When we remember that good manners is a social exercise,
we can easily appreciate that words are as important as deeds. A kind word is always welcome to any person. In every language, there are sayings which stress that a kind word will never go amiss. Proverbs abound to the effect that it is more important to most people to hear a welcoming word than to be treated to a delicious meal, if the host uses his welcoming words sparingly. In fact what people say to one another is of great importance in strengthening social ties and building a united community. It is only natural, therefore, that Islam should take care to direct its followers to select their words well and to say only what is useful, truthful and conducive to strengthening community feelings.
One quality which Islam condemns is to speak differently about people in different situations. We have all seen some people who may speak ill of someone in his absence, pointing out his defects, exaggerating them and portraying him in a generally bad light. Nevertheless, should that same person appear on the scene, they immediately switch tone and speak in a very friendly manner to him, praise him and try to persuade anyone who is present that they love that person and hold him in a very high regard. They may try to explain away their first attitude with certain excuses which could not be reasonably accepted.
There are others who are a little more careful than to allow themselves to say one thing and its opposite in the same place or to the same person. However, they will not hesitate to do that in different situations. When they meet you, they express their friendship and that they are prepared to do any service for you. When they are with others and you are absent, they do not hesitate to use any critical remarks against you, disparage your character and try to discredit you in front of other people. They may go as far as doing this deliberately in order to harm you or foil your projects or make your efforts fruitless. A person may discover that his efforts to win favor with some people come to nothing although he may have set great store by their friendship or their help. When he tries to discover the reason for his lack of success, he may find out that someone has spoken ill of him to them. Nevertheless, that very person is always ready to meet him with open arms and lavish praise on him in his presence.
On the other hand, people of this type go around speaking ill of others to their opponents, while extolling the praises of their interlocutors. However, as soon as they meet the first group, they lavish their praises on them while criticizing the others.
All such behavior is repugnant to Islam. But the matter may not stop at that. People of this type may fabricate stories and spread them around in order to create an atmosphere of hostility between people. They do not care if that hostility brings in its wake trouble, quarrels or fights. They only want to enhance their own position with each group or to serve their own selfish ends. If that means that they should create trouble, then trouble they will create. Islam shuns their behavior. The Prophet speaks in the clearest of terms about them. He is quoted by Hurairah as saying: ‘A double faced person should never be trusted.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, At-Tirmithi and Ahmad). Another version of this Hadith suggests that the Prophet has said: “A double faced person never has a good position with God.”
Another example of how Islam refines the character of a Muslim and impresses on him the need to use only proper language, avoiding any obscenity or foul language, is the Hadith which has been reported by Abdullah ibn Massood who quotes the Prophet as saying: “The characteristic which is most blameworthy for a believer to have is the unscrupulous use of shameless language.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and Ibn Hibban). It is blameworthy because it is indicative of loose character, selfishness and greed. All these qualities deserve blame. An aspect which indicates all these is certainly worthy of blame.
Some people, however, do not hesitate to use foul, shameless language in any situation. They even boast of that. Islam certainly does not approve of their behavior, because it teaches its followers to watch their language. That is done in a variety of ways which the Prophet employs in order to drive the point home to his followers that a believer must give credence to his claim to believe in God and the message of Muhammad (peace be on him) in word and deed. His companions understood that very well and tried to impress the same on others. Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, says: “Cursed will be those who are given to cursing others.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).
When we speak of a characteristic or a moral value which Islam tries to instil in its followers, we need to look at how Islam relates this to its overall message and fundamental principles. One of the most essential principles in Islam is the belief in the Day of Judgment and that people will be resurrected on that day, when their deeds and everything that they had said or done in this life will be reckoned for or against them. They will be then given their reward or punishment according to the results of the test which they had undergone in this life. An important aspect of this is the fact that the Muslim nation will be called upon to testify against other nations to the effect that God has sent a clear message to mankind and required them to believe in it. This is a position of honor.
The Muslim community will be given this position as a complement to its role in this life as a conveyor of that message. Therefore, every Muslim is keen to be included among those who testify against other nations. The Prophet tells us that those who are given to cursing others will be denied that position. He is quoted as saying: “Cursers will not be on the Day of Judgment either witnesses or intercessors.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and others). They will also be denied any chance to pray to God to show kindness to their relatives, parents or children. When we realize that this is denied them only because of their cursing, we can appreciate how seriously Islam views this unbecoming characteristic.
It has been pointed out that the Arabic term used in the Hadith and rendered in the translation as “witnesses” is the same term which means “martyrs”. Therefore, the Hadith may be understood as meaning that such people who are given to cursing others will never qualify to be martyrs, nor will they be allowed to intercede on behalf of their immediate relatives. However, if we take it to mean only “witnesses”, we can add another shade to its meaning. That is, that their testimony will not be accepted because they disqualify themselves of being reliable witnesses by their bad language. Islam tries to relate results to causes. In this context of refraining from using foul or shameless language, it teaches its followers that when people exchange curses, they bring the curse on themselves. This is what is emphasized by Huthaifah, a well-known companion of the Prophet, who says: “If any people exchange curses, the curse will befall them.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad). This is akin to a Hadith which forbids a Muslim to call another Muslim an unbeliever. It states that if one person calls another a disbeliever, that description will certainly be true of one of them. It means that either the person so described is truly a non-believer or the one who described him as such is himself a nonbeliever.
we can easily appreciate that words are as important as deeds. A kind word is always welcome to any person. In every language, there are sayings which stress that a kind word will never go amiss. Proverbs abound to the effect that it is more important to most people to hear a welcoming word than to be treated to a delicious meal, if the host uses his welcoming words sparingly. In fact what people say to one another is of great importance in strengthening social ties and building a united community. It is only natural, therefore, that Islam should take care to direct its followers to select their words well and to say only what is useful, truthful and conducive to strengthening community feelings.
One quality which Islam condemns is to speak differently about people in different situations. We have all seen some people who may speak ill of someone in his absence, pointing out his defects, exaggerating them and portraying him in a generally bad light. Nevertheless, should that same person appear on the scene, they immediately switch tone and speak in a very friendly manner to him, praise him and try to persuade anyone who is present that they love that person and hold him in a very high regard. They may try to explain away their first attitude with certain excuses which could not be reasonably accepted.
There are others who are a little more careful than to allow themselves to say one thing and its opposite in the same place or to the same person. However, they will not hesitate to do that in different situations. When they meet you, they express their friendship and that they are prepared to do any service for you. When they are with others and you are absent, they do not hesitate to use any critical remarks against you, disparage your character and try to discredit you in front of other people. They may go as far as doing this deliberately in order to harm you or foil your projects or make your efforts fruitless. A person may discover that his efforts to win favor with some people come to nothing although he may have set great store by their friendship or their help. When he tries to discover the reason for his lack of success, he may find out that someone has spoken ill of him to them. Nevertheless, that very person is always ready to meet him with open arms and lavish praise on him in his presence.
On the other hand, people of this type go around speaking ill of others to their opponents, while extolling the praises of their interlocutors. However, as soon as they meet the first group, they lavish their praises on them while criticizing the others.
All such behavior is repugnant to Islam. But the matter may not stop at that. People of this type may fabricate stories and spread them around in order to create an atmosphere of hostility between people. They do not care if that hostility brings in its wake trouble, quarrels or fights. They only want to enhance their own position with each group or to serve their own selfish ends. If that means that they should create trouble, then trouble they will create. Islam shuns their behavior. The Prophet speaks in the clearest of terms about them. He is quoted by Hurairah as saying: ‘A double faced person should never be trusted.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, At-Tirmithi and Ahmad). Another version of this Hadith suggests that the Prophet has said: “A double faced person never has a good position with God.”
Another example of how Islam refines the character of a Muslim and impresses on him the need to use only proper language, avoiding any obscenity or foul language, is the Hadith which has been reported by Abdullah ibn Massood who quotes the Prophet as saying: “The characteristic which is most blameworthy for a believer to have is the unscrupulous use of shameless language.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and Ibn Hibban). It is blameworthy because it is indicative of loose character, selfishness and greed. All these qualities deserve blame. An aspect which indicates all these is certainly worthy of blame.
Some people, however, do not hesitate to use foul, shameless language in any situation. They even boast of that. Islam certainly does not approve of their behavior, because it teaches its followers to watch their language. That is done in a variety of ways which the Prophet employs in order to drive the point home to his followers that a believer must give credence to his claim to believe in God and the message of Muhammad (peace be on him) in word and deed. His companions understood that very well and tried to impress the same on others. Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, says: “Cursed will be those who are given to cursing others.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).
When we speak of a characteristic or a moral value which Islam tries to instil in its followers, we need to look at how Islam relates this to its overall message and fundamental principles. One of the most essential principles in Islam is the belief in the Day of Judgment and that people will be resurrected on that day, when their deeds and everything that they had said or done in this life will be reckoned for or against them. They will be then given their reward or punishment according to the results of the test which they had undergone in this life. An important aspect of this is the fact that the Muslim nation will be called upon to testify against other nations to the effect that God has sent a clear message to mankind and required them to believe in it. This is a position of honor.
The Muslim community will be given this position as a complement to its role in this life as a conveyor of that message. Therefore, every Muslim is keen to be included among those who testify against other nations. The Prophet tells us that those who are given to cursing others will be denied that position. He is quoted as saying: “Cursers will not be on the Day of Judgment either witnesses or intercessors.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and others). They will also be denied any chance to pray to God to show kindness to their relatives, parents or children. When we realize that this is denied them only because of their cursing, we can appreciate how seriously Islam views this unbecoming characteristic.
It has been pointed out that the Arabic term used in the Hadith and rendered in the translation as “witnesses” is the same term which means “martyrs”. Therefore, the Hadith may be understood as meaning that such people who are given to cursing others will never qualify to be martyrs, nor will they be allowed to intercede on behalf of their immediate relatives. However, if we take it to mean only “witnesses”, we can add another shade to its meaning. That is, that their testimony will not be accepted because they disqualify themselves of being reliable witnesses by their bad language. Islam tries to relate results to causes. In this context of refraining from using foul or shameless language, it teaches its followers that when people exchange curses, they bring the curse on themselves. This is what is emphasized by Huthaifah, a well-known companion of the Prophet, who says: “If any people exchange curses, the curse will befall them.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad). This is akin to a Hadith which forbids a Muslim to call another Muslim an unbeliever. It states that if one person calls another a disbeliever, that description will certainly be true of one of them. It means that either the person so described is truly a non-believer or the one who described him as such is himself a nonbeliever.
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