Preserve Your Tongue As You Do Your Gold & Money — One Word Could Bring Disgrace And The Termination Of A Bliss:

The tongue is a Blessing from Allah(swt) and a great tool of communication. Animals are unable to speak, we are! How can you show gratefulness for your tongue? That’s right, by using it in a right way that pleases our Lord.

Sahl ibn Sa’ad (radiAllahu’ anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw)said, Whoever guards what is between his jaws and legs, I shall guarantee him paradise. (Saheeh al-Bukhari).

Restrain your tongue before it prolongs your incarceration and destroys your soul, for there is nothing more worthy of long imprisonment than a tongue that has strayed from the right and is hasty in responding.

Your tongue can make or break you. That’s why the whole body warns the tongue saying, Fear Allah concerning us, for we are (dependant) upon you. If you are upright then we will be upright and if you are corrupt then we will be corrupt. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi).

Allah reminds you about vain talk in the Beginning of Surah al-Mumineen: Indeed successful are the Believers, those who in their prayer have khushoo’ (devotion, concentration, humility) and those who refrain from vain talk.

It means if you want to be a successful Believer and achieve khushoo, avoid vain talk.

If your words are good, you can earn rewards. But you can also utter words that make you lose the reward of your previous good deeds.

Imam al-Ghazali said: "The tongue is a great endowment from Allah; though small in size, its crime is enormous".

Once while on a journey, Mu’adh ibn Jabal (Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (saw) which actions would admit him into Paradise and which actions would distance him from the Hellfire.

The Prophet’s (saw) initial reaction was to inform Mu’adh that he had asked about a weighty matter, but then remarked that “it is easy to achieve for the person for whom Allah makes it easy.”

Thereafter, the Prophet (saw) proceeded to tell Mu’adh of the specific actions that must be done to enter Paradise: Belief in Allah, prayer, zakat, fasting, and pilgrimage.

Next, the Prophet (saw) directed Mu’adh to the voluntary doors of good, like giving in charity and praying in the night. Interestingly, the Prophet (saw) did not immediately comment upon anything related to the Hellfire.

Until suddenly, the Prophet (saw) asked Mu’adh whether he wanted to know which action is the foundational support that holds all of these good acts – meaning which deed in particular will make the reward of the aforementioned acts of obedience complete. Mu’adh curiously responded in the affirmative.

The Prophet (saw) took hold of his own tongue and said, “Restrain this.”

Mu’adh inquired, “O’ Messenger of Allah, will we be taken to task for what we speak?”

The Prophet (saw) replied, “May your mother be bereaved (an Arabic expression used to indicate the seriousness of a matter). Are people thrown onto their faces in Hell for anything other than the harvest of their tongues?” (Tirmidhi).

As Believers, we must ponder about the great meanings behind this Prophetic Narration.

Firstly, the Prophet (saw) listed all the major acts of good in Islam – as well as several supererogatory forms of worship – and subsequently based the reward of their performance around a person’s ability to control their tongue.

Scholars comment that this is proof that restraining the tongue is the root of all good, and whoever controls his tongue has controlled all of his matters and dealt with them correctly.

Moreover, the mere visualization of the Prophet (saw) holding his own tongue gives a lot of food for thought. The tongue is extremely easy to move, and from its movement, much good can result. Yet, because the tongue never tires and is often left unrestricted, much harm can result too.

We spend our lives cultivating our book of deeds with what we say and do. This Narration teaches us that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will be held accountable for what their tongues harvest.

One Of The Greatest Productivity Killers — Backbiting:

The Messenger of Allah (saw) once asked his Companions, ‘Do you know what is Backbiting?’ They said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He (saw) said, ‘To mention about your brother that which he hates.’ They said, ‘What if that which we say about our brother is true?’ He (saw) said, ‘If there is in him what you say about him then that is backbiting, and if you say of him that which is not true then you have slandered him.’ (Saheeh al-Muslim).

Allah (swt) says in the Quran, Do not backbite each other, would any of you wish to eat the flesh of your dead brother, no rather you hate it.(Surah Hujarat:12)

Backbiting, Fault-Finding,Deriding someone, and Accumulation of wealth through Unlawful means are sins that will drag us to Hell.

"Woe to every slandering backbiter."(Surah Humazah).

Wayl means Destruction, Great loss and Chastisement. In fact, there is a valley in Hell that is named Wayl. It means that those who indulge in three sins (backbiting, derision, wrongful accumulation of wealth) will be thrown into the valley of Hell named Wayl. May Allah save us all from that(Ameen). Humazah and Lumazah are to be understood as exaggeration.

Hamzun means pointing towards someone (with a negative intention) and Lamz means fault-finding or taunting someone. To mock at someone, Finding Fault in someone, speaking ill of someone behind his or her back (backbiting), similarly Taunting someone or abusing the person, all of these fall under the dictates of this verse and are major sins all of us must abstain from.

Those who indulge in these sins (or one of these sins) will be severely punished in the Hell, in case they do not sincerely repent for these before their death.

What needs to be understood is that the worst of all the bondsmen are those who indulge themselves in backbiting and create rift between Friends and Relatives, Publicly disgrace Good-hearted and Noble people, and try to find faults in innocent people.

Don’t’s Of The Tongue:

Lying

Verbal Abuse

Foul Language

Backbiting And Slander

How often do you hear: “I’m not lying, I’m only joking”?

This is what the Prophet(saw) said about this: A Believer does not become a perfect Believer until he abandons lying, even as a joke.Until he gives up arguing and debating even if he may be upon the Truth and he may be right.

(Sunan Abi Dawud).

Ways You Can Control Your Tongue:

Think Before Speak:

Imaam ash-Shafiee 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. Before you talk, ask yourself: Will this saying of mine please Allah(swt)? Will this saying of mine bring me closer to Allah (swt)? Does this saying earn with it obedience to Allah (swt)? If yes, speak, if not, remain silent.

Surround Yourself With Good Company & Remind Yourself And Others To Good Speech:

It takes two to gossip. Research and learn the punishment for bad speech. Imagine how the punishment in the grave would feel. If the angel of death were to take your soul in would you want bad words to be your last?

Islam is a perfect balance between protecting the honor of others and standing up against any apparent wrong.

Yet, amongst many Muslims, backbiting and gossiping has become the norm. From social media posts to private gatherings, people’s faults and personal business are often the topic of discussion and an avenue for expressing untamed anger, misgivings, and jealousy.

As Believers, it is crucial that we understand the rulings which revolve around the topic of backbiting and gossiping. Many Muslims are either unfamiliar with these details or unsure of how to apply them when speaking.

Our Concern must be to speak in a way that is Pleasing to Allah Most High and to avoid talking about matters which earn His displeasure, while also being aware of when exceptions apply.

JazakAllah (May Allah reward you with goodness)for reading.

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