THE POWER OF SPEECH

The Prophet once remarked that Lord had commanded him nine things. One of them was to speak the truth, in prosperity and adversity. Charity: speaking with the true giving spirit Kindness: speaking with the spirit of well-wishing towards others Conciliation: speaking in such a way as to create an atmosphere of harmony among people This is what constitutes well thought-out speech and is the only legitimate use of one’s tongue. This kind of speech is useful to both the speaker as well as the listener. For the speaker’s part, it conveys sincerity and positivity, while for the listener it is also fruitful in all respects. An article published in the Time magazine web portal brings out in vivid detail the importance that is given to measured and guarded speech in Islam: The tongue is called “the mirror of the heart.” What appears on our tongue is a chief indicator of what is in our hearts. This becomes even truer in those unguarded moments when anger, frustration, or stress gets the best of us and our tongues lose any sense of discipline. The Prophet Muhammad said that one of the ways of knowing if there is hypocrisy in our hearts is to examine what we say with our tongues when we become angry. If it is foul and vile words, then that is a measure of how much purification of the heart remains. The Prophet Muhammad said that “anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should either speak well or remain silent.” Silence is golden, so goes the saying. Thinking before you speak is the key. (Ramadan, Day 25: Restraining the Tongue, July 24, 2014, time.com) The following is a selection of Quranic verses, Hadith reports and prayers that highlight how to use the ability of speech to good effect. • The Merciful who taught the Quran. He created man and He taught him speech. (55: 1) • (O God!) Loosen the knot in my tongue so that they may understand my speech. (25: 28)