is objectionable, and for that reason the Prophet ﷺ forbade a person to say, “khabuthat nafsī,” but instructed him instead to say, “laqisat” (my soul feels queasy). Laqisat carries the same meaning as khabuthat, yet the wording is different; it is milder and easier on the ear. This ḥadith therefore shows that one should avoid distasteful expressions and replace them with words that are not distasteful, even though the intended meaning is the same, because the wording itself can trigger connotations. Someone might say “khabuthat nafsī” merely intending, “I feel nauseated,” since khubth can denote nausea; but the term also evokes the sense of impurity, the very opposite of goodness. Foul souls are, in fact, the souls of the unbelievers—may Allah protect us—for Allah the Exalted says: “O you who believe, the polytheists are indeed impure, so let them not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year of theirs” (9:28). He also says: “Impure women are for impure men, and impure men for impure women; whereas good women are for good men, and good men for good women” (24:26). Furthermore, whenever the Prophet ﷺ wished to enter the privy to relieve himself, he would say, “I seek refuge with Allah from khubuth and khabāʾith,” meaning devils and every kind of evil. The main point, then, is that it is disliked for a person to employ objectionable words for valid meanings; he should rather substitute them with expressions that people find agreeable.

As for the second section, it deals with the prohibition of calling grapes “karam,” for true karam, as he said