Know When to Speak and When to Remain Silent

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

The elders used to say, “لِكُلِّ مَقَامٍ مَقَالٌ”.

There is a word for every gathering. There is something to talk about in each sitting.

What does this mean? Things spoken in some places are not appropriate and not good to be spoken in others. It’s unnecessary. You speak thinking you’ll do good, but the place you speak isn’t conducive to that. It would be harmful rather than beneficial.

Therefore, where you speak and what you do is a matter of adab (good manners). Most people today are unaware of adab. They don’t know what to speak. And when they speak, they speak uselessly. It’s better not to speak at all than to speak uselessly.

As the old saying goes, “If speaking is silver, silence is gold.” But people today speak just because they want to speak and not be silent. No, it’s better to remain silent. There are also crude expressions used in some places for this, but as we said, it’s not appropriate to mention them here, there’s a word for every gathering.

Men should speak appropriately in the presence of women. Speaking in front of children should be different. It’s must also be different in front of scholars; teachers, professors. Every saying has its place. If you know it, you can speak. If you don’t, there’s no need to speak.

Therefore, this is important, but people today think it would be rude not to speak. However, when they do speak, they reveal their ignorance. It’s much more appropriate, much better not to speak. Angels are recording what you’re talking about. At least, we should repent and seek forgiveness from Allah ﷻ for speaking nonsense today, at least morning or evening.

May Allāh ﷻ forgive us for whatever we’ve done, whether it’s backbiting, lies, or falsehoods, in shā’a Llāh. People of this time, as we said, consider people of old times ignorant, but they had discipline and adab. There’s nothing left of that in people today. May Allāh ﷻ improve us all, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

14 September 2025/ 22 Rabih Al-Awwal 1447

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul