All praise is for Allah (SWT) who has honored man and has created him in the best of forms. All praise is for Allah (SWT) who has blessed man with the ability to speak with his tongue. My dear brothers and sisters! My khutba today is on the gift of speech and value of words.
الرَّحْمَنُ () عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآَنَ () خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ () عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ
“The Merciful, who taught the Quran. He created man, and taught him speech.” (ar-Rahman, 55:1-4)
Allah (SWT) has taught man how to convey or clearly express his feelings and thoughts. Speech is the distinctive quality which distinguishes man from the animals and other earthly creatures. Try to imagine a world without the gift of speech where communication comprised of just grunts and groans, not words. Allah’s guidance has come to us through the words of the Qur’an and the words of His Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Allah (SWT) compares a good word to a good tree.
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ () تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
“Do you not see how Allah compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches reach the sky, always yielding its fruit in every season by the Will of its Lord. This is how Allah sets forth parables for the people, so perhaps they will be mindful.”(Ibrahim, 14:24‐25).
Though the expression “kalimatan tayyibatan” (كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً) literally means pure word, here it stands for truthful saying and righteous creed. According to the Qur’an, this saying and creed are the acceptance of the doctrine of monotheism (Tawhid), belief in the prophethood (Ar-Risalah), and revelation (Wahy), and in the life of the hereafter (Al-Akhirah), for it declares these things to be the fundamental truths. The entire system of the universe hangs upon the reality contained in this pure word which the believer professes. This pure word is so fruitful that every person who bases his system of life on it gets benefit from it every moment for it helps to produce strength in character, purity in morals, and firmness in conduct.
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ
“And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree, uprooted from the earth, having no stability.” (Ibrahim, 14:26)
Evil word is the opposite of pure word. It may be applied to everything that is unreal and wrong but here it stands for any false creed that one might adopt as a basis of his system of life, irrespective of whether it be disbelief, atheism, agnosticism, polytheism, or any other ‘ism’ that has not been brought by a Messenger. A false creed has no stability because it is against the law of nature. It could never have been allowed to develop, if man had not been given the freedom of choice in order to test him. That is why when people exert to establish a system of life on earth against the law of nature, it, it is allowed to grow to a certain extent, but it produces nothing but harmful results as long as it lasts. And no sooner does it encounter with adverse circumstances than it is thoroughly uprooted from the earth.
As for the use of our tongue, we should always have control over our speech and refrain from uttering words that are of no use or that are harmful or that may have negative repercussions.
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
“Not a word does a person utter without having a vigilant observer ready to write it down.” (Qaf, 50:18)
Indeed this is a frightening prospect. During the course of the day, we utter so many words without realizing how harmful they may be. We pass remarks about people’s looks; about people’s negative traits. We use abusive language. We are responsible for every word we say especially when it may harm others by accusing them falsely, gossiping, backbiting, mocking, telling lies…etc. Indeed, by uttering just one word “divorce” a man can destroy a coherent family.
Another careless word may infringe upon relations between friends or relatives or loved ones. Marriage, divorce, financial transactions and contracts all require verbal or written wordings. We hardly ever stop to think that the words we utter are being recorded and will be presented to us on the Day of Judgment. Truly, on the Day of Judgment, people will be questioned about their false claims and testimonies. Allah (SWT) says:
سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ وَيُسْأَلُونَ
“We shall record their testimony, and they will be questioned.” (Az-Zukhruf: 43:19)
Truly, whoever recognizes the tremendous impact that words can bring, would definitely hold his tongue and reflect on whatever he says.
There are many Prophetic traditions on the issue of guarding and controlling one’s tongue. According to a hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe, and the emigrant (muhajir) is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden.” On one occasion he said, “Most of the sins of the children of Adam are on their tongues.”
There is a hadith that says: “Most people will be thrown into Hell, face down because of the transgressions of their tongues.” Another hadith says: “Every morning all the limbs of a person plead with his tongue:” Fear Allah for our sake, for our fate is tied to yours. If you follow the straight path so shall we. And if you go astray so shall we.”The Prophet (SAW) said, “Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws (meaning the tongue), and what is between his legs (meaning the private parts), I shall guarantee him paradise.” We have to remember that on the Day of Judgment our physical organs will stand as witnesses against us if we use them in the wrong way. Allah (SWT) says:
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“On the Day when their own tongues, hands and feet shall bear witness against them about what they did” (al-Nur, 24:24).
One of the hallmarks of righteous behavior is good speech. A person who stays mindful of Allah will want to refrain from sins of the tongue such as backbiting, slander, gossip, lying, swearing, cursing and vain talk. The Qur’an and Hadith warn us against these sins of the tongue. A true righteous believer is not supposed to taunt or curse or abuse or talk indecently. Indeed, he is successful who is able to be responsible for whatever he says and work in accordance with the best of his speech. By so doing, he is able to close the doorways in the face of Satan and ruin his evil plans that are aimed at spreading conflict and disunity amongst people. Look how Allah (SWT) admonishes us to say what is best.
وَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُبِينًا
“And say to My servants that they should always say what is best. Satan stirs up discord among them. Surely, Satan is an outright enemy to man.” (al-Isra’, 17:53)
وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا
“And speak kindly to people.” (al-Baqarah, 2:83).
وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا
“And say what is right.” (al-Ahzab, 33:70)
In our daily communication, we should say what is right and ensure to choose the best and most kind words. The Prophet (SAW) emphasized the need to adopt a lenient and gentle approach when talking to one another. He also linked such behavior to the true belief in Allah, and the Day of Resurrection through a hadith that says: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep silent.” Thus, we should be sensible and think about what we say and the possible consequences of our words before we go ahead and speak. To this effect, one should choose the speech that is beneficial and more likeable to others or else, it is safer to remain silent. In this context, amongst the many social occasions in which good words are urged, one occasion is when talking to one’s parents.
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُوا إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
“Your Lord has commanded that you should worship none but Him, and show kindness to your parents. If either or both of them attain old age with you, say no word of contempt to them and do not rebuke them, but always speak gently to them.” (al-Isra’, 17:23)
The way a Muslim relates to others is also important when trying to mend the relationship between people. In such case, one should only say that which is good and may lead to resolving the issue in hand, and thereby bringing peace of mind and soul to those in dispute. They should be God conscious in all that they say, meaning all that is good and beneficial to others. In return, the doorways of goodness will, by Allah’s grace, be opened to them and their provisions of good deeds will increase. This is because speaking good is amongst the best acts of charity as emphasized by the Prophet (SAW) when he said, “A good word is charity.”
Describing the believers, the Qur’an says:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ
“Those who turn away from useless talk” (al-Mu’minun, 23:3).
They avoid laghv or whatever is vain and frivolous. Laghv is anything nonsensical, meaningless and vain, which is in no way conducive to achieving one’s goal and purpose in life. If by chance they happen to come across such things, they keep away and avoid them.
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا
“If they have to pass by what is useless, they pass by like dignified people.”(al-Furqan, 25:72)
It takes few words to love each other and strengthen unity – words that may earn us the reward of Allah and the pleasure of people, and it takes few words to spread animosity and division among people earning us the wrath of Allah and the disrespect of people. Communication entails a big responsibility requiring every one of us to think and reflect on the far reaching consequences before uttering any word, especially those who are engaged in thoughts that may spread, or may impact people’s life.
Brothers and sisters! Good words bring about all sorts of goodness. They are means for solving problems, ending enmities, spreading peace, strengthening bonds and love amongst people and fostering harmony in the community. And there are huge rewards for that in the hereafter. A hadith tells us: “Indeed in Paradise there are chambers, whose outside can be seen from their inside, and their inside can be seen from their outside.” A Bedouin stood and said, “Who are they for, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “For those who speak well and feed others.” That is, for those who address people gently and with kindness and avoid insulting them in any way. May Allah (SWT) make us among them; ameen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحَمْدُ لله رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الخَلْقِ أَجْمَعِينَ وَخَاتَمِ الأَنْبِياءِ وَالمُرْسَلِينَ سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ
My dear brothers and sisters! The degree of importance attributed to speech is dependent on the standing of the one who says it. For instance, what leaders say has great influence on others because leaders are regarded as example for them. Similarly, teachers carry the responsibility of instructing their students to be good in words and in deeds and to keep away from words and deeds that are evil and harmful.
The Jumu’ah khutba is a speech. It carries the meanings of goodness and righteousness as these are intended to remind people of the great teachings and principles of Islam. It is a duty incumbent upon the khateeb to encourage all that is good and beneficial and forbid all that is evil and harmful. The practice of enjoining good and forbidding evil is the core of our religion and one of the most important Islamic duties.
To conclude, I admonish myself and you to refrain from vain talks, to stop spreading rumors, to verify any news before jumping to conclusions, to stop all types of backbiting against one another, to speak softly and gently, to increase our knowledge of Islam, to learn and teach, to take the initiative of making da’wah for the love and pleasure of Allah, to keep busy in doing something good to yourselves and to others, and to keep watch over your mistakes and sins.
May Allah accept our repentance for the irresponsible use of the precious gifts of our tongues, our eyes, our ears, our limbs, and our intellect. May He make us among those from whom others are safe. Ameen Ya Rabb al-Aalameen.
