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Chapter IV: Dangers of the Tongue

you and he wants to purchase a slave-girl. I am telling you of a spell- When he falls asleep, take some hairs of his beard with a razor. I shall prepare with them such a spell that he will love you.
He then went to the husband and said to him : Your wife does not love you and fell in love of another person. She may kill you if opportunity arises. One day, the master fell asleep and his wife went with a razor to take some hairs of his beard. When she was about to take them, he suddenly awoke and caught her with the razor and killed her. This news reached her relatives who came at once and killed him. Thus quarrels ensued between the triple of the husband and the tribe of the wife.

(17) Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is another evil of tongue. It is to go to two enemies and introduce to each of them as friend and to hold one opinion with each of them. The sage Ammer-b-Yasar said that the Prophet had said : He who has got two tongues in the world will have two tongues in the next world. The Prophet said : You will see on the resurrection day the worst man near God with two faces. He will come to one party with one thing and to another party with another thing. In another narration he will come with one face to one party and with another face to another party. Hazrat Abu Hurairah said : A man having two faces will not be enrolled as a faithful man to God. Malek-b-Dinar said : I have read in the Torah : He who talks with his friend with two tongues and yet claims to be a trustee, God will destroy that tongue. The Prophet said : On the Resurrection Day, the worst men to God will be the liars, the proud, and those men who entertained hatred in the need of their friends. When they met his friends, they hated them. When they were called towards God and His Prophet, they came late and when they were called towards the devil, they came hurriedly.

It has been narrated that when a companion of the Prophet died. Hazrat Huzalfa did not say funeral prayer for him. Hazrat Omar then said : He is one of the companions of the Prophet, but you have not said his funeral prayer. He said : O Commander of the faithful, he is one of the hypocrites. Hazrat Omar said : I ask you : am I included among them ? He said : You are not a hypocrite, Nobody after you can be trusted.

(18) Praise. Another evil of the tongue is to praise. In some cases, praise is unlawful There are six harms of praise, out of

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which four harms fall on the praiser and two harms fall on the hearer of praise.

(1) Faleshood is the first harm. In case of too much priase, recourse must be had to falsehood. Khated-b-Medan said : If a man praises a ruler or such man as has not got that quality in him, God will raise him in such a way that it will be difficult for him to talk to the people with tongue.

Source: Imam Al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Islamic Sciences)
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