— namely, the report of ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about salvation. He replied, “Hold your tongue.”

Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) would point to his tongue and say, “It is this that has driven me into peril.”

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, “Whoever does not guard his tongue has not truly understood his religion.”

2 – Al-Ghazālī listed the maladies of the tongue as: indulging in falsehood, affected and pedantic speech, obscenity, reviling, mockery and derision, divulging secrets, quarreling, argumentative debate, cursing, lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, and contentious disputation.

3 – From this we learn that the praiseworthy silence is to refrain from the prohibited speech we have just mentioned, and likewise from speech that brings no benefit, for such talk may lead to what is disliked or forbidden.

As for speech that is beneficial—reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, teaching knowledge, and pleasant conversation with family and friends—this is commendable.

4 – For these noble purposes the tongue is one of Allah’s great favors and subtlest gifts, for it proclaims faith and submission. Allah the Exalted says, “There is no good in most of their private conversations, except for those who enjoin charity, or goodness, or reconciliation between people” (Q 4:114).

This noble verse is the decisive criterion distinguishing vile speech from wholesome speech.

5 – The phrase “yet few put it into practice” is because people are naturally inclined to gossip and excessive questioning.

And Allah is the One who grants success and guides to the straight path.