The tongue is one of the greatest blessings of Allah, small but does great deeds and damage at the same time. Through the tongue, true faith unfolds and infidelity emerges, its extent is endless like a vast arena. Who you truly are expressed through the tongue. You can either show yourself as good or bad people. You can use your tongue to show obedience to Allah, seeking knowledge, do good deeds, and forbidding evil deeds. Allah says:
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلامًا
‘‘And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace.’’ (Surah Al-Furqan 25:63)
If a person is good, it reflects in their saying. Allah has made it very easy for the tongue to move, and it is not difficult to realize that a person’s tongue moves much more as if compared to the limbs. So if a person is not careful about what he says, even a single saying of his can invalidate his actions. It is for this reason that the whole body warns the tongue saying, “Fear Allah concerning us, for we are (dependant) upon you. Allah says:
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
“Except their spouses or what they rightfully possess then indeed, they (are) not blameworthy.” (Surah Mumineen: 23:6)
If we look at the animals, who are unable to speak, we realize the importance of this great tool of communication. The gratitude that we should show for this great blessing should include, using it for obedience to Allah, for reading the Quran, for seeking Knowledge, to enjoin good and forbidding evil. The prohibitions of the tongue are that you do not lie, abuse, use foul language, backbite, and slander. Allah says:
أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الْأَوَّلِ بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِّنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
“Were We then tired with the creation the first? Nay, they (are) in doubt about a creation new.” (Surah Qaf 50:15)
Allah mentions that refraining from the vain talk is a sign of successful believers. The dangers of the tongue cannot be compared to the dangers of any other body part. The tongue is always at the disposal of the person, and sometimes the following similitude is given that, Allah says:
وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
“And He taught Adam the names – all of them. Then He displayed them to the angels, then He said, “Inform of (the) names (of) these if you are truthful.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:31)
The sins of the tongue are unfortunately not highly detested in the sight of the people, and when this occurs, the danger and hazard of performing them also increase. If may Allah protect us, a person performs adultery, then he has done a very bad act in the sight of the people; however, if he was to backbite another person, then as it is mentioned in the narrations, this is worse than adultery. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ
“Those who [they] from the vain talk turn away.” (Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:1-3)
You are in full liberty on how would you use your tongue for. You can speak the blessing of Allah SWT or else badmouthing someone through it. It will show your quality as a Muslim to others. Indeed, every part of our body contains the blessing of Allah SWT, and you must show your gratitude by using it well. About the tongue, it can be used for many good deeds and seeking the blessing of Allah SWT.
How to Control the Tongue
The tongue is the most dangerous part of the body. You can either enter the Jannah of burning in the Hellfire through your tongue. It is said that the tongue is sharper than the blade. Seeing how the tongue can be dangerous, these are how to control the tongue.
- Think Before Speak
- Be with a Good Company
- Keep Yourself Reminded
- Reinforce Yourself
- Learning Verbal Control
- Consider the Consequences
- Apologize When You Make Mistake
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ
“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colours. Indeed, in that are signs for those of knowledge.” (Surah Ar-Rum, 30:22)
Human makes a mistake every day. So when you hurt someone with your tongue, take no time to apologize. It may seem simple but many people have trouble apologizing, which makes misunderstanding going worse and two people end up conflicting. Asking for an apology requires practice, and you will get better over time. Allah says:
The importance of tongue is very high in Islam
- Key for Your Success
- Every Word is Recorded
- A Source of Sins
- A Tool to Harm Others
- Key to entering Paradise
- Showing Quality As a Muslim
- Being Grateful to Allah SWT
- Showing Belief to Allah SWT`
Backbiting, lying, and gossiping about others are among sins made by the tongue. Keep yourself reminded not to sin your tongue. Get closer to Allah SWT, read a lot of sunnah and Quranic verses: it’s written clearly about the punishment for Muslims who use their tongue for bad deeds. The tongue plays a more important part in your success than you can ever imagine. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“And backbite not one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:12)
The greatest danger of a human being lies in his tongue. A tongue can create many sins, among them could be hard to be forgiven. Thus, always be careful in using your tongue. When you use your tongue wrongly, not only you will commit sins but also cause harm to others. Allah teaches us to express our thoughts, wishes and so on. It is also, in the first revelation, mentioned that Allah has taught us everything that we did not know. It utters: Allah says:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ
“Only the believers (are) those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then (do) not doubt but strive with their wealth and their lives in (the) way (of) Allah. Those [they] (are) the truthful.” (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:15)
So, our language is also taught by Allah (SWT.). We must ask Allah to protect us from the evils of the tongue. Also, when we are ready to go to bed in the evening and sleep for the night, we must ask forgiveness from Allah for the sins which we may have possibly committed during the day with the tongue since the tongue of the person puts him into great difficulty.
