Page 13 - The Muslim Way of Speaking

INTRODUCTION

ust think how many years have we possessed a faculty as important
J as speech. How many years have you been able easily to say a word
without effort, or to form any sentence you wanted to? Without a
doubt, you will answer, "It has been many years." However, it probably
will not have occurred to most people to ask themselves such a ques-
tion, because speech is a faculty most of us are born with, and therefore,
often merely taken for granted.
Most are able to speak as much or as little as they want, thanks to
this God-given ability, and, it would seem, in general, people have be-
come so accustomed to it that they fail to take into account the impor-
tance of speech.
Rather, it is of an importance that everyone should recognize; that
is, that being able to speak is a blessing, and that Allah granted such an
ability for a specific purpose. On the Day of Judgment everyone will be
held responsible for every word they have uttered.
Allah created humanity to serve Him. He gifted human beings with
intelligence in order that they might grasp and believe in His greatness;
as also eyes for them to see and appreciate the sublimity of that which
He created; ears that they would listen to His verses being recited, and
tongues for them to exalt His glory and communicate His message. As
stated in the following verse of the Qur'an, "No indeed! We will write
down what he says and prolong the punishment for him. We will in-
herit from him the things he is talking about and he will come to Us
all alone," (Surah Maryam: 79-80) every word a person utters is kept in
a record in Allah's sight. Therefore, just as all are responsible for that

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