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Have you ever thought about life without your tongue? Imagine life without your tongue. It would be very difficult to talk and secondly food would be tasteless! Food without taste, why bother eating!

Getting back to the tongue; a small but vital organ indeed; in Chinese medicine the tongue is used to diagnose many illnesses. This form of medicine using the tongue to diagnosis disease dates back to the Shang Dynasty which began 1600 BC and ended 1000 BC. The method of using the tongue in medicine has evolved into a very important tool of diagnosis as it is used even today.

The tongue is considered to be an exterior part of the body because it's in almost constant contact with the air - the exterior. The tongue is vital for effective communication which can be related to the external - to get out what is within us via words. Allah, the Merciful, gave us a blessing when he gave us the tongue.

Therefore we must use our tongue in the most beneficial and beautiful of ways. Following is a hadith that speaks of the benefits when the tongue is used in a kind and goodly manner: Surah Aale Imran 159, Allah the Merciful says to us "It is from the Mercy of Allah that you dealt gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then, when you have taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)."

To be blessed with a beautiful tongue is divine, meaning as the bible says in Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." In Islam, misuse of the tongue is considered a sin which could lead you to the path of Hell. The Messenger of Allah says: "Blessed is the man who speaks only good and is triumphant; or keeps silent in the face of evil and is secure." Meaning, if we speak good, we will incur God's mercy, however, should we speak evil, we will regret it.

My mother often told me to think before I speak as speaking without thinking can lead to embarrassment and disaster, not to mention how it can hurt someone to the core of their souls, words can hurt more than weapons.

Allah in His divine wisdom and mercy created man to be thoughtful and intelligent thus bestowing upon us the blessing of a tongue. He made us capable of uttering sounds and clarifying our thoughts through the words that we speak.

When we speak we can be heard thereby letting others know what we want. In all of Allah's creations, only mankind is able to speak. Animals may make sounds, but they are not able to speak. This is what makes us the highest amongst Allah's creations, thus we should be thankful and grateful for this wondrous bounty bestowed upon us.

It is our duty to use our speech in beautiful and useful ways as Allah intended, always mindful that our words are pleasing to Allah. Among the best characteristics of a Muslim is to speak only the words of goodness and reconciliation.

Indeed the tongue controls the rest of your body. A well controlled tongue will keep us within Islam but a loose tongue will destroy us. The Prophet (saw) said "When a person gets up in the morning, all the parts of his body make a plea to his tongue saying; 'Fear Allah regarding us, because we follow you. If you are right then we shall also be right, and if you are wrong then we shall also be wrong." (Tirmidhi)

Instead of swearing, lying and engaging in useless talk we can use our tongues in better ways and what better than telling people about Islam. Allah says "Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah and works righteousness and says I am one of those who bow down in Islam" (Ch 41v33)

We have the best example of character in the life of Prophet Muhammad (saw) and he is the best of example for mankind. If we follow him we can never go wrong. Ayesha (RA) the Prophet's wife described the Prophet's conduct as follows "He was neither an obscene talker nor a user of bad words. He did not shout nor did he repay evil with evil. He used to forgive people and overlook their sins." (Tirmidhi)

A beautiful saying of the Prophet (saw) that will ensure the protection of our tongue. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last day, let him either speak good or keep silent." Indeed this is the path to Jannah (Paradise).

Ameen.

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