The Right of Tongue: Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right
The Right of Tongue: Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَ أَمَّا حَقُّ اللِّسَانِ فَاِكْرَامُهُ عَنِ الْخَنَا وَ تَعْوِيدُهُ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ وَ حَمْلُهُ عَلَى الأَدَبِ وَ اِجْمَامُهُ اِلاَّ لِمَوْضِعِ الْحَاجَةِ وَ الْمَنْفَعَةِ لِلدِّينِ وَ الدُّنْيَا وَ اِعْفَاؤُهُ عَنِ الْفُضُولِ الشَّنِعَةِ الْقَلِيلَةِ الْفَائِدَةِ الَّتِي لاَ يُؤْمَنُ ضَرَرُهَا مَعَ قِلَّةِ عَائِدَتِهَا وَ يُعَدُّ شَاهِدَ الْعَقْلِ وَ الدَّلِيلَ عَلَيْهِ وَ تَزَيُّنُ الْعَاقِلِ بِعَقْلِهِ حُسْنُ سِيرَتِهِ فِي لِسَانِهِ وَ لا قُوَّةَ اِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
The Right of Tongue
And the right of the tongue is that you consider it too noble for obscenity, accustom it to good, direct it to politeness, do not use it except in cases of need and when it is beneficial for the religion and worldly benefits. And refrain from talkativeness and vanity. Because it has no value, and you are not safe from its harm.
Indeed, the tongue is a witness and proof of human wisdom. The adornment of a mature person is the intellect and sweetness of his language. And there is no power but in God the High, the Great.
Commentary:
Imam Sajjad (AS) mentioned the soul’s right is to employ the soul in obedience to Allah (SWT). The soul obeys Allah (SWT) through physical use of the body’s organs, such as the tongue, ears, eyes, etc. Therefore, the Imam expressed in detail the right of each body member, beginning with the tongue’s right.
Amongst divine blessings to humankind, verse 55:2-3 (ar-Rahman) mentioned the faculty of speaking and expression, which is done through the tongue and says, “He created man, taught him to speak [1]. ” Imam Ali (AS) says: “Be amazed by mankind’s creation which sees with tallow, speaks with flesh, hears with bones, and breathes through a hole [2].”
Through this faculty, human beings articulate their needs and express their thoughts to each other. Today, roughly 6,500 languages are spoken globally, and each of them makes the world a diverse and beautiful place. Verse 30:33 (Ar-Rum) considers diversity in languages as one of the signs of Allah (SWT) [3].
The tongue is like a double-edged sword. It can be deployed in virtuous causes or used as an instrument of wickedness and evil. The tongue could lift or tear down someone, could heal or harm, could be a source of eternal reward or punishment, etc. Ali (AS) says: “The tongue is a beast; if it is let loose, it devours [4].” That is, if there is no restrain on a human’s tongue, and if he says whatever comes to his mind, he becomes the prey of sin. There are 70 great sins that the tongue can commit. These sins include backbiting, slandering, mocking, ridiculing, false testimony, revealing people’s faults and secrets, etc.
Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Preserving faith in the human heart depends on preserving the tongue from sin.” In particular, the Prophet (PBUH) said, “The faith of a servant is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright. [5, 6],”
An Arabian man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and asked for the Prophet to guide him to an action that will take him to Paradise. The Prophet (PBUH) said: 1) Feed hunger 2) Quench thirst, and 3) Direct good and forbid evil. Do not speak except with kind words if you cannot do these things [7].
Acknowledgment:
The text is based on “Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right” by Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani.
Appendix_1: Verses of the Quran
Ar-Rahman 55:3-4
﴿﴾٤ ٣﴾ عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ ﴿خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ
55:3-4 Created man, [And] taught him speech.
Ar-Rum, 30:22
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ ﴿٢٢﴾
30:22 And of God signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.
Appendix_2: Ahdith from Nahjul-Balaghah
Hadith # 8
وقال عليه السلام: اعْجَبُوا لِهذَا الْإِنْسَانِ يَنْظُرُ بِشَحْمٍ، وَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِلَحْمٍ، وَيَسْمَعُ بِعَظْمٍ ، وَيَتَنَفَّسُ مِنْ خَرْمٍ.
Amir Al-mu’minin (AS) said: How wonderful is man that sees with fat, talks with a piece of flesh, hears with a bone and breathes through a hole.
Hadith #60
وقال عليه السلام: الِّلسَانُ سَبُعٌ، إِنْ خُلِّيَ عَنْهُ عَقَرَ.
The tongue is a beast; if it is let loose, it devours.
Appendix_3:
#1 Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (SWT), peace and blessings be upon him, said:
لا يَسْتَقِيمُ إِيمانُ عبدٍ حتى يَسْتَقِيمَ قلبُهُ، ولا يَسْتَقِيمُ قلبُهُ حتى يَسْتَقِيمَ لسانُهُ،
The faith of a servant is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright.
#2
عن البراء بن عازب قال:جاء أعرابيٌّ إلى رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليْهِ وسلَّمَ فقال , دلَّني على عملٍ يُدخلُني الجنةَ قال: أطعمِ الجائعَ واسقِ الظمآنَ وأمرْ بالمعروفِ وانهَ عنِ المنكرِ فإن لم تُطِقْ فكفْ لسانَكَ إلا من خيرٍ.
An Arabian man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and asked for the Prophet (PBUH) to guide him to an action that will take him to Paradise. The Prophet (PBUH) said: 1) Feed hunger 2) Quench thirst and 3) Direct good and forbid evil. Do not speak except with kind words if you cannot do these things [8].
Notes:
[1] Ar-Rahman, 55:2-23
[2] Nahjul-Blaghah, Hadith #8
[3] Ar-Rum, 30:33
[4] Nahjul-Blaghah, Hadith #60
[5] Baharul-Anwaar, Vol. 68, P. 287
[6] Commentary on Treaties on Rights, P.33
[7] Commentary on Treaties on Rights, P.33
[8] Commentary on Treaties on Rights, P.33
source:shafaqna