175 / THE EXPIATION FOR A GATHERING

Every Muslim is duty-bound to safeguard his gatherings from being squandered on idle chatter, falsehood, and anything that will harm him in the Hereafter. He should strive to fill them with beneficial matters pertaining to both religion and worldly life. Let him know that his every utterance is counted, written in his scrolls, and entered in his record of deeds. He will be called to account for them when he meets Allah—Mighty and Majestic: if they were good, the outcome will be good; and if they were evil, the outcome will be evil. Allah Most High says: “Not a word does a person utter without having a vigilant observer ready to record it.” 1.

It is therefore good for a Muslim to safeguard his gatherings and strive to make them fruitful through the remembrance of Allah Most High and other deeds with which he would be pleased to meet Allah. No one ever sits in a gathering and squanders it on matters devoid of Allah’s remembrance without suffering the deepest regret.

Abū Dāwūd narrated in his Sunan from Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Whenever a group of people rise from a gathering in which they did not remember Allah, it is as though they had risen from the carcass of a donkey, and it will be a cause of bitter regret for them.” 2. This is because those who rise from a gathering in which there is a donkey’s carcass gain nothing from it but foul odors and a repulsive sight, and they leave filled with regret and sorrow. Likewise, those who rise from a gathering in which Allah was not remembered gain nothing but delving into sins, passing from one kind of false talk to another, and other such matters that harm them in the Hereafter and engender sorrow and regret.