| Say Good or Keep Silent Reported by Abu Hurairah (r) that Muhammad (S) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good things or keep silent.” (Bukhari & Muslim) Transliteration: “Man Kana Yu’minu Billahi Wal Yawmil Akhir Falyaqul Khairan Aw Li Yasmut.” Note: The saying of the Prophet (S) starts with the explicit mention of belief in God and the coming of the Last Day. This is a reminder to us of the motivating factor behind all our actions. We will be called to account by God on the Last Day. Everything we do will come before us on that day so we should call ourselves to account before we are called to account, and we are reminded to be careful about what we say. Speaking good words implies refraining from bad speech. For example, saying something about someone that they would not like to hear, even if it is to say that they are short or fat etc, is considered backbiting in Islam and is a punishable sin. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “And do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it [so hate backbiting]. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” [Surah Al Hujuraat:12] The Prophet (s) once stated that nothing caused people to enter Hellfire like the actions of their tongue. So we need to weigh our statements before we make them. If they contain good then we can say them, but if they contain bad then we should refrain from speaking the words and that will be recorded as a good deed for us, Insha Allah |
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