WHEN TO SPEAK AND WHEN NOT TO SPEAK (sent by Asghar Palavkar)

(Compiled & Edited by Dr Jaber Mirza)

Assalaamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhuh:
The following are hadith regarding unnecessary talking. We should heed the sayings of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He also mentioned occasions when we should SPEAK. Please note these hadith and examples as well.

When to Speak:
· In Matters of Justice
· Speaking the Truth
· Remembering Allah
· Speaking Out Against Oppression & Evil

When and What not to Speak
· Excessive Talking
· Talking what does not concern oneself

Therefore, one must control one's tongue**

W H E N TO S P E A K
In Matters of Justice
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Charity is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a charity. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take towards the Prayer is a charity, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a charity. [Sahih Muslim: 1677]

Speaking the Truth
Bayhaqi from Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) with the words,
“There is no charity more beloved to Allah from speaking the truth.”
This was declared rigorously authentic by Ibn Hibban.
Remembering Allah - Dhikr
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said,
"There are two expressions which are very easy for the tongue to say, but they are very heavy in the balance and are very dear to The Beneficent (Allah), and they are, 'Subhan Allah Al-'Azim and 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi.'"
(Bukhari Book 75, Hadith 415)
Any time you have a moment, remember Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala)
Social Obligation on Speaking Out Against Oppression, Evil, and Injustice
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
“Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he cannot, then with his tongue [by speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with his heart [by hating it and feeling that it is wrong] – and that is the weakest of faith” (Narrated by Muslim, 49)

W H E N N O T T O S P E A K
It is reported in al-Musnad, on the authority of Anas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said:
"The faith of a servant is not put right until his heart is put right, and his heart is not put right until his tongue is put right."
Explanation: This shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has made the purification of faith conditional on the purification of the heart and the purification of the heart conditional on the purification of the tongue.
At-Tirmidhi relates in a hadith on the authority of Ibn Umar:
"Do not talk excessively without remembering Allah, because such excessive talk without the mention of Allah causes the heart to harden, and the person furthest from Allah is a person with a hard heart."
Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner."
In a hadith related on the authority of Mu'adh, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Shall I not tell you how to control all that?" I said, "Yes do, O Messenger of Allah." So he held his tongue between his fingers, and then he said:” Restrain this." I said, "Oh Prophet of Allah, are we accountable for what we say?" He said, "May your mother be bereft by your loss! Is there anything more than the harvest of the tongues that throws people on their faces (or he said 'on their noses') into the Fire?"
Explanation: What is meant here by 'the harvest of the tongues' is the punishment for saying forbidden things. A man, through his actions and words, sows the seeds of either good or evil. On the Day of Resurrection he harvests their fruits. Those who sow the seeds of good words and deeds harvest honor and blessings; those who sow the seeds of evil words and deeds reaponly regret and remorse.
A hadith related by Abu Huraira says,
"What mostly cause people to be sent to the Fire are the two openings: the mouth and the private parts."
Abu Huraira also related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said,
"The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not realize, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the Fire further than the distance between the east and the west."
The same hadith was transmitted by at-Tirmidhi with slight variations: "The servant says something that he thinks is harmless, and for which he will be plunged into the depths of the Fire as far as seventy autumns."
Uqba ibn Amir said:
"I said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is our best way of surviving?' He, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), replied: "Guard your tongue, make your house suffice for sheltering your privacy, and weep for your wrong actions."
It has been related on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Whoever can guarantee what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I guarantee him the Garden."
It has also been related by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Let whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day either speaks well or remains silent."
Explanation: Thus talking can either be good, in which case it is commendable, or bad, in which case it is haram.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Everything the children of Adam say goes against them, except for their enjoining good and forbidding evil, and remembering Allah, Glorious and Might is He."
This was reported by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Ma'jah on the authority of Umm Habiba, may Allah be pleased with her.
Umar ibn al-Khattab visited Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them, and found him pulling his tongue with his fingers. Umar said,
"Stop! May Allah forgive you?" Abu Bakr replied; "This tongue has brought me to dangerous places."
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said:
"By Allah, besides whom no god exists, nothing deserves a long prison sentence more than my tongue." He also used to say: "O tongue, say good and you will profit; desist from saying evil things and you will be safe; otherwise you will find only regret."
Abu Huraira reported that Ibn al-Abbas said:
"A person will not feel greater fury or anger for any part of his body on the Day of Judgment more than what he will feel for his tongue, unless he only used it for saying or enjoining good."
Al-Hassan said:
"Whoever does not hold his tongue cannot understand his deen."
Explanation: The least harmful of a tongue's faults is talking about whatever does not concern it.
The following hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is enough to indicate the harm of this fault:
"One of the merits of a person's Islam is his abandoning what does not concern him."
Sahl said, "Whoever talks about what does not concern him is deprived of truthfulness."
Explanation: As we have already mentioned above, this is the least harmful of the tongue's faults. There are far worse things, like backbiting, gossiping, obscene and misleading talk, two-faced and hypocritical talk, showing off, quarrelling, bickering, lying, mockery, derision and falsehood; and there are many more faults which can affect a servant's tongue, ruining his heart and causing him to lose both his happiness and pleasure in this life, and his success and profit in the next life. Allah is the One to whom we turn for assistance.

ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST

Thanks and Best Regards
Asghar Palavkar
Plant Manager
General Retreads
Al Khobar
Saudi Arabia
# 966 506650525