750 — Abū Hātim related to me: Amr ibn Aslam related to us: Salm ibn Maymūn related to us: Muhammad Abū Uthmān al-Maqdisī related to us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Abla, who said:

“[al-Wāfir meter]

Your tongue is guarded so long as you are sparing with it;
Do not leave it unchecked, for it has no fetters.
Through silence, quiet what lies hidden in the breast,
As emerald and precious pearl are kept concealed.
For never, through all time, can you take back a word
You uttered while assemblies sat in session,
Just as a draught of water cannot be reclaimed,
Nor can a newborn return into the womb.”