Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The one who remains silent will be saved (from falling into problems).” (Sunan Tirmizi #2501)
The human tongue is an organ which may be small in size, but it has the potential to carry out tremendous good and also to cause great evil and destruction. Therefore, in this hadeeth, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) taught the Ummah that salvation lies in silence.
Imaam Ghazaali (rahimahullah) has explained that speech falls into four categories:
1. The first category is that speech which is purely harmful (i.e. sinful, as it is the cause of bringing harm to one’s Deen) – it is necessary for one to abstain from such speech.
2. The second category is that speech which is beneficial and harmful (there is some good in it, but there is also some sin in it) – it is also necessary to abstain from this speech in order to save oneself from the harm.
3. The third category is that speech which is neither beneficial nor harmful (e.g. it does not contain sin, but whiles away one’s time in futility) – one should try to avoid such speech as it is futile and vain and brings no benefit to one’s Deen and dunya.
4. The fourth category is that speech which is purely beneficial (to one’s Deen, or dunya to the point of need) – it is in this type of speech that one should engage himself in. However, even when engaging in this type of speech, one should be careful that one does not fall into sin (e.g. one is speaking about Allah Ta‘ala, but one’s intention is to impress people with one’s knowledge. In this case, though the speech itself is beneficial, due to the corrupt intention, one will be sinful). (Adapted from Mirqaat vol. 8, pg. 582)
From the above, we understand that whenever a person opens his mouth to speak, there is a possibility that he may bring harm to his Deen, as every word and statement uttered will be recorded and judged by Allah Ta‘ala. It is for this reason that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “So long as you remain silent, you will remain safe. When you speak, then your statement will either be recorded in your favour or against you.” (Tabraani – Majma‘uz Zawaa-id #18100)
The Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) understood the great danger contained in the tongue, and hence they were always wary regarding their tongues. Thus, it is mentioned that Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ood (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) once said, “I take an oath by that Being besides whom there is none worthy of worship! There is nothing on the surface of the earth that is more in need of being confined to a lengthy imprisonment than the tongue!” (Musannaf Ibni Abi Shaibah #27030)
When a person has to ponder, he will realize that just a single statement has the potential to plunge one into serious sin such as gheebah, speaking lies, slandering, etc. Explaining this, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Indeed, at times, a person utters a statement which displeases Allah Ta‘ala, without him giving importance to it, and through this statement, he falls into Jahannam.” (Saheeh Bukhaari #6478)
Likewise, a careless or thoughtless statement can also cause turmoil, trouble, heartache and havoc in our lives. How many lifelong friendships were ruined through a single word? How many decades-long marriages were wrecked through words uttered in anger?
Finally, we should understand that just as words are conveyed by the tongue, nowadays, words are also conveyed by the phone when chatting via WhatsApp, etc. Hence, when using the phone as well, our salvation lies in us avoiding all unnecessary communication.
Remember, Nabi Sulaimaan (‘alaihis salaam) mentioned, “If speech is silver, then silence is gold.” (Kitaabus Samt #47)