Episode 28 - Respect for Words is Religiously Required

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear brothers, respect for words is religiously required. Often we hear non-religious expressions, and when we correct someone, the response is: (My intention is pure), (The intention is what matters). For example, we hear: (May the fool be blessed with luck), (The rest of your life), (Fate willed it), (So-and-so looks wrong), (Cursed be the hour I saw it)...and God forbid...words that are never acceptable, yet their owners justify them with good intentions. There is a verse where Allah forbids His servants from saying a word even if their intention was pure. Do you remember it? Allah the Almighty says in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (104): ((O you who believe, do not say 'Ra'ina' and say 'Unzurna')) Some Muslims, when they saw the Prophet, would turn away and say to him: O Messenger of Allah, Ra'ina, meaning 'Listen to me,' with good intentions. But the Jews, may Allah curse them, would say this word to our Prophet, peace be upon him, intending to belittle him. The commentators mentioned that it was used by them to mean 'Listen, I did not hear,' or they intended by it Ra'ina, which is foolishness. Allah disliked for His servants to share a word with these fools, even if the believers intended good by it, and He guided them to a word that serves the purpose: (Unzurna), meaning (Look at us). Therefore, respect for words is religiously required regardless of intention. There are many examples of this in the Sunnah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ((Let no one say 'My soul has become corrupt,' but let him say: 'My soul has become constricted')) (Agreed upon). Meaning, if the Muslim wants to express his laziness, he should avoid saying: (My soul has become corrupt), and instead say: (My soul has become constricted), meaning it has become narrow or lazy. The meaning is conveyed whether we say 'corrupt' or 'constricted,' but the word 'corruption' is ugly and may imply meanings beyond laziness and sluggishness. Corruption is attributed to the forbidden, the false, lying, and ugly actions and attributes, and these are not befitting for a Muslim. He also said, peace be upon him: (Do not say: 'As Allah willed and so-and-so willed,' but say: 'As Allah willed, then as so-and-so willed') (Authenticated by An-Nawawi and Al-Albani). How then can one say: (May the fool be blessed with luck), while Allah says: ((And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision))...He will say: (My intention is such and such)...Yes, but respect for words is required. How can one say: (The rest of your life), while the Messenger of Allah says: ((Verily the Holy Spirit has breathed into my heart that no soul will die until it completes its term and consumes its provision)) (Authenticated by Al-Albani). How can one say: (Cursed be the hour I saw it), while in the sacred hadith Allah the Almighty says: ((The son of Adam harms me, he curses time and I am time, in My hand is the command, I turn the night and day)). Cursing the day or the hour for something that happened in it implies cursing destiny, and Allah the Almighty is the Determiner of destiny. Therefore, brothers and sisters, respect for words is required, and it is not permissible to justify corrupt expressions with good intentions, and let us remember the divine guidance: ((O you who believe, do not say 'Ra'ina' and say 'Unzurna')). Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.