(The book) ‘Sawaab Al Amaal’, (and) ‘Al Khisaal’ – My father, from Muhammad Al Attar, from Al Ashary, from Muhammad Bin Al Sindy, from Ali Bin Al Hakam, from Ibrahim Bin Mihzam, from Al Sumali, ‘From Ali -asws Bin Al-Husayn -asws having said: ‘The tongue of a son of Adam -as overlooks upon his limbs every day. It (the tongue) says, ‘How is your morning?’ They (limbs) said, ‘With good, if you were to leave us alone’. And they are saying, ‘Allah -azwj !
Allah -azwj regarding us!’ And they are appealing to it and saying, ‘But rather, we are Rewarded due to you, and we are Punished due to you!’’ [3] Our 4 th Imam -asws says when one’s speech is free from faults, its better to talk than keeping quiet, otherwise talking is not better than the silence.
So, speech is superior than keeping quiet when one speaks nothing but good: الإحتجاج سُئِلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع عَنِ الْكَلَامِ وَ السُّكُوتِ أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ (The book) ‘Al-Ihtijaj’ – ‘Ali -asws Bin Al-Husayn -asws was asked about the speech and the silence, ‘Which of the two is superior?’ فَقَالَ ع لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا آفَاتٌ فَإِذَا سَلِمَا مِنَ الْآفَاتِ فَالْكَلَامُ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ السُّكُوتِ He -asws said: ‘For every one of the two there are faults, so when there is safety from the faults, the speech is superior to the silence’.
قِيلَ كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص It was said, ‘How is that so, O son -asws of Rasool-Allah -saww ?’ قَالَ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَا بَعَثَ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَ الْأَوْصِيَاءَ بِالسُّكُوتِ إِنَّمَا بَعَثَهُمْ بِالْكَلَامِ وَ لَا اسْتُحِقَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالسُّكُوتِ وَ لَا اسْتُوجِبَتْ وَلَايَةُ اللَّهِ بِالسُّكُوتِ وَ لَا تُوُقِّيَتِ النَّارُ بِالسُّكُوتِ He -asws said: ‘Because Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic did not Send the Prophets -as and the successors -as with the silence.