THE VALUE OF SILENCE

THE VALUE OF SILENCE Silence is Golden O NE of the values on which the Quran lays emphasis is silence. But it is not silence just for the sake of silence. Quranic silence is for contemplation, to understand more and more and to enhance learning. It is a culture of silence in the complete sense of the word. There is a relevant verse in the chapter Al-A‘raf (The Heights), the translation of which is as follows: When the Quran is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace, so that you may receive mercy. (7: 204) This means when the Quran is recited, you should remain silent and listen to it with total attention. This verse gives us a general principle with a particular reference, that is, when you read or listen to or observe something, keep complete silence and try to understand, focusing all your attention on it. This kind of habit is essential if the spirit of learning is to be inculcated. The Quran tries to develop one’s thinking capacity, it tries to build a mind that can understand things in the deeper sense and analyze them with objectivity. The art of silence is necessary to be able to accomplish all these things. There is a saying: “When I am speaking, I am not listening, and when I am not listening, I am not learning.” This saying has the same meaning as is expressed in the aforementioned verse of the Quran. Silence is not simply refraining from speech. It is more than that. When the human mind, with its unlimited capacity, stops speaking, it instantly starts thinking. The mind is a super-computer, switched on at the time of birth and continuing to function eternally. It can never be switched off. Thinking is a continuous process of the mind. The word ‘rest’ is not to be found in the human lexicon where the mind is concerned. What is thinking? It is to reflect, it is to consider, it is to activate and utilize one's intellectual capacity. Bringing the intellectual faculties into play enables one to arrive at meaningful conclusions. The mind is the most elevated part of a human being and thinking is its supreme role. It is said that man is a thinking animal. So thinking is the most important process which occurs in a human being. All the great discoveries have been the result of thinking.