Sins of the Tongue

The sins that are committed when a person does not control his/her tongue

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• The tongue is a gift from Allah. Considering the power of the tongue, Shaytaan will use every opportunity to try to cause people to engage in negative uses of the tongue that take away the purity of the heart.
• Islam disapproves of meaningless talk, because it has no value for anyone. The Prophet said that one of the beautiful characteristics of a true Muslim is that he/she will not bother with such things that do not concern him/her. Muslims will therefore not talk about things that are of no consequence to them. The more a person is involved in irrelevant and meaning- less talk and activity, the lower his/her rank becomes before Allah ﷻ .
• The Qur’aan also discourages nonsensical talkers who shout at the top of their voices. The voice of those who raise their voices and talk with pride and arrogance is compared to that of a donkey who brays loudly.
• The Qur’aan warns such people who are guilty of not controlling their tongues-such people who mock, jeer and scorn others. Instead of using their tongues to increase knowledge and guide the ‘ummah, they continue to create divisions among people.
  Allah ﷻ says the following in the Qur’aan:

وَيْلٌۭ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍۢ لُّمَزَةٍ (١) ٱلَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالًۭا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ (٢) يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَهُۥ (٣) كَلَّا ۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِى ٱلْحُطَمَةِ (٤) ( سورة الهمزة : ١ – ٤)

“Woe to every scorner and mocker, who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it. He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. No! he will surely be thrown into the Crusher.” [Soorat al-Humazah : 1-4]

• One of the major sins of the tongue is to indulge in gheebah (backbiting). Gheebah or back- biting can be described as speaking behind the back of another person. It can be further defined as speaking ill about a person in such a manner where the person being spoken about would be hurt or displeased at what is being mentioned. When the Prophet explained to the Companions the danger of gheebah, they enquired as to what if what was being said about the person was really true. The Prophet replied that if what was being said was true then it would be gheebah. If it were not true, then it would be slander.
• It must therefore be emphasized that when one says something hurtful about another, in his absence, this would be gheebah if what is being said is actually true. If the words spread about that person were, in fact, not true, it would be known as buhtaan (slander), which is even worse. Both acts are sinful and will harm the individual being spoken about. Buhtaan is more severe because it means that the words being spread are lies. Gheebah is a major sin that also breaks the bond of sister/brotherhood among Muslims.
• Allah ﷻ emphasizes the cruelty and terrible nature of the act of gheebah by comparing it to eating the flesh of a dead person.
  Allah ﷻ says:

أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًۭا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ ( سورة الحجرات : ۱۲)

… Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. [Soorat al-Hujuraat:12]

• Another dangerous and sinful act of the tongue is nameemah, which is to say such things about people so that others will hate them. Nameemah may be the truth or it may be lies, but its intention is to ruin the relationship between two people.
• Among other sins of the tongue are issues that are often looked upon carelessly. They include: Telling lies
  Taking oaths unnecessarily
  Using abusive language
  Making fun of people
• It is the character of a Muslim to wish only good things for others. For this reason, a Muslim must control his/her tongue so that only positive results may flow from his tongue and actions.

Learning from the lesson

1. One of the greatest sicknesses in our society has to do with people who do not control their tongues.
2. One of the major sins is gheebah (backbiting).
3. Buhtaan (slander) is more severe because the words that are spread are all lies.
4. Another sinful thing is to say things about people so that others will hate them (nameemah)
5. A Muslim must control his/her tongue so that only positive results may flow from their actions.