honor, taking delight in it—Allah protect us.

When such people return home to their families, they do so chuckling, for the thing they love most is to speak about other people’s honor. Others are infatuated with lying; their favorite pastime is fabrication. Lying, however, is one of the major sins, especially when a person utters a single lie just to make the gathering laugh, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Woe to the one who tells a tale and lies in order to amuse the people—woe to him, woe to him!”

The second craving that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned alongside the craving for speech is the desire for women. Human beings are naturally disposed to it, particularly in youth. Whoever strives to guard these two passions, the Prophet ﷺ has guaranteed Paradise for him—that is his recompense—because both are exceedingly dangerous.

Likewise, the second ḥadith teaches that a man may utter a single word without giving it any thought and because of it plunge into Hell farther than the distance between east and west. The phrase “without giving it any thought” means he does not verify; he merely passes on what he has heard. “It is enough falsehood for a man to report everything he hears.” So you find him speaking a word without checking, without confirming, without studying its meaning or what it may lead to, and—Allah forbid—he slips into the Fire farther than the distance between east and west.

The span from east to west is tremendously vast—half the globe—yet one word can cast him into the Fire farther than that. This shows the obligation to be certain about whatever you say, whether you convey it to someone else or quote it from someone else. Verify, be patient, do not rush. What presses you to be hasty in speech? Be patient until