Chapter IV: Poverty and Renunciation
hold talk except good. The Prophet said : Save your tongue from talks except good. The Prophet said : Save your tongue from talks other than good, you can then defeat the devil. He said : God is near every utterance of a man. So let him tak'. care of what he utters- He said : When you see a believer keeping silent and grave, come to him, as there is wisdom in him. The Prophet said :
Men are divided into three classes-looters of war booties, talkers of useless things and those who are safe. A looter of war booties is one who makes Zikr of God. A safe man is he who remains silent.
A useless talker is one who holds unnecessary talk. The Prophet said : The tongue of a believer keeps behind his tongue. The tongue of a hypocrite keeps in front of his mind. When he wishes to talk, he sends it through his tongue without any thinking.
Jesus Christ said : There is ten portions of divine service, nine of which are in silence, and the remaining one is in loneliness. The Prophet said : He who talks much commits blunders. He who blunders much commits many sins. For one whose sins are great, Hell fire is good.
Caliph Omar-b-Abdul Aziz said : He who remembers death much, remains satisfied with little. He who counts his words in his actions talks little. A wise man said : Silence gives two benefits to a man — safety of religion and knowing of friends.
Hazrat Hasan Basari said : Once many people were talking in the assembly of Caliph Muwaytah. The saint' Ahna-b-Qais only remained silent. He said to him : O Abu Bakr, what is the matter with you? Why are you not talking ? He said to him : If I talk lie. I fear God. If I tell truth, I fear you. The sage Mansur-b-Malaz used not to talk after Isha prayer for forty years.
FOUR KINDS OF TALK: (1) One kind of talk is always beneficial, (2) one kind of talk is always harmful, (3) one kind of talk is mixed with harm and benefit. (4) and one kind of talk has got no harm or benefit. As to the talk which is always harmful, it is essentially necessary to remain silent therefrom. As to the talk which is mixed with harm and benefit, it is necessary to remain silent therefrom. The talk which has got no benefit or harm is useless. Three fourths of the talk of fourth kind are useless except only the remaining one-fourth. There is fault in this one- fourth also as it can not be distinguished whether there is therein any secret show, back-biting, excessive talk etc. The Prophet said : He who remains silent gets salvation.
if !
94 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-IIi
TWENTY HARMS OF TONGUE