ভূমিকা

And the right of the tongue is that you consider it too noble for obscenity, accustom it to good, direct it to politeness, [^1] do not use it except in situations of needs and benefits of the religion and this world, and refrain from any meddling in which there is little to be gained; and there is no security from its harm that accompanies its small benefits. It [^2] is the witness to and the evidence of the existence of the intellect.

The demonstration of an intelligent person’s intellect is through his reputation of good speech. [^3] And there is no power but in God the High, the Great. In the previous chapter, Imam Sajjad instructed us to use all our faculties, i.e. ourselves to obey God, and respect the rights of our body parts which are the means by which we act. In this chapter we will start the discussion of the rights of our body parts by first discussing the rights of the tongue.

Our speech uncovers our inner thoughts and expresses what we think. If it was not for our ability to speak, we would be quiet just like animals and there would be no more discussion, explaining and understanding among men.