50 — Alī ibn Abī Maryam narrated to me, from Khalaf ibn Tamīm: Abū Ishāq al-Fazārī narrated to us and said: Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may Allah have mercy on him—used to remain silent for long periods, though when he spoke, he would sometimes speak expansively. He said: One day, he remained silent for a long time, so I said, “If only you would speak.” He replied:

“Speech falls into four categories. There is speech whose benefit you hope for but whose consequences you fear; in this case, it is better to be safe by refraining from it. There is speech whose benefit you do not hope for and whose consequences you do not fear; the least you gain by refraining from it is sparing your body and tongue the effort. There is speech whose benefit you do not hope for and whose consequences you cannot be sure of; its burden alone is enough to deter a sensible person. And there is speech whose benefit you hope for and whose consequences you are sure will be harmless; this is the speech that you ought to spread.”

Khalaf said: I said to Abū Ishāq, “It seems to me that he has eliminated three-quarters of speech.” He replied, “Yes.”