Al Kawthar Academy | 'The Abundance of Good' We aim to preserve and promote the pure message and sublime values of Islam.
An alim (scholar) was asked ‘How do you learn to control your tongue?’. His reply was amazing. He said ‘My way of controlling my tongue is as follows; whenever my nafs tells me to speak, I remain silent. Whenever my nafs tells me to remain silent, I speak’.
There is a wealth of information in these words of wisdom. When will a person’s nafs tell him to remain silent? When it comes to defending the truth, the nafs often tells the person to remain silent. Why do you have to be the spoilsport? Why do you want to get into trouble? If you are sitting in a gathering with nine other people and everyone is sitting backbiting and slandering someone why dont you just keep quiet? Your nafs will say ‘By remaining silent, the nine others won’t oppose you. If you speak up and say, look, it’s haraam for you to do this (and thereby defend the honour and intergrity of the innocent person in his absence), everyone will turn against you. So why do you want to be a spoil sport? Why do you want to tarnish your name? Just be quiet’., It is in such a situation that the nafs says remain silent. This is why the alim said ‘Whenever my nafs tells me to speak I remain silent, and whenever my nafs tells me to remain silent, I speak’.
[This excerpt is based on a dars (lesson) on Ramadhan delivered by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq on 30th July 2010].
Jazakallah khair
Keeping silent is one of the numerous examples Shaykh Riyadh mentions in his lectures how we often would rather offend Allah than humans. Thanks for the posting.
as-wr-wb, sometimes in this life you just cannot do the right thing no matter what!!! ie. whether you speak up or you choose to remain quiet, in certain situations you will still end up being in the wrong, ws-wr-wb.
JazakAllah khair.
Ameena – Yes you are right sometimes no matter what we always seem to be in the wrong, whether we speak up or remain silent but as long as we are doing it for the sake of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala, we are trying to please Him Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala and we use hikmah then it doesn’t really matter whether we are ‘seen’ as being wrong.
If we truly apply ‘Whenever my nafs tells me to speak I remain silent, and whenever my nafs tells me to remain silent, I speak’ then inshaAllah we will succeed.