibn Abi Muti' رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ said:
١. لِسَانُ الْمَرْءِ
لَيْثٌ فِي كَمِينِ إِذَا خَلَّى إِلَيْهِ لَهُ إِغَارَةٌ
٢. فَصُنْهُ عَنِ الْخَنَا
بِلِجَامِ صَمْتِ يَكُنْ لَكَ مِنْ بَلِيَّاتِ سِتَارَةً
1. The tongue is like a lion lying in ambush, ready to attack and
cause destruction the moment it is given the opportunity.
2. Therefore, restrain it from futile and inappropriate speech by
placing upon it the bridle of silence. In this way, you will be protected from
many calamities.²²
A Beast That Devours
A pious Qurayshi elder رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ said: A scholar was once asked, “Why do you remain silent so
often?” He replied, “I have found my tongue to be a beast that devours. I fear
that if I let it loose, it will turn upon me and consume me.”²³
Protecting Wealth Is Easy, But the Tongue...
A person can secure his wealth by locking it away in
a safe. If he possesses great treasure, he may even appoint armed guards to
protect it. However, the real accomplishment is to successfully protect one's
tongue. Thus, Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Wasi' رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ said to Sayyiduna Malik bin Dinar رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ: “Protecting one's tongue is more difficult than protecting
one's wealth.”²⁴
Generally, everyone is careful about safeguarding
wealth. Yet if wealth is lost, the loss is only worldly. But sadly, concern for
protecting the tongue has become very rare. Indeed, failure to guard the tongue
can result not only in worldly harm but also in the destruction of one's
Hereafter.
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيبِ صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد
References
²²
Minhaj al-'Abidin (Urdu), p. 145; Minhaj al-'Abidin, p. 66
²³
Ek Chup So Sukh (Fada'il-e-Khamoshi), p. 21
²⁴
Ithaf al-Sadah, vol. 9, p. 144
Six Signs of the Lovers
It is said:
Aashiqaan raa shish nishaan sat, ay
pisar!
Aah-e sard-va-rang-e zard va chashm-e tar
Gar turaa pursand Se digar kudaam?
Kam khurd, kam guftan, va khuftan haraam
Translation: A true lover has six signs: (1) Deep sighs. (2) A pale
complexion. (3) Tearful eyes. (4) Eating little. (5) Speaking little. (6)
Sleeping little.
Six Signs of Ignorance
Becoming angry over every little matter, talking
excessively, wasting wealth, revealing secrets to everyone, trusting everyone
blindly, failing to avoid bad company, and not adopting good company are all
signs of ignorance.
A wise person said that six traits identify a foolish
person:
1. Becoming angry at every matter that goes against his desires,
whether caused by a person or something else.
2. Engaging in useless conversation. A sensible person should speak
only when there is benefit, whether worldly or religious.
3. Wasting wealth. Spending money without reward or benefit is a
sign of ignorance.
4. Revealing confidential matters to everyone.
5.
Trusting everyone
indiscriminately.
6. Failing to distinguish between friends and enemies. A person
should recognize righteous people and follow their example, and identify evil
people and avoid them. Certainly, man's greatest enemy is Shaytan; one should
never obey him in any matter and should strive to avoid all sins.²⁵
Four Frightening Harms of Useless Talk
Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali رَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ mentioned four reasons why useless speech is blameworthy: 1.
Useless speech must be recorded by the Kiraman Katibin (the noble recording
angels). Therefore, a person should feel ashamed before them and not burden
them with writing pointless words.
Allah Almighty states in Surah Qaf, verse 18:
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
He does not utter a word except that
there is a guardian angel ready near him.²⁶
References
²⁵
Tanbih al-Ghafilin, p. 115, summarised
²⁶
Al-Quran, Surah Al- Qaf, verse 18; translation from Kanz al-‘Irfān
2. It is not appropriate that a person's Book of Deeds be presented in
the court of Allah Almighty, filled with useless speech. 3. On the Day of
Judgment, in front of all creation, a servant will be commanded to read out his
Book of Deeds. At that time, the terrors of the Day of Judgment will be before
him. He will be unclothed, suffering intense thirst, weakened by hunger,
prevented from entering Paradise, and deprived of every comfort. Just reflect!
In such painful circumstances, how distressing will it be to read out a Book of
Deeds filled with useless conversation! Consider this calculation: if someone
wastes only 15 minutes daily in useless talk, then in a 30-day month, this
amounts to 7.5 hours. In one year, it becomes ninety hours. If a person
continues this for fifty years, it totals 187 days and 12 hours, more than six
months. Now imagine standing under the blazing sun of the Day of Judgment,
enduring unimaginable heat, and having to continuously read a record of useless
speech for over six months. And this is only for fifteen minutes of daily idle
talk. Many people spend hours every day in pointless conversations, while
sinful speech and other wrongdoings are additional to this.
4. On the Day of Judgment, a servant will be
reproached for his useless speech and made to feel ashamed. He will have no
answer and will be overwhelmed with regret before Allah Almighty.27
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيبِ صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد
References
27
Minhaj al-'Abidin, p. 67
Learn Silence
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin 'Abdullah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: “Learn silence, then learn forbearance,
then acquire knowledge, then learn to act upon it, and then teach and spread
that knowledge.”²⁸
Worship Begins with Silence
Imam Sufyan al-Thawri رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ said: “The beginning of worship is silence, then seeking
knowledge, then preserving it, then acting upon it, and then spreading it.”²⁹
Silence Is the Key to Worship
Imam Sufyan al-Thawri رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ said: “Abundant silence is the key to worship.”³⁰
Five Precious Pieces of Advice
The Tabi'i Imam Mujahid رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
عَلَيْهِ narrates that he heard Sayyiduna 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا say: “There are five things more beloved
to me than the finest black horses prepared for riding.” 1. Do not engage in
useless speech, for it is pointless, and I fear it may lead you into sin. Even
beneficial speech should not be spoken at an inappropriate time, for many
people have fallen into difficulty by speaking useful words at the wrong
moment.
2. Do not argue with a patient and forbearing person,
nor with a foolish and ignorant one. The forbearing person may develop
resentment toward you, while the foolish person may harm you with his words.
References
²⁸
Shu'ab al-Iman, vol. 2, p. 288, Saying 1791
²⁹
Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 6, p. 6
³⁰
Al-Samt ma'a Mawsu'at Ibn Abi al-Dunya, vol. 7, p. 255, Saying 436
No comments:
Post a Comment