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| Golden silence? ~ Piture by fr-ae-nk of DeviantArt. |
Are you talkative? Articulate maybe?
I’m also chatty, articulate, loud and expressive. Since I was a little boy, there is one thing that made me reflect and I’ve tried my life to follow it but I just can’t. It’s hard.
What is it?
It’s being silent.
When I learned the truth behind this, I tried to keep quiet although I’ve failed many times. It is proven that when I practice this in my life, I feel more relaxed and calm, more time to think and contemplate. In other words, I feel like the time is with me, like life is really mine.
The truth is, human talk non-stop. There are only two types of conversations. The first is discussions that bring harmony to mankind. The second is bad conversations that are non-ethical such as lies, gossip and etc. The people who implement the second type of conversation are usually hated and detested by others. These people are the worse people in the eyes of Allah. Rasulullah said:
إنَّ شَرَّالنَّاسِ مَنْزِلةً عِنْدَ اللهِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ مَن يَتْرُكُهُ النَّاسُ لِاتِّقَاءِ فُحْشِهِ“Truly the worst position of man in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection is those left by others in order to avoid their cruelty.” [1]
The tool that is used for talking is our mouth or tongue and it is a very influential tool. Have you ever come across the Malay proverb about your tongue?
“ Kerana pulut santan binasa, kerana mulut badan binasa”
“ Terlajak perahu masih boleh di undur lagi, terlajak kata terlepas begitu sahaja”
For those who do not understand Malay Language, to make you understand, these two proverbs simply mean ″Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
This shows that our tongue can impose a great impact on our life for both good and bad.
For believers, the tongue that Allah has granted them will not be used to curse people but each and every word that comes from their mouths are words that calm the ears. Allah has said in the Quran:
33. Who is better In speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, “I am of those who bow In Islam”? [2]
The importance of handling our tongue well
Let us ponder some of the hadiths of Allah’s apostle about the importance of handling our tongue well.
1. A hadith narrated Abu Musa:
Some people asked Allah’s Apostle, “Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?” He replied, “One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands.”[3]
It is stated in this hadith that the one who avoids harming Muslims with our tongues and hands are those who possess the best of Islam in them. But what happens if our tongues and hands are not restrained from doing harm, does that mean that we own in us the worse of Islam?
2. It is stated in a hadith narrated Abu Huraira; that Allah has no need of someone’s fasting due to his bad words:
The Prophet said, “Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink.” [4]
Can you imagine, Allah has never accepted your 30 days of fasting during the month of Ramadhan? If you are now 30 years old that means you have fasts for 900 days. And all that 900 days, Allah has not accepted, not even a single day of you leaving your food and drink! This is all because of you not restraining your mouth from talking bad words to others.
3. Let’s ponder another hadith narrated by Sahl bin Sa’d:
The prophet said, “whoever guarantees me (the chastity of) what is between his legs (i.e. His private parts), and what is between his jaws (i.e., his tongue), I guarantee him paradise.” [5]
In order to enter Paradise, just mind your words!
Say what is good or keep quiet
For you to shield yourself from talking bad stuff, you have to say good stuff or just keep quiet.
A hadith narrated by Malik
“Who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet.” (i.e. abstain from dirty and evil talk, and should think before uttering).[6]
A quote by Hukama’:
“Being quiet doesn’t indicate that you’re stupid, being articulate doesn’t show that you’re bright, someone who is intelligent only speaks whenever is needed too is far better than a dim-witted who talks all the time.”
Being quiet here does not mean you have to freeze all the time and speaks whenever spoken too but say what is enjoined and forget what is forbidden. By doing this, every word that comes out of your mouth is 3M — Meaningful, Memorable and Mesmerizing.
The time is with us when we keep quiet. We can save time by thinking thoroughly about something rather than chatter all day long. When we talk, we are remembering people about Allah. This is because “A mukmin when talks are Zikr and when quiet is Fikr.” By doing this, it gives tranquility in our mind and heart. That is why we see people who owns this criteria seems to be very calmed, relaxed and looks confident and every word he utters are momentous.
The most significant of all when we keep quiet is that it safeguards us from doing sins. This is because the sins contributed by our tongue alone can throw us in the hell fire. Haven’t we known the fact that our tongue has no bones? That is why it can move freely as if it has a mind of its own.
So what now?
Train yourself to talk less.
Towards a better quality of life Inshaallah. Less talk, think more. Silence please!
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