Jameel Kermalli – Sanford, USA
SENSELESS CONVERSATIONS
Let it be known that, There is no worship superior than silence… (Prophet (S)
It has been recorded that, Silence is part of wisdom. It is a sign of every virtue. It is the way of the devotees of Allah (SWT), because Allah (SWT) likes it. It is the style of The Prophets (AS), and the habit of the chosen people. Al-Sadiq (AS)
According to traditions, all the organs in your body are safeguarded when your tongue is protected. However, in many cases, silence is strenuous to practice but very fruitful in the end. By maintaining silence and pondering over every sentence you speak, you would hardly commit yourself to speculation, backbiting, pride, mockery, lying, etc. This way, you have less to think about and less thoughts to interrupt you in your Daily Prayer.
You should try and protect the organs of your body from disobedient actions, as they would invite Allah (SWT)’s displeasure. The scholars have said, ‘One’s speech should always be in remembrance of Allah (SWT), one’s silence should be an effort to think and contemplate, and one’s vision should be for deriving a lesson’.
It will only add to your disadvantage if you involve yourself in careless and purposeless conversations, as you increase the chances of losing the train of your thought in your Prayer. The more careless you are with the tongue, the more defensive you’ll have to be, and Shaytan will not lose this opportunity to remind you of your inaccuracies and feelings of guilt during Prayer. You should be careful of your tongue at all times and employ it in earning only the pleasure of Allah (SWT).
Imam ‘Ali (AS), the Master of Believers, once exclaimed to an individual who was chattering away and admonished him that, O’ Man! You are dictating to your angel a letter to Allah (SWT), so speak what concerns you and omit that which does not concern you.
The celebrated mystic of our time, the great Al-Taba Tabai (RA) concludes the following, after years of struggle in his quest for attaining spiritual perfection: I have witnessed the most precious effects of silence. Practicing silence for forty days and nights, speaking only when it is absolutely required and remaining occupied in meditation and invocation until attaining purity and enlightenment.
