https://www.khutbah.info/safeguarding-the-tongue/ And a tongue that speaks is a great blessing that people have been given. With it people are able to express what they want, fulfill their needs and make remembrance of their Lord and Creator. And through it and a complete mind, Allāh has distinguished humans from animals. Indeed the human tongue has a wide scope for goodness and a big risk for evil. So whoever unleashes their tongue and gives it free rein, it will take them to the paths of Satan and drive them to certain destruction. And no one escapes from the evil of the tongue except those who restrain it with the controls of the Divine ordainments. Then one will not say except that which benefits them in this world and the hereafter.
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Indeed Allāh’s blessings cannot be counted or enumerated. Allāh Almighty said:
وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا
An-Nahl (16) 18:And if you were to count the blessings of Allāh, you would not be able to enumerate them. Indeed, Allāh is certainly Oft-Forgiving, Bestowing of mercy.
And a tongue that speaks is a great blessing that people have been given. With it people are able to express what they want, fulfill their needs and make remembrance of their Lord and Creator. And through it and a complete mind, Allāh has distinguished humans from animals.
Indeed the human tongue has a wide scope for goodness and a big risk for evil. So whoever unleashes their tongue and gives it free rein, it will take them to the paths of Satan and drive them to certain destruction. And no one escapes from the evil of the tongue except those who restrain it with the controls of the Divine ordainments. Then one will not say except that which benefits them in this world and the hereafter.
Indeed the tongue is the most disobedient human organ. For it does not tire from running and there is no trouble in moving it, and it is the greatest tool that the satan uses against humans.
Ibn Qayim, may Allāh have mercy on him, said that it is easy for a person to be careful and cautious from eating the forbidden, oppression, fornication, theft, looking at the unlawful and drinking intoxicants and other than that. And it is hard for them to be cautious from the movements of their tongue. To the point that you see a man characterized by religious adherence, detachment from the worldly life and worship, but he speaks words that (bring) Allāh’s wrath and he is careless.
If a person knows that they are being watched and accounted for, and that every minor and major utterance of their tongue is recorded, then they realize the seriousness of the words that they utter. And one would think long before uttering a word, if it is good, then it would be uttered, otherwise it would be withheld. Allāh Almighty said:
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ * كِرَاماً كَاتِبِينَ
Al-Infitar (82) 10-11: (10) And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, (11) Noble and recording
And know that this tongue that runs freely will be a witness on the Day of Resurrection for everything that it committed. Allāh Almighty said:
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
An Nur (24) 24: On a Day when their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do.
Rather it might be the leader to the fire. Abu Hurairah, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
أكثرُ ما يُدْخِلُ الناسَ النارَ الفَمُ و الفَرْجُ
That which admits people the most into the fire is their mouth and private parts. [The Authentic Series, 977, Grade: Ḥasan (Albani)]
And just as the tongue can lead its owner to the fire, it can also lead its owner to the pleasure of Allāh and paradise. Sahl bin Sa’d narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ يَضْمَنْ لِي مَا بَيْنَ لَحْيَيْهِ وَمَا بَيْنَ رِجْلَيْهِ أَضْمَنْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةَ
Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Paradise. [Bukhari 6474, Muslim
And what is between the jaws is the tongue. And the companions of the Prophet ﷺ were aware of this matter and its danger. So they used it in good and restrained it from evil. Ibn Masood, may Allāh be pleased with him, used to say, “by Allāh Whom there is no god but Him, nothing is in more need of lengthy captivity than the tongue.”
And they held themselves accountable for all their statements. They would even hold themselves accountable for saying, a hot day and a cold day.
Know that every word we speak is recorded. Allāh Almighty said:
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
Qaf (50) 18: He [i.e., man] utters no word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
Abu Hatem Alaṣam, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: “take a pledge with yourself on three, if you do an action then remember that Allāh sees you, and if you speak remember that Allāh hears you and if you are silent then remember that Allāh is knowledgeable of you.” And he, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, “if a reporter sat with you, you would be careful of him, and your words are presented to Allāh, but you are not careful.”
And Fudail bin Iyad, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, “I now know who counts his words from Friday to Friday”. And Malik bin Dinār said, “if people were tasked with recording deeds, they would have reduced their utterances.” And Luqmān, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, “silence is wisdom, and those practicing it are few.”
And since the tongue and speech have this quality, silence is considered among the means of salvation, particularly in situations of jest and playfulness. Uqbah bin Amer, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that he asked the Prophet ﷺ about salvation and he ﷺ said:
أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ لِسَانَكَ وَلْيَسَعْكَ بَيْتُكَ وَابْكِ عَلَى خَطِيئَتِكَ
Control your tongue, suffice yourself to your house, and cry over your sins.[Sahih At Tirmithi 2406, Grade: Sahih (Albani)]
In fact, Muslims who guard their tongue from people’s honor are among the best Muslims. For Abu Musa Al Asharī, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ was asked which of the Muslims is the most virtuous. The Prophet ﷺreplied:
مَن سَلِمَ المُسْلِمُونَ مِن لِسانِهِ ويَدِهِ
The one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe. [Bukhari 11, Muslim 42]
Restraining the tongue and not engaging in falsehood and what is not appropriate is the path that leads to Allāh’s pleasure and Paradise. And it is the biggest helper after Allāh Almighty in performing acts of obedience. Muath, may Allāh be pleased with him, said to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ: Direct me to a deed that brings me closer to Paradise and distances me from the Fire. Then he ﷺ mentioned avenues of good and īmān then said:
أَلَا أُخْبِرُك بِمَلَاكِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ؟ فقُلْت: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ! فَأَخَذَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَقَالَ: كُفَّ عَلَيْك هَذَا. قُلْت: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ؟ فَقَالَ: ثَكِلَتْك أُمُّك وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ -أَوْ قَالَ عَلَى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ- إلَّا حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ؟!
Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” (Muath said) “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allāh, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces – or on their noses — except the harvests of their tongues?” [Sahih Ibn Majah 3224, Grade: Sahih (Albani)]
How many people said something that spoiled their worldly affairs and hereafter without realizing it. For a person could say something without thinking or consideration that may be the reason for loss and ruin. Abu Hurairah, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إنَّ العَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بالكَلِمَةِ، ما يَتَبَيَّنُ فيها، يَزِلُّ بها في النَّارِ أبْعَدَ ممَّا بيْنَ المَشْرِقِ و المغرِبِ
A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without thinking about its being good or not) and, as a result of this, he will fall into the fire of Hell deeper than the distance between the east and the west. [Bukhari 6477, Muslim 2988]
For how many words have been uttered without thought or consideration? And just as a word may be the reason of incurring the displeasure of Allāh, it may also be a reason for attaining His pleasure. For Abu Hurairah, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً، يَرْفَعُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ
A person may utter a word pleasing to Allāh, the Almighty, without considering it of any significance, and because of it Allāh raises his ranks. [Bukhari 6478]
The wise and intelligent person is the one who guards their tongue to safeguard themselves from what is not appropriate. And this safeguard is consciousness of Allāh and being mindful of Him.
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
The tongue is a small organ and fast moving, but it is also quick to adapt. So whoever accustoms their tongue to goodness and good expressions, that becomes its habit and it rejects other than that. And whoever accustoms their tongue to bad expressions, that becomes its habit and it rejects other than that.
And the ideal manner to accustom the tongue upon good is the prophetic way. For the Prophet ﷺ gave us a rule to follow, for us to safeguard ourselves from inappropriate words and expressions. Abu Hurairah, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ
Whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day, let him say good words or remain silent. [Bukhari 6475, Muslim 47a]
There are three types of speech uttered by the tongue. The first type is beneficial, so it should be uttered. The second type is harmful, so it should not be uttered. And the third type has equal benefit and harm, so in this case, remaining silent is better.
Imam Al Nawawi, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, know that it is necessary for every accountable person to protect their tongue from all words except words that have a clear benefit. And when speaking and not speaking are equal in benefit, one should refrain from speaking. Because permissible speech may lead to the forbidden or disliked. And that is usually the case. And nothing compares to being safe. So one should not speak unless the speech is good, and brings benefit. And when there are doubts about bringing benefit, one should not speak.
Know that the tongue is the leader and director of the organs. For if it is straight then they will be straight, and if the tongue is crooked they will follow it. Abu Saīd Al Khudrī, may Allāh be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا أَصْبَحَ ابْنُ آدَمَ فَإِنَّ الأَعْضَاءَ كُلَّهَا تُكَفِّرُ اللِّسَانَ فَتَقُولُ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ فِينَا فَإِنَّمَا نَحْنُ بِكَ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَمْتَ اسْتَقَمْنَا وَإِنِ اعْوَجَجْتَ اعْوَجَجْنَا
When the son of Adam gets up in the morning, all of his body organs humble themselves before the tongue, and say: Be conscious of Allāh regarding us. For indeed, we are only as you are, for if you are upright, we shall be upright, and if you are crooked, we shall be crooked. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2407, Grade: Hasan]
Ibn Qayim, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, and in the tongue are two great perils, if it is spared from one, it will be not be spared from the other. The peril of speech and the peril of silence. And each one could be a greater sin than the other depending on the situation. For not speaking about the truth is a mute devil, disobedient to Allāh, and insincere and hypocritical if one is not concerned about himself. And the one uttering falsehood is a speaking devil disobedient to Allāh. And most people are off target in their speech and silence. For they are between these two types. And the people of moderation, and they are the people of the straight path, retrain their tongues from falsehood. And they release it for what gives them benefit in the hereafter. So you will not see one of them speaking a word that does not bring benefit, let alone what will harm him in the hereafter. And a person will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains and will find that his tongue has demolished all of them for him. And (another person) will come with misdeeds like mountains and will find that his tongue demolished them (these misdeeds) through their abundant remembrance of Allāh and what is connected to it.
How many words do we say that do not help us. And how many words does the Satan bring to prevent us from remembering Allāh and reciting the Qur’ān. So be conscious of Allāh and monitor what you say and utter so that you will be among the successful. Oh Allāh Almighty make us among those who are conscious of You in their speech and silence. Indeed Allāh is All Hearing, Answering.
هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good
عِبَادَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
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