Speaking about Things that there is no Need with Which to Concern Oneself. Know that the most precious wealth of an ‘abd (servant of Allah) is his time. Thus, whenever he expends it on that which does not concern him, then he is wasting his most valuable asset. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“Part of someone’s being a good Muslim is leaving alone that which does not concern him.” [At-Tirmidhi]

One of the reasons that pushes someone to get involved in speaking about things which does not concern him, is his desire to know that which there is no need to know or being satisfied with talking about things that have no benefit.

The cure for this is to be aware that every second of one’s life is part of his most precious wealth, and that his tongue is a net with which he should hunt for good deeds. Being neglectful of this important fact will only lead to great losses in the Hereafter.

 Excessive Speech

Another way in which the tongue is misused is by excessive speech. This involves engaging in speech that there is no need to concern oneself with, as well as being excessive in expressing oneself by speaking more than is necessary.

Therefore, in cases where there is need for someone to express oneself, he should stick to the minimum words necessary to ex-press his ideas. To exceed that can be regarded as being excessive. This is a negative attitude although the one who is involved in it would accrue no sins. However, the time spent in repeating what he said could have been spent in saying something good, which would give him a reward in the Hereafter.

‘Ataa said: “Those that were before you (the Salaf), used to detest excessive speech. And they considered anything as excessive speech except speaking about the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), commanding good and forbidding evil, and speaking about what a man needs to speak because of a need he has to ful-fill in his daily life.”

Engaging in Vain Talk

Even worst than the above categories, is indulgence in vain talk, since it involves sin. Acts of disobedience, such as men discussing the affairs of women, sitting around with men who are drinking alcohol and mixing with bad company, are common examples of vain talk or deeds. Ibn Mas’oud said:

“The man with the most mistakes on the Day of Judgment is the one who engages most in vain speech.”

Allah, the Most High said:

“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their prayers with solemnty and full submissiveness. And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood)…” [Al-Muminoon 23:1-3]

He, the Sublime also said:

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (the Qur’aan) that when you hear the verses of Allah be-ing denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that…” [An-Nisaa 4:140]

And in another aayah it also states:

“(The pious) in Paradise (Jannah) will ask one another about the Mujrimeen (the guilty ones): “What caused you to enter Hell?” They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer prayers, nor did we feed the poor, and we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers, and we used to belie the Day of Judg-ment.” [Al-Muddathir: 40-46]

 Shameless, Vulgar and Indecent Tongue

This is not only offensive, but also prohibited. It originates from being malicious, vile, wicked, and reproachful. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“A believer is not a shameless person, nor one who curses, nor an obscene person nor is he indecent.” [At-Tirmidhi and Al-Baihaqie].

Gossip

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“I command you with three things and I prohibit you from three (things)- I command you to worship Allah and not to associate anything in worship with Him, to hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and not to di-vide, and to obey whoever Allah causes to be in charge of your affairs.8 And I prohibit you from gossiping and idle. It should be noted that who “Allah causes to be in charge of your, af-fairs” are the scholars, as Allah, the Most High, describes in the following Aayah:

“When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people). If only they had re-ferred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly)… “ [An-Nisaa 4: 83] talk, excessive questioning and from wasting money.” [Authentic from the Hiliyah of Abi Na’eem].