The Bad Consequences of the Tongue Part 1

The Bad Consequences of the Tongue - [Book]


The Bad
Consequences of the Tongue Part 1

The Heart:

The most
important part of the body is the heart as has been mentioned by our noble
Prophet Muhammed - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - in his saying, “Indeed
there is a piece of flesh in your body that, if it be sound, then the whole
body will be sound and if it be corrupt then the whole body will be corrupt.
Indeed it is the heart.” -
Sahih al-Bukhari [1/49] & Sahih
al-Muslim [1599]

The heart is
thus the port where all actions stem, whether good or evil. If the heart is
good then the actions will be good and if the heart is corrupt then the
actions will be bad. The heart is the place where Allah scans, as the
Messenger of Allah - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - says, “Allah does not
look at your bodies nor your faces but he scans your heart and actions.”
- Sahih al-Muslim
[4/6221]

As for the
heart, Allah has commanded us to love Him and His Messenger, to love the
righteous people, to love that which Allah loves and to hate all which Allah
hates. The tongue acts accordingly, because.... the tongue expresses what is
in the heart.

The Tongue
Expresses what is in the Heart:

If a person
is good, it reflects in their saying. Allah has made it very easy for the
tongue to move, and it is not difficult to realize that a person’s tongue
moves much more as if compared to the limbs. So if a person is not careful
about what he says, even a single saying of his can invalidate his actions. It
is for this reason that 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
(1912), Mishkaat (4838) and Riyaadh as-Saleheen (2/1521)


And at the
same time, the tongue is a great blessing from Allah. If we look at the
animals, who are unable to speak, we realize the importance of this great tool
of communication.

The gratitude
that we should show for this great blessing should include, using it for the
obedience to Allah, for reading the Qur'aan, for seeking Knowledge, to enjoin
good and forbidding evil. The prohibitions of the tongue are that you do not
lie, abuse, use foul language, backbite and slander.

Allah says in
the begining of Soorah al-Mumineen, “Indeed successful are the Believers,
those who in their prayer have Khushoo’ (fear of Allah) and those who refrain
from vain talk.” [Soorah Mumineen : 1-3]

Here Allah
mentions that refraining from vain talk is a sign of the successful believers.
Allah also mentions refraining from vain talk after he mentions al-Khushoo’.
This is because too much talk makes the heart hard. It is not possible to
reach the level of Khushoo’ (fear of Allah) unless one refrains from vain
talk.

Imaam an-Nawawee
- rahimahullah - mentions “Know it is incumbent upon all to guard their
tongues from most speech, except a word that has some benefit in it....”
- Kitaabul-Adhkaar


And for those
who take heed there is a constant reminder in the verse, “Not a word is
said except that there is a watcher by him ready to record it.”
- [Soorah Qaf (50):18]


The Messenger
of Allah, Muhammed - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - said, “Whoever believes
in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or keep silent.”


Imaam ash-Shafiee
- rahimahullah - 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.”

The earlier
mentioned Qur'aanic verses, Hadeeth (sayings) of our noble Prophet and advices
by the scholars of Islaam are a guide for those searching for salvation
against vain talk. So before we talk, should we not ask ourselves....

? Will this
saying of mine please Allah?



? Will this saying of mine bring me
closer to Allah?



? Does this saying earn with it obedience to
Allah?

If yes,
then speak, otherwise one should keep quiet.


Guarding your
tongue from all Haaram

The Messenger
of Allah - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - said, “Guard your tongue, stay in
your homes and weep over your sins.” -
Related by Ibn Mubarak in
az-Zuhd (no.134), Musnad Ahmed bin Hambal (5/259), Sunan at-Tirmidhi (2531)
and authenticated by al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no.890)

Also the
Messenger of Allah - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - said, “Most of the sins
of the children of Aadam are from the tongue.” - At-Tabaraanee (3/87/1-2).
Authenticated by al-Haafidh al-Mundhiri in al-Targheeb (4/


Narrated by
Mughira bin Shu’ba - radiAllahu' anhu - : The Prophet - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa
sallam - said,

“Allah has
forbidden for you:(1) to be undutiful to your mothers, (2) to bury your
daughters alive, (3) not to pay the rights of the poor and others (i.e.
charity) and (4) to beg of men. And Allah has hated for you: (1) Qil and Qal
(sinful and useless talk, like backbiting or that one talks too much about
others), (2) to ask too many questions (in disputed religious matters, etc.),
(3) to waste your wealth (by extravagance with lack of wisdom and thinking).”
- Sahih al-Bukhari
[3:591]

Abu Moosa al-Asharee
- radiAllahu' anhu - said, “O Messenger of Allah, which of the Muslims are
better?” The Messenger of Allah said, “Those who do not harm the Muslims with
their tongues and hands.” -
Saheeh al-Bukhari (1/10) and
Saheeh al-Muslim (1/64)

Sahl ibn
Sa’ad - radiAllahu' anhu - reported that the Messenger of Allah said,
“Whoever guards what is between his jaws and legs. I shall guarantee him
paradise.” - Saheeh al-Bukhari (8/481). A similar narration can be found
in Muwatta of Imam Malik (56/11) and Sunan at-Tirmidhi.



When the Companion of the Prophet, Mu’adh ibn Jabal - radiAllahu' anhu - asked
the Prophet - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam - about that which would entitle
him to enter Paradise and save him from the hell-fire, he - SallAllahu 'alaihi
wa sallam - mentioned the pillars of Islam and informed Mu’adh of the
importance of the night prayers and of Jihaad. He - SallAllahu 'alaihi wa
sallam - then said, “Should I not inform you of the sheet anchor of all
this?”, and then took hold of his tongue and said, “Exercise restraint on it.”.
Mu’adh - radiAllahu' anhu - enquired, “O Messenger of Allah, will we be held
responsible for what we say with it?” Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said,
“Mu’adh, will anything else besides (irresponsible) talk cause the people
to be thrown in the Hell-Fire upon their faces?”
- Sunan at-Tirmidhi and
Riyaadh as-Saaliheen (2/1522)