Khutba on the Tongue
الحَمْدُ للهِ، الحَمْدُ للهِ الذي خَلَقَ الإِنْسانَ، وجعل له العقل واللسان، وأنطقه وعلّمه الكلام، نَحْمَدُهُ تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، مَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فلا مضل له، ومَنْ يُضلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ، ونَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، له الملك وله الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا ومولانا مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُه وَرَسُولُهُ، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدّى الأمانة ونصح الأمّة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحقّ، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعَلَى آلِهِ وأَصْحابِهِ ومَنْ تَبِعَهم بإِحْسانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون، يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا، يُصْلِحْ لَكُم أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا، يا أيها المسلمون اتقوا الله فيما أوصى وأمر، وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.
One of the greatest blessings that Allah has given mankind is the tongue – the ability to speak – for it, along with the intellect, lifts him above the animals. But the tongue is a two-edged sword. If man guards it and uses it well, it can lift him up to the highest circles; but if he misuses it and lets it run free, it can swiftly drag him down to the lowest levels of the Fire. It is the organ of the body that poses the greatest danger to him and and the greatest danger to those around him.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لمعاذَ بنِ جبلَ رضي الله عنه بعدما أخبره عن أعمالٍ تدخلُه الجنةَ وتباعدُه عن النار: "ألا أُخبرُك بملاكِ ذلك كلِّه؟" فقال معاذ: "بلى يا رسولَ الله"، فأخذ بلسانِه وقال: "كُفَّ عليك هذا"، فقال: "يا رسولَ الله، وإنَّا لمؤَاخذون بما نتكلَّمُ به؟" قال: "ثَكِلَتْكَ أمُّك يا معاذ، وهل يَكُبَُ الناسَ في النار على وجوهِهم إلا حصائدُ ألسنتِهم؟"
The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said to Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, رضي الله عنه, after telling him of the actions that would enter him into the Garden and keep him away from the Fire, “Should I not tell you of that upon which this whole matter rests?” When Mu‘adh replied, “Yes,” the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this,”
So Mu‘adh, رضي الله عنه, asked him, “Messenger of Allah, will we be taken to task for what we say?” The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, replied, “May your mother be bereaved of you, Mu‘adh! Is there anything other than that which is reaped by the tongue that causes men to be dragged through the Fire on their faces!?”
وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “أكثرُ خطايا ابْنِ ءادمَ مِن لسانِه”
And the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, also said, “Most of the wrong actions of the sons of Adam are from the tongue.”
Therefore, it is the tongue, more than any other part of the body, which will result in a person entering the Fire. That is the danger the tongue poses to the individual! But it also poses a grave danger to the entire nation and community. A malicious lie can rip apart a nation far more quickly than any number of weapons could.
Indeed, the slander the hypocrites spread about ‘A’isha, رضي الله عنها represented a far greater danger to the nascent Muslim community than all the heavily-armed warriors of Quraysh and the other hostile tribes. ‘A’isha, رضي الله عنها, was accompanying the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, on the march back from the Banu al-Mustaliq when she left her litter to look for a necklace that she had lost on the route and was left behind by the main party. A young Muslim man called Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal, رضي الله عنه, found her waiting alone by the side of the road so he gave up his camel to her and walked beside the camel until he had brought her back to the house of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم.
The hypocrites, however, saw her return in the company of Safwan and so began to spread the lie about her that she was having an affair, This lie reached the ears of everyone including the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, and it threatened to rip open the old feud between the two Madinan tribes of Aws and Khazraj, both accusing the other of starting the rumour. Civil war was imminent and it was only revelation that diffused the situation.
قال الله عز وجل في سورة النور: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِنْكُمْ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَكُمْ بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ مَا اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّى كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ.
Allah says in Surat an-Nur regarding the slander: “There is a group of you who propagated the lie. Do not suppose it to be bad for you rather it is good for you. Every one of them will incur the evil he has earned and the one who took it on himself to amplify it will receive a terrible punishment.” In this aya and the sixteen ayats that follow it, Allah clears ‘A’isha, رضي الله عنها, of the accusations that were levelled against her by the slanderers.
The impact that the tongue has on the outward is clear, but know too that it has a clear impact on the inward. The words that one utters have a profound effect upon the heart: coarse language coarsens the heart whereas elevated language lightens it; lies and slander kill the heart whereas dhikr and Qur’an bring it to life.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "لا يستقيم إيمانُ عبدٍ حتى يستقيمَ قلبُه، ولا يستقيمُ قلبُه حتى يستقيمَ لسانُه".
The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said, “The iman of the slave of Allah will not be right until his heart is right, and his heart will not be right until his tongue is right.”
The reason the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said that most of a person’s wrong actions are from his tongue is because there are so many different ways that a person’s tongue can get him into trouble, some of which even sometimes seem justifiable to ourselves. And that is when we must be most on our guard, for how often the nafs makes something seem fine and praiseworthy when it is not.
Men of knowledge have numbered these misuses of the tongue at more than twenty, including using obscene language, ridicule, revealing other’s secrets and arguing simply for the sake of it. Three of the worst are nameema, gheeba and kadhib.
Nameema is tale-carrying; spreading malicious gossip amongst people in order to set them against each other, such as saying to someone, ”So-and-so did such-and-such” or “So-and-so said such-and-such about you.” This seemingly harmless act is, in fact, one of the most destructive uses to which you can put your tongue since it creates enmity and damages trust among the Muslims. And it is reprehensible even when the tale that is carried is true.
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم: "هل تدرون من شِرارُكم؟" قالوا: "الله ورسوله أعلم" قال: "شِراركم ذو الوجهين الذي يأتي هؤلاءِ بوجهٍ وهؤلاء بوجهٍ".
Abu Hurayra, رضي الله عنه, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said, “Do you know who is the worst amongst you?” The Companions replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best,” so he said, “The worst among you is the one who has two faces – showing one face to one group of people and a different face to another.” This is the essence of nameema. The nammam, the tale-carrier, is despised in this world, punished in the grave, in the Fire in the next world, and has no hope of the mercy of Allah on the Day of Rising unless he makes sincere tawba before he dies.
Gheeba is saying something about a person who is not present which he would not like to hear, even if the thing you say about him is true. This applies even if you are talking about is his dress sense or some other matter which might seem slight or trivial to you but which he might find distressing and offensive. Know that this is one of the easiest types of sin to fall into and yet it is one of the worst for it is like cannibalism, eating the flesh of your Muslim brother.
قال الله تعالى: وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ
the translation of which is, “Do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat his brother’s dead flesh? No, he would hate it.”
During the night journey, the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, passed by a group of people cutting pieces of flesh from their own sides and swallowing them and heard a voice calling out to them saying, ‘Eat the flesh that you used to eat from your brothers.’ So he asked Jibril who they were and Jibril replied that they were the slanderers and backbiters from his umma.
Kadhib is lying; telling untruths. This is by far the worst thing that the tongue can do, for it is denying the truth – and the Truth, al-Haqq, is one of the names of Allah. And do not let the fact that the lie you tell is only small and seemingly harmless fool you, for small lies inevitably lead to bigger ones. The more you lie, the more natural it becomes for you to do so.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "وإيَّاكم والكذِب، فإنَّ الكذِبَ يَهدِي إِلَى الفُجور، وإنَّ الفجورَ يَهدِي إِلَى النَّار، وما يَزالُ الرَّجُلُ يَكذِب ويَتحَرَّى الكذِبَ حتى يُكتَبَ عند اللهِ كذَّابا"
The Prophet said, “Beware of lying for lying leads to fujoor (wickedness) and fujoor leads to the Fire. And man keeps on telling lies until, with Allah, he is written as a liar.”
ولما سُئِل الرسولُ صلى الله عليه وسلم، "أيكونُ المسلمُ بخيلاً؟" قال "نعم" ثُم سُئِل "أيكونُ جباناً؟" قال "نعم" ثم سُئِل "أيكونُ كذَّاباً؟" قال "لا".
ولما سُئِل مرَّةً أُخرَى "هلِ المسلمُ يَسرِق؟" قال صلى الله عليه وسلم "نعم" ثم سُئِل "هلِ المسلمُ يَزنِي؟" قال "نعم" ثم سُئِل "هلِ المسلمُ يكذِب؟" قال "لا".
The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, when asked whether a believer could be a coward or a miser, replied, ‘Yes’; but when asked whether he could be a liar, replied, ‘No.’
Similarly, when he was asked on another occasion whether a believer could steal or fornicate, he replied, ‘Yes’, but when asked whether he could lie, replied, ‘No.’
So measure your words before you utter them and see whether they pull you towards Allah or towards the Fire. Do not give your word about something unless you intend to do it. Do not speak about others unless you have something good to say, or you are trying to warn others or protect them from their harm.
And do not speak from opinion or without knowledge about some matter relating to the Din, for you may be misguiding others and telling lies against Allah and His Prophet.
If you ever find yourself about to say something untrue or about to talk about someone behind their back then stop and remember what the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said,
" من كان يؤمنُ بالله واليومِ الآخر فليقلْ خيراً أوِلْيصمُتْ"
“Let whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day say something good or remain silent.”
أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم
الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.
In the first khutba, we mentioned some of the dangers that your tongue poses to you, but that does not mean that you should cut it off or avoid using it altogether. That does not mean that the tongue is something evil in itself. No, it is merely an instrument that either drags you screaming into the Fire or lifts you up to the Presence of your Lord.
When Luqman, عليه السلام, was asked to bring his master the best part of a sheep that he had slaughtered, he brought the heart and tongue. Then when he was asked to bring him the worst part of the sheep, he again brought the heart and tongue. When his master asked him why he did that, he replied,
إِنَّه لَيس شيءٌ أَطْيَبَ مِنهما إذا طابا ولا أَخْبثَ منهما إذا أخبثا
“When they are good, there is no part of the body that is better, but when they are bad then there is no part of the body that is worse.”
The tongue, at its highest is the tool of transmission – it is the vehicle by which the timeless Words of Allah entered into this created world. And it is the means by which the Din has been preserved throughout these centuries. This is its reality and this is the function for which it was created – to say ‘بلى’ and affirm the Lordship of the Creator. I mentioned before that the misuses of the tongue had been numbered at twenty by some of the people of knowledge. The good uses of the tongue, however, are so many that they are without number, and they are what the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, was referring to when he said, فليقل خيراً, “let him say something good.”
There is recitation of the Noble Qur’an: ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, رضي الله عنه, said,
"من قرأ القرآنَ فَكَأَنَّما أُدرِجَتِ النُّبُوَّةُ بَين جَنْبَيْهِ إلا أَنَّهُ لَا يُوحَى إِليه"
“When someone recites the Qur’an, it is like he has injected himself with prophethood, even though he has not truly received revelation.”
There is dhikr Allah. When the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, was asked which type of action was best, he replied,
أن تموتَ و لسانُك رَطْبٌ بِذكرِ اللهِ عز و جل
“To die with your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.”
There is salawat on the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: He, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said,
من صلى عَلَيَّ في اليومِ مِائةَ مرةٍ قَضَى اللهُ له مِائةَ حاجةٍ سبعين مِنها في الآخرة وثلاثين في الدنيا
“If someone says the prayer over me one hundred times in a day, Allah will fulfil for him one hundred needs – thirty in the dunya and seventy in the akhira.”
There is commanding the right and forbidding the wrong: For this is quality with which Allah describes the best community when He says,
كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ
the translation of which is: “You are the best nation ever to be produced before mankind, commanding the right and forbidding the wrong.”
There is da‘wa. Allah says:
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ
“Who could say anything better than one who calls to Allah.”
There is sidq – speaking the truth, and especially when others are too afraid to say what must be said. The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said,
عليكم بالصِدق، فإنَّ الصدقَ يَهدِي إِلَى البِر، وإنَّ البرَ يَهدِي إِلَى الجنَّة، وما يزال الرَجُلُ يَصدُقُ ويَتحرَّى الصِدقَ حتى يُكتَبَ عند اللهِ صِدِّيقاً،
“You must have truthfulness for truthfulness leads to birr/goodness, and birr leads to the Garden. And man keeps on telling the truth until, with Allah, he is written as a siddiq a person of truth.”
There is teaching what you have learnt: One of the Companions, رضي الله عنهم, said,
من أراد فَضْلَ الصدَقةِ وهو عاجزٌ فلْيُعَلِّمِ الناسَ ما سمِع منَ العَِلم
“If you want the reward of giving sadaqa but have nothing to give, then teach someone something you have learnt.”
We could go on all day enumerating the good ways in which the tongue may be used, for Allah, in His infinite mercy, has given us no shortage of them. We could mention nasiha, speaking kind words, giving greetings and speaking up for your brother when he has been insulted. And all of these are important and preserve the well-being of society and the community.
But, sometimes, in certain circumstances, it is best to simply say nothing, as a moment’s silence can be more eloquent than a thousand words. The Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, said,
أَرْبَعٌ لا تَصِيرُ إلا في مُؤمِن: الصَّمْتُ وهو أوَّلُ العِبَادةِ، والتواضع، وذكرُ الله، وقِلَّةُ الشَّر.
“There are four qualities that are only found in the believer: silence, which is the starting point for worship; humility, remembrance of Allah, and a lack of wickedness.”
So it is vital for us to think over our words before we say them. If we find them good then we may utter them, but if we find them worthless or even bad, then we should guard our tongues and remain silent. That is the way to preserve our own well-being and that is the way to preserve the well-being of our communities.
May Allah protect us from our tongues and make them the means for us to gain His Pleasure and not His anger. May Allah protect our community from backbiters and rumourmongers, and from liars and slanderers. And may He make our tongues a means of reuniting the Muslims and healing their divisions. Amin
إنَّ اللهَ ومَلائِكَتَهُ يُصلُّونَ على النَّبِي يَا أَيُها الذينَ آمنوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وسَلِّمُوا تَسْليماً. اللهمَّ صَلِّ وسَلِّم وبارِك عَلَيْهِ وعلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ أجمعين.
وارض اللهم عن الخلفاء الراشدين المرشدين الحنفاء ساداتنا وأئمتنا أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان وعلي ، وعن سائر الصحابة أجمعين، خصوصا الأنصار منهم والمهاجرين، وعن التابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.
اللهم اهد أولات أمور المسلمين لما يرضيك ولاتباع سنة نبيك صلى الله عليه وسلم وثبت أقدامهم على الصراط المستقيم وأصلحهم يا رب العالمين.
اللهم بارك على شيخنا، و على أميرنا، وعلى جميع أمراء وزعماء المسلمين.
اللهم بارك على المسلمين في هذه المدينة ووفقهم لما تحبه وترضاه يا أكرم الأكرمين.
اللهمّ أَعِزَّ الْلإسلامَ والمُسِلمينَ (3) واَخْذُلِ الكُفْرَ والكافِرينَ، وانْصُرِ المُجاهِدينَ في سَبِيلِ اللهِ. واجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وكَلِمَةَ الكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلى.
ربنا ءاتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الأخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار.
ربنا ءاتنا من لدنك رحمة و هيئ لنا من أمرنا رشدا.
ربنا هب لنا من أزواجنا وذريتنا قرة أعين واجعلنا للمتقين إماما.
ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا وإِسرافنا في أمرِنا وثبت أقدامنا وانصرنا على القوم الكافرِينَ.
إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عَنِ الفحشاءِ والمُنكَرِ والبغي، يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون، ولَذِكْرُ اللهِ أكبر والله يَعْلَمُ ما تَصْنَعُون. وقُومُوا إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يرحمكم الله