Zinoning yomonligining boshlang'ich nuqtasi nigoh bo'lgani uchun Alloh ~ musulmonlarga nigohlarini pastga tushirishni buyurgan; chunki yomonlik bir qarashdan boshlanadi, so'ngra nafs-ehtirosga keladigan his, keyin yaqinlashish va nihoyat gunoh ishni qilishga yetib boradi. (1) Harom narsaga qarash ehtirosni uyg'otishning asosiy yo'li bo'lib, shu sababli undan o'zini tiyган kishi, darhaqiqat, iffatini saqlagan bo'ladi. Payg'ambar ﷺ aytdilar: "Ikkinchi marta qaramang, chunki birinchi qarash uchun aybdor emassiz, lekin ikkinchisiga haqqingiz yo'q."3 Payg'ambar ﷺ yana aytdilar: "Qarash Iblisning zaharli o'qlaridan biridir. Kim ayolning go'zalligiga qarashdan ko'zini pastga tushirsa, Alloh unga shunday bir ibodatni nasib qiladiki, uning halovatini u his qiladi."4 Payg'ambar ﷺ yana aytdilar: "Ogoh bo'linglar, yo'llarda o'tirishdan saqlaninglar." Odamlar dedilar: "Ey Allohning Elchisi! Biz yo'llarda o'tirmasdan iloj yo'q, chunki bu bizning suhbatlashadigan joylarimiz." Payg'ambar ﷺ javob berdilar: "Agar o'tirishingiz kerak bo'lsa, yo'lning haqqini ado eting." Ular so'radilar: "Ey Allohning Elchisi, yo'lning haqqi nima?" U zot ﷺ javob berdilar: "Ko'zni pastga tutish, boshqalarga zarar yetkazmaslik, salomga alik olish, yaxshilikka buyurish va yomonlikdan qaytarish."5 Tikilib qarash odamzod boshiga tushadigan asosiy balolarning ortida turadi. Darhaqiqat, qarash istakni tug'diradi; istak fikrlarni tug'diradi; fikrlar ehtirosni tug'diradi; ehtiros irodani kuchaytiradi, irodа qat'iy qarorga aylanadi va to'sqinlik bo'lmasa, amalga oshadi. Shu ma'noda aytilgan: "Ko'zni pastga tutishdagi sabr, o'sha qarashning oqibatidagi azobga sabr qilishdan osonroqdir." (2) Istak va moyilliklar yaxshilik va yomonlikning boshlang'ich nuqtasi bo'lib, irodа va qat'iy qaror ulardan paydo bo'ladi. Shunday ekan, kim o'z nafsini tiyadigan bo'lsa, u haqiqatan ham o'zini nazorat qilgan bo'ladi; kim o'z nafsiga bo'ysunsa, o'sha nafs uni bosib ketadi; kim esa o'z moyilliklarini arzimas deb bilsa, ular uni o'z halokatiga yetaklaydi. Istaklar qalbga yaqinlashib boraveradi, toki ular orzuga aylanmaguncha, xuddi Alloh ta'olo aytganidek: (.. cho'lda ko'rinadigan serob kabi. Chanqagan kishi uni suv deb o'ylaydi, to unga yetguncha; yetganida esa uni hech narsa emasligini topadi; lekin u yonida Allohni topadi, U esa unga hisobini to'liq beradi. Alloh hisob-kitobda tezdir) 1. Irodasi jihatidan eng xor qilinadigan odamlar - haqiqatni soxta orzularga aylantirib, ularni o'z past hayotlarida kuzatadiganlardir. Bu soxta orzular insonga zarar keltiradi, chunki ular bo'shashish va befarqlik hissini uyg'otadi, beparvolik, pushaymonlik va afsus tuyg'usini keltirib chiqaradi. Orzu qiluvchi kishi o'z vujudida haqiqatning ta'sirini sezmay qolganda, uning suratini qalbida chizadi va shu tariqa o'z fikrlari chizgan xayoliy tasvirlardan qoniqadi, bu esa hayotda unga hech qanday haqiqiy qoniqish bermaydi. Uning holati ochlik va chanqoqlikdan azob chekayotgan, lekin ovqat va suv bo'lmagani holda aqlida taom va ichimlik suratlarini chizayotgan odamga o'xshaydi. Bunday holatni qabul qilish nafsning past qadrini ko'rsatadi va sharmandalikdir, chunki nafsning sharafi va poklig'i har qanday haqiqiy bo'lmagan istak yoki xayolni rad etishda namoyon bo'ladi. Insonning istaklarini to'rt toifaga bo'lish mumkin: dunyoviy manfaat olib keladigan istaklar, dunyoviy muammolarini bartaraf etadigan istaklar, oxiratda foyda keltiradigan istaklar va oxiratdagi har qanday zararni daf etadigan istaklar. Aqlli inson Rabbining roziligini izlab, oxiratda unga foyda keltiradigan istaklarni afzal ko'rishdan tortinmaydi. Bunday istaklar va fikrlar ularning ustuvorligiga ko'ra belgilanadi: Birinchisi, Vahiyni o'ylab ko'rish va uning ma'nosini tushunish. Alloh ~ uni faqat o'qilishi uchun nozil qilmagan. Balki uning tilovati insonga uning mazmuni ustida mulohaza yuritishga imkon beradigan vositadir. Bir o'tmish olim shunday degan: "Qur'on amal qilinishi uchun nozil qilingan; shunday ekan, uning tilovatini amalga aylantiring!" Ikkinchisi, Allohning Belgilari ustida o'ylash va ularni Allohning Ismlari, Sifatlari, Hikmati, Mehribonligi va Saxiyligini tasdiqlovchi dalil sifatida ishlatish, chunki Alloh ~ Bandalarini Uning Belgilari ustida mulohaza yuritib, ularni tushunishga da'vat etgan. Uchinchisi, Allohning Ehsoni, Mag'firati, Rahmati, Sabri va Bandalariga in'om etgan Ne'matlari haqida o'ylash. Bu uch turdagi mulohaza yurakdan Allohni bilish, Unga muhabbat va Undan qo'rqish hissini chiqaradi, bu hissni Allohni zikr qilish orqali mustahkamlash mumkin. To'rtinchisi, nafsning va o'z amallarining kamchiliklari haqida o'ylash. Bu fikrning katta foydasi bor, chunki u yomonlikka buyuruvchi nafsni sindiradi va yurakka xotirjam dunyoda yashash imkonini beradi. Beshinchisi, vaqtning vazifasi va uning vazifasi haqida o'ylash hamda barcha tashvishlarni shu atrofga yo'naltirib, uning hech bir qismini behuda sarflamaslik. Darhaqiqat, barcha foydalar vaqtdan kelib chiqadi va behuda o'tgan vaqt qaytarib bo'lmaydigan yo'qotishdir. Shofiiy olim shunday degan: "Men sufiylar bilan birga bo'ldim va ulardan faqat ikki so'zdan boshqa foyda olmadim: birinchisi, ularning: "Vaqt qilichdir; agar uni kesmasang, u seni kesadi", degan so'zi. Ikkinchisi: "Agar sen o'zingni haqiqat bilan band qilmasang, u seni botil bilan band qiladi." Inson vaqti – bu uning umri; u uni abadiy baxtli hayotiga (Jannatga) olib boradigan yo'l yoki abadiy azobli hayotiga (Do'zaxga) olib boradigan yo'ldir. U bulutlarning harakatidan ham tezroq o'tib ketadi. Allohga itoat qilishda o'tkazilgan har bir lahza inson uchun haqiqiy hayotdir, boshqa narsalar esa hayot deb atalishga loyiq emas; agar inson ulardan bahra olib yashagan bo'lsa ham, uning hayotini hayvonlarning hayotiga o'xshatish mumkin. Namoz o'qiydigan inson ham namozidan faqat o'zi esida saqlaganicha foyda oladi; shuning uchun insonning hayoti faqat Allohga itoat qilishda o'tgan hayotdir, qolgan hammasi esa shaytonning vasvasalari va bo'sh orzu-havaslardir. Shuni bilingki, o'z-o'zicha olingan istak hech kimga zarar bermaydi; zarar keltiradigan narsa istakka ergashish yoki unga javob berishdir. Istak yo'lovchiga o'xshaydi: uni e'tiborsiz qoldirsangiz, u o'tib ketadi; lekin uni uyingizga taklif qilsangiz, aldamchi so'zlari bilan sizni maftun qiladi. Alloh ~ insonda ikki xil nafs yaratdi: buyuruvchi nafs va xotirjam nafs. Ular bir-biriga qarshidir: bir uchun yengil bo'lgan narsa boshqasi uchun og'irdir, bir uni qoniqtirgan narsa boshqasini azoblaydi. Yurakning o'ng tomonida farishta, chap tomonida esa shayton turadi. Nafs bu dunyodagi umrini tugatguncha, ular o'rtasida doimiy kurash davom etadi. Barcha yolg'on shayton va yomonlikka buyuruvchi nafs tomonida; barcha haqiqat esa farishta va xotirjam ruh tomonidadir. Bu doimiy kurash yozib boriladi, g'alaba esa sabr bilan qo'lga kiritiladi. Kim chidasa, sabr qilsa va Allohdan qo'rqsa, bu dunyoda ham, oxiratda ham yaxshi oqibatga erishadi. Allah ~ taqvodor kishilar uchun go'zal oqibatni belgilab qo'ygan. (3) Nutqni saqlash kerak va uni faqat foydali narsalar uchun ishlatish lozim. Inson faqat o'z dini uchun foydali bo'lgan so'zlarni aytishi kerak. Biror so'zni og'izdan chiqarishdan oldin ikki marta o'ylab ko'rish, u dini uchun foydali yoki foydasizligini tekshirish lozim; agar uni aytishdan hech qanday foyda bo'lmasa, uni aytishdan tiyilish kerak; lekin agar unda biron foyda bo'lsa, uni aytish imkониятini boy bermaslik kerak. Agar kishining ichki holati (boshqalarning) dilida nima borligi haqida dalil keltirmoqchi bo'lsa, uning so'zlariga e'tibor berishi kerak. Darhaqiqat, til dil holatini oshkor qiladi, uning egasi buni xohlaydimi yoki yo'qmi! Yahyo ibn Mu'od shunday degan: "Dillar qaynayotgan narsalari bilan to'la qozonlarga o'xshaydi, tillar esa ularning kosachalariga o'xshaydi. Inson gapirganda, tili dilidagi narsadan oladi: shirin yoki achchiq." Anas ibn Molik ~ rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar ﷺ shunday degan: "Kishining iymoni dili to'g'ri bo'lmaguncha to'g'ri bo'lmaydi; uning dili esa tili to'g'ri bo'lmaguncha to'g'ri bo'lmaydi." Abdulloh ibn Mas'ud ~ rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar ﷺ shunday degan: "Jonim qo'lida bo'lgan Zot haqi bilan qasam ichamanki, kishining dili va tili itoatkor bo'lmaguncha u musulmon bo'lmaydi." Payg'ambardan ﷺ odamlarni Do'zaxga eng ko'p olib boradigan narsalar haqida so'rалганда, u shunday javob bergan: "Og'iz va sharmgoh." Mu'od Payg'ambardan ﷺ uni Jannatga kiritadigan va Do'zaxdan uzoqlashtiradigan amal haqida so'radi. Payg'ambar ﷺ unga ishning asosi Islom, uning ustuni salot (namoz) va cho'qqisi Allah yo'lidagi jihod ekanligini aytdi. So'ngra u ﷺ: "Bularning hammasining tagida nima borligini aytib berayinmi?" dedi. Mu'od: "Albatta, Allahning Rasuli", dedi. Payg'ambar ﷺ o'z tilidan ushlab: "Buni nazorat ostida tut", dedi. Mu'od: "Biz aytgan so'zlarimiz uchun ham hisob beramizmi?" dedi. U ﷺ javob berdi: "Onang yo'qolsin sendan! Odamlarni yuzlari bilan Do'zaxga faqat tillarining hosili sababli tashlashmaydimi?" Hayratlanarlisi shundaki, ba'zi hollarda inson haromdan, masalan, zulm qilishdan, zinodan, o'g'irlikdan, sharob ichishdan yoki harom narsalarga qarashdan tiyilishni osonlik bilan qila oladi, ammo tilining harakatlarini nazorat qilish unga qiyin bo'ladi. Shunda siz uni Allahning la'natini chaqiradigan so'zlarni aytayotganini ko'rasiz! Shunday holat Jundub ibn Abdulloh ~ rivoyat qilgan hadisda zikr etilgan. U aytadi: "Payg'ambar ﷺ bir kishi haqida aytdilar: "Filon kishini Alloh kechirmaydi", deb bir kishi aytgan ekan. Shunda Alloh ta'olo aytdi: "Kim Men haqimda qasam ichib, filonni kechirmasligimni aytmoqda? Men filonni kechirdim va sening amallaringni bekor qildim" (ya'ni, Alloh u kishini kechirmaydi, deb qasam ichgan kishining amallarini)."² Shunday qilib, umri bo'yi Allohga ibodat qilgan o'sha taqvodor kishining amallari bir og'iz so'zi tufayli bekor bo'lib ketdi! Xuddi shu hadisni rivoyat qilib, Abu Hurayra ~ aytadi: "Bu odam bir so'z aytdiki, u dunyo va oxiratdagi hayotini barbod qildi!" Abu Hurayra ~ aytadi: "Payg'ambar ﷺ dedilar: "Banda (Allohning bandasi) Allohni rozi qiladigan so'zni unga ahamiyat bermasdan aytishi mumkin; shu sababli Alloh ta'olo uni (savob) darajalariga ko'taradi. Banda esa Allohni xafa qiladigan so'zni uning og'irligini o'ylamasdan (beparvolik bilan) aytishi mumkin; shu sababli u Jahannam otashiga tashlanadi."³ Bilol ibn Horis ~ rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar ﷺ dedilar: "Odam o'z qadrini bilmasdan yaxshi so'z aytadi; shu sababli Alloh uni o'zi bilan uchrashguniga qadar Uning rizosi bilan yozib qo'yadi. Odam yana yomon so'z ham aytadi, uning ahamiyatini bilmasdan; shu sababli Alloh uni o'zi bilan uchrashguniga qadar Uning g'azabi bilan yozib qo'yadi."⁴ Alqama shunday derdi: "Bilol ibn Horisning hadisi meni ko'p so'zlarni aytishdan to'sdi!" Anas ibn Molik ~ aytadi: "Sahobalardan biri vafot etganda, bir kishi: "Uning jannatiga shod bo'ling", dedi. Ammo Payg'ambar ﷺ dedilar: "Sen buni aytyapsanmi, u o'ziga aloqasi bo'lmagan narsa haqida gapirganmi yoki zarar keltirmaydigan biror narsani ayamaganmi, bilmasdan turib?"⁵ Abu Hurayra ~ rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar ﷺ dedilar: "Kim Allohga va oxirat kuniga iymon keltirsa, yaxshi so'z aytsin yoki jim tursin." 6 Abu Hurayra ~ rivoyat qilishicha, Payg'ambar ﷺ shunday degan: "Odamning Islomining go'zalligidan biri — unga daxldor bo'lmagan narsani tark etishidir." 1 Sufyan ibn Abdulloh as-Saqafiy ~ aytadi: "Men dedim: 'Allohning Elchisi, menga Islom haqida shunday bir narsa ayting-ki, undan sizdan boshqa hech kimdan so'ray olmasam'. U zot ﷺ dedilar: 'Ayt: "Men Allohga iymon keltirdim", so'ng to'g'ri yo'lda bo'l.' Men dedim: 'Allohning Elchisi, siz men uchun eng ko'p qo'rqqan narsangiz nima?' U zot ﷺ o'z tillarini ushlab dedilar: 'Mana bu!'" 2 Ummu Habiba ~, Payg'ambar ﷺning xotinlari, rivoyat qiladilar: Payg'ambar ﷺ dedilar: "Odam bolasi aytgan har bir so'zi uning foydasiga emas, zarariga hisoblanadi — yaxshilikka da'vat qilish, yomon ishdan qaytarish yoki Allohni zikr qilish bundan mustasno." 3 Boshqa hadisda Payg'ambar ﷺ aytdilar: odam tong otganda, a'zolarning barchasi tilga bo'ysunib, unga shunday deydilar: "Biz uchun Allohdan qo'rq, chunki biz senga tobemiz; agar sen to'g'ri bo'lsang, biz ham to'g'ri bo'lamiz, agar sen egri bo'lsang, biz ham egri bo'lamiz." 4 Olimlar odam aytgan har bir so'z yoziladimi yoki faqat yaxshi va yomon haqidagi so'zlarmi, degan masalada ixtilof qilganlar. Ko'pchilik birinchi fikrni ma'qul ko'radi, chunki Alloh ~ aytadi: {U biror so'z aytmasinki, uning oldida tayyor kuzatuvchi bo'lmasin.} 5 Tilga oid ikkita katta kasallik bor: "so'zlash" va "jim turish" kasalliklari. Agar odam ulardan birida xavfsiz bo'lsa, ikkinchisidan xavfsiz emas. Ulardan biri ikkinchisidan kattaroq gunoh bo'lishi mumkin: haqiqat haqida jim turgan kishi Allohga itoatsiz "soqov shayton", yolg'on gapiruvchi esa Allohga itoatsiz "so'zlovchi shayton"dir. Solih kishilar tillarini yolg'on gapirishdan tiyadilar, oxiratlari uchun foydali bo'lgan narsalar haqida gapirish uchun esa tillarini bo'shatadilar. Kishi Qiyomat kuni tog'lar hajmidagi yaxshi amallar bilan kelishi mumkin, lekin uning tili tufayli ular barbod bo'ladi; yoki kishi tog'lar hajmidagi yomon amallar bilan kelishi mumkin, lekin u tilining Allohni doimiy zikr qilishi tufayli ular yo'q bo'lib ketganini ko'radi! (4) Qadamlar ham saqlanishi kerak, ya'ni inson oyoqlaridan Allohning Rahmatiga, Uning La'nati emas, erishadigan joyga olib boradigan yo'lda foydalanishi kerak. Qadamning sirpanishi ham oyoqqa, ham tilga tegishli bo'lgani uchun, ikkalasi ham oyatda zikr qilingan, chunki Alloh ~ aytadi: ( Mehribon Zot (Alloh)ning sadoqatli bandalari — yerda kamtarlik va vazminlik bilan yuradigan, johil kishilar ularga (yomon so'z bilan) murojaat qilganda, yumshoq so'zlar bilan javob beradiganlardir. ) 6 Alloh ~ O'zining sadoqatli bandalarini so'zlarida va qadamlarida to'g'rilik bilan ta'riflagan.

Since the starting point for the evil of adultery is the vision, Allah ~ has commanded Muslims to lower their gaze ; because evil starts with a glance, followed by a feeling of passion , then moving closer, and finally in committing the sinful act. (1) Looking at the unlawful is the main way to generate passion, and so whoever abstains from it, has indeed preserved his/her chastity. The Prophet~ said: "Do not take a second look, because while you are not to blame for the first, you have no right for the second."3 The Prophet :I; also said: "A look is one of the poisonous arrows of Iblis (Satan), so whoever lowers his eyes from looking at a woman's beauty, Allah would produce for him an act of worship whose sweetness he would experience ."4 The Prophet ~ also said: "Beware! Avoid sitting on the roads." They (the people) said: "O Messenger of Allah! We can't help sitting (on the roads) as these are our places where we chat." The Prophet ~ replied: "If you have to sit, then pay the road its right." They asked: "What is the right of the road, 0 Messenger of Allah?" He ~ answered: "Lowering your gaze, refraining from harming others, returning a greeting, and enjoining what is good, and forbidding what is evil. " 5 Staring lies behind some of the main calamities which afflict mankind. Indeed, looking produces desire; desire produces thoughts; thoughts produce passion; passion produces will power which turns into strong determination, and ends up as an action, as long as there is no impediment. In this context, it was said: "Patience in lowering one's gaze is easier (to deal with) than the patience with the pain of the aftermath of that gaze." (2) Desires and inclinations are the starting point of good and evil, and it is from them that will and determination are generated. Therefore, whoever controls his/her desires has indeed controlled him/herself; and whoever surrenders to his/her own desires, would be overwhelmed by them, but whoever thinks little of his/her inclinations, they would guide him to his/herself-destruction. Desires keep on approaching the heart until they become wishes, as Allah ~ has said: ( .. .like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing; but he finds Allah with him, Who will pay him his due. Allah is Swift in taking account) 1 The most despised people, in terms of their determination, are those who tum facts into false wishes, and observe these in their mean lives. These false wishes are damaging to man, as they generate a sense of lassitude and apathy, and produce a feeling of negligence, remorse and regret. When the wisher misses the interaction of the truth within his/her body, he/she depicts its picture in his/her heart, and so he/she becomes contented with illusionary images portrayed by his/her own thoughts, which never brings him/her any real satisfaction in life. His/her example is like that of a person who is both hungry and thirsty, picturing images of food and drink in his/her mind, without having any food or drink to ease his/her hunger and thirst. Accepting such a state of mind shows a low degree of the self esteem and is also a disgrace; because the dignity and purity of the self lies in rejecting any unreal desire or fantasy. Man's desires may be divided into four categories: Desires with which man attains worldly benefits, desires with which he drives away his worldly problems, desires with which he attains benefit in the Hereafter, and desires with which he drives away any harm in the Hereafter. A reasonable person would not hesitate to prefer desires which would gain him/her the benefits in the Hereafter, by seeking the Pleasure of his/her Lord. Such desires and thoughts are defined according to their priorities: First, reflecting on the Revelation and understanding its meaning. Allah ~ did not send it down just to recite it. Rather, its recitation is just a means to enable a person to ponder on its context. One past scholar said: "The Qur'an was revealed to be implemented on; so turn its recitation into practice!" Second, reflecting on Allah's Signs and using them as evidence to confirm Allah's Names, Attributes, Wisdom, Benevolence and Generosity, as Allah ~ has urged His Servants to reflect on His Signs and understand them. Third, thinking of Allah's Beneficence, Forgiveness, Mercy, Patience, and bestowing His Blessings upon His Servants. These three types of reflection extract from the heart: the knowledge, love, and fear of Allah, which may be firmly established by the remembrance of Allah ~- Fourth , thinking of the defects of the self and of one's actions. This thought has a great beneficial effect, as it breaks the self which commands evil, allowing one's heart to live in a serene world. Fifth, thinking of the duty of time and its function , and directing all worries around it, to avoid wasting any fraction of it. In fact , all benefits are generated from time, and any wasted time remains irreplaceable. A scholar Shafi'i said: "I have accompanied Sufi people and I have not benefited from them , except for two expressions: first, from their saying: "Time is a sword; if you do not cut it, it will cut you." Second, "If you do not occupy yourself with the truth , it will occupy you with falsehood. " A person's time is indeed his/her lifetime ; it is a way leading to his/her eternal blessed life (in Paradise), or the way to his/her eternal tormented life (in the Hell-Fire). It passes by faster than the clouds move. Whatever time a person spends in obedience to Allah is indeed his/her true life , but whatever else cannot regarded as his/her life; even if he/she has already lived it, his/her life could be compared to that of animals . Even a person performing Sa/at does not gain from his/her Sa/at except that which he/she remembers of it; therefore man's life is only that spent in obedience to Allah ~ . and everything else is but the devil's whisperings and false wishes. You should know that a desire in itself does not harm anyone; what is harmful is interacting or reacting to it. A desire is like a passer-by; if you ignore it, it will go away; but if you invite it in, it would bewitch you with its deceptive speech. Allah ~ has placed two kinds of selves in man: a self that is commanding and a self that is peaceful, and they oppose eachother; whatever is light for one is heavy for the other, and whatever satisfies one torments the other. An Angel is on the right side of the heart, while a devil is on the left side of it. There is an on-going battle, until the self completes its life in this world. All falsehood is on the side of the devil and the self commanding evil; while all the truth stays on the side of the Angel and the peaceful mind. The on-going battle is recorded, and victory is gained by one ' s patience. Whoever endures, shows patience and fears Allah would have a good ending in this world and the Hereafter. Allah ~ has decreed that there will be a blessed end is for the pious. (3) Speech should be preserved and used only for what is beneficial. One should say only that which is beneficial to one's Deen (religion). One should think twice before uttering a word, and whether it is useful for one's religion or not; if there is no gain in saying it, one should abstain from uttering it; but if there is any benefit in it, one should not waste the opportunity of saying it. If one wants to give evidence about what is inside the hearts ( of others) , one should consider their expressions. In fact, the tongue reveals the condition of the heart, whether its owner likes it or not! Yahya bin Mu'adh said: "Hearts are like cooking pots with their boiling contents, and tongues are their ladles. When a man speaks, his tongue scoops up what is inside his heart; sweet or sour." Anas bin Malik ~ reported that the Prophet ~ said: "A man's Iman (faith) is not straight until his heart is straight; and his heart is not straight until his tongue is straight." 1 Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~ reported that the Prophet ~ said: "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, a man is not a Muslim till his heart and tongue are submissive."2 The Prophet ~ was asked about the most common things which bring people into Hell, to which he ~ replied: "The mouth and the private parts."3 Mu'adh asked the Prophet~ about a deed which could cause him to be admitted into Paradise and would keep him away from the Fire. So the Prophet ~ informed him that the root of a matter is Islam, its contours Sa/at (Prayers) and its peak is striving in the Cause of Allah (Jihad). Then he ~ asked: "Shall I tell you of that which is at the bottom of all this?" Mu'adh replied: "Certainly, Messenger of Allah." The Prophet~ took hold of his tongue and said: "Keep this under control." Mu'adh said: "Shall we be called to account in respect of that which we say?" He ~ answered: "May your mother lose you! Will people not be thrown face down into Hell only on account of the harvest of their tongue?" 1 What is amazing is the fact that there are cases where a person may find it easy to abstain from consuming Haram such as: transgressing, fornicating, stealing, drinking wine or looking at the unlawful, yet finds it hard to control the movements of his/her tongue, and you see him uttering words that invite the Curse of Allah ~ upon him/her! Such case is mentioned in the Hadith of Jundub bin Abdullah ~ who said: "The Prophet ~ stated that a person said: "Allah would not forgive such and such person." Whereupon Allah ~ said: "Who is he who adjures about Me that I would not grant pardon to so and so; I have granted pardon to so and so and blotted out your deeds (the deeds of the one who took an oath that Allah would not grant pardon to that person)."2 So that devout man who had worshipped Allah ~ all his life had his deeds blotted out for a single phrase that he had uttered! Reporting the same Hadith, Abu Hurayrah ~ said: "The man uttered a single word which destroyed his life in this world and the Hereafter!" Abu Hurayrah ~ said: "The Prophet ~ said: "A Servant ( of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah, without giving it much importance; and because of that Allah ~ will raise him to degrees ( of reward); and a Servant ( of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah, without thinking of its gravity; and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire."3 Bilal bin Al-Harith ~ reported that the Prophet ~ said: " A man speaks a good word, not realising its worth; for which Allah records for him with His Good Pleasure till the day he meets Him. A man also speaks an evil word, not realising its importance, for which Allah records for him His Displeasure till the day he meets Him. "4 'Alqamah used to say: " The Hadith of Bilal bin AI-Harith prevented me from saying many words!" Anas bin Malik ~ said: "When one of the companions died a man said: 'Rejoice over his Paradise.' But the Prophet ~ said: 'Do you say this when you do not know whether he perhaps spoke about that which did not concern him, or was niggardly about something which would have caused him no loss?"' 5 Abu Hurayrah ~ reported that the Prophet ~ said: " Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or be silent. " 6 Abu Hurayrah ~ also reported that the Prophet :j said: "A part of the excellence of a man's Islam is his leaving alone that which does not concern him." 1 Sufyan bin Abdillah At-Thaqafi ~ said: "I said: 'Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam of which I would not be able to ask anyone other than you'. He :i said: "Say: 'I believe in Allah', then go straight." I said: 'Messenger of Allah, What is the thing you fear most for me?' He :j took hold of his own tongue and said: "This!"2 Umm Habibah ,$,, the wife of the Prophet :I, reported that the Prophet :I said: "Everything a son of Adam says counts against him and not in his favour, except: recommending what ever is good, prohibiting what ever is objectionable, or making mention of Allah."3 In another Hadith, the Prophet :j said that when a man gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: "Fear Allah for our sake, for we are dependent on you; if you are straight we are straight, but if you are crooked we are crooked. "4 The scholars have differed about whether everything a person utters is recorded or simply that regarding good and evil, with the first opinion being mostly considered, because Allah ~ said: (Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready to record it.)5 There are two great ailments related to the tongue; if a man is safe from one, he is not safe from the other; they are the ailments of "speech" and "silence". One can be a greater sin than the other; for a man who keeps silent about the truth is a "dumb devil", disobedient to Allah ~; while the man who speaks falsehood is a "speaking devil", disobedient to Allah ~- Righteous people are those who restrain their tongues from uttering falsehood, but loosen them to speak about whatever is beneficial for them in their Hereafter. A person could come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds , the size of mountains, yet they were ruined by his/her tongue; or a person could come with bad deeds, the size of mountains, but he/she would find that his/her tongue destroyed them with constant remembrance of Allah! (4) Footsteps should be preserved in the sense that one has to use his feet to take one to where one should gain the Reward of Allah, not His Curse. Since a slip is related to the foot as well as to the tongue, they were both mentioned in the Verse, as Allah ~ said: ( The Faithful Servants of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth with humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness. ) 6 Allah ~ described His Faithful Servants with straightness in their words and footsteps.