OBSERVING SILENCE

31. Observing Silence ~ 95 ~ 31. OBSERVING SILENCE The Prophet of Islam once observed, “One who believes in God and the Last Day should either speak words of goodness or keep quiet.” It is true that failure to speak up and tell the truth when the occasion calls for it can (according to a hadith) earn one the name of ‘dumb Satan.’ But, there are many occasions when observing silence is more proper and more important. One example of how essential it is to observe silence is provided by an incident at the battle of Uhud in which the Prophet having been injured in battle had fallen down in a cave, away from the eyes of the people. His enemies proclaimed that he had been killed, and confusion prevailed among the companions. In the meantime, a companion of the Prophet caught sight of him and exclaimed, ‘Here is the Prophet.’ At that moment the Prophet motioned to him to keep quiet (so that the enemy would remain ignorant of his being alive).