Speak Good or Remain Silent

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says, every believer, who believes in Allāh ﷻ, should speak good; if they are not going to speak good, then they should remain silent. Silence is more virtuous, it is better. It is better to remain silent than to speak bad.

People today are the complete opposite. If you don’t speak, they say, “This man doesn’t know how to speak” or “He bores people.” And as if that’s not enough; besides speaking, they also communicate with each other by writing things down. It’s unclear whether it’s true or false. Therefore, they unknowingly fall into sin or incur sin.

That is a burden. Sin is a heavy weight upon a person. He shouldn’t do that. Of course, if one does it, they can repent. Repentance is possible, but once it comes out of one’s mouth, one cannot take it back. You might apologize, but once it’s out in the open, it’s unclear how many people you will have to apologize to.

Therefore, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam’s advice is to always understand what one is saying when speaking. What comes out of our mouths should not be said merely for the sake of speaking, but for the pleasure of Allāh ﷻ and our ‎Prophet ﷺ and we should think, “Is this good or bad?” May it be good, in shā’a Llāh. Because goodness brings goodness, and evil brings evil; nothing else at all.

Nowadays, people understand everything in reverse. They do the exact opposite; the complete opposite of good. They say, “Speak. Don’t be silent. Speak, speak, speak as much as you want.” Who will take you seriously? Who are you to speak as much as you want? It will bring no benefit, only harm.

Therefore, when you speak, may we speak what Allāh ﷻ and our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam want, in shā’a Llāh. May Allāh ﷻ not let us utter bad things from our mouths. May He ﷻ not let us utter things that we will regret, in shā’a Llāh. May He ﷻ not let us utter things that will harm anyone, in shā’a Llāh.

For the honor of these days, for the honor of Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

21 May 2026/ 4 Dhul Hijjah 1447

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul

Full Guide to the Month of Dhul Hijjah can be found here.