The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said in a Hadith that of the men who enter Hell, the majority will be of those who commit sins by their tongues. That is. those who tell lies.
backbite others, illjure anyone's heart, join others in the sin of backbiting, exult over the distress of others. They will enter Hell on account of these sins. There is a Hadith to this effect:
This means that many people shall enter Hell on account of the sins of their tongue. (Tirmizi Hadith No 2616)
We should, therefore, use this gift of Allah with due care and precaution and keep it under control, instead of leaving it unbridled. We should use it for lawful speech. That is why we have been advised that, if we have to say anything, we should say what is true and lawful or keep quiet.
Think before you open your mouth to speak
It is prohibited to be talkative. If man talks much the tongue will go out of control and utter something undesirable, involving him in sins. It is, therefore, necessary that one should speak only when it is unavoidable and strictly to the extent needed. A wise saint has advised that before opening the mouth to speak one should think well what to speak and why,. This will keep the tongue under control.
The remedy to keep the tongue under control
Hazrat Siddiq Akbar رضي الله عنه is the best man after the Prophets of Allah Once he was seen holding his tongue in his hand and twisting it. When the people asked him about his strange behaviour, he رضي الله عنه, said:
This tongue has involved me in great dangers and calamities. I want to keep it under control. (Muwatta. Imam Malik. Book of Talks.. Tongue)
It occurs in other narratives that he put into his mouth some pebbles so that unnecessary words may not escape from his mouth. At any rate, the tongue is a piece of flesh with which a man can attain Paradise as well as Hell. It is imperative to keep it under strict control, so as to save it from being misused. This is possible only when man avoids loose talks. The more man talks, the more readily he will fall into sins and errors. When people desiring spiritual refonn visit some Shaikh. he prescribes different remedies for different "patients" according to the nature of the malady of each. In most cases they prescribe control over the tongue.
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