Ways to reduce talking

✅Answer:

To reduce useless and excessive speech, we must understand, know, and be certain of this truth that our words are also considered part of our deeds, so that our speech may be reduced:

1 عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّه يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مَنْ رَأَى مَوْضِعَ كَلَامِهِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ قَلَّ كَلَامُهُ إِلَّا فِيمَا يَعْنِيهِ.

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 116

Ja'far ibn Ibrahim said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'The one who considers the place of his speech as part of his action, his speech will be little except in what is beneficial to him!'

✅And we must also know that when we speak, we are dictating to angels, and they write that letter and send it to the Lord:

2 مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ قَالَ: مَرَّ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِرَجُلٍ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِفُضُولِ الْكَلَامِ فَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا هَذَا إِنَّكَ تُمْلِي عَلَى حَافِظَيْكَ كِتَاباً إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَتَكَلَّمْ بِمَا يَعْنِيكَ وَ دَعْ مَا لَا يَعْنِيكَ.

📚Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 396

The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) passed by a person who was speaking excessively. He stopped by him and said: 'O so-and-so! You are busy dictating a letter to your Lord for your two guardian angels, so say what is beneficial to you and leave what does not benefit you and what you do not need!'

✅We must increase the awe and fear of Allah in our hearts so that our hearts may be broken, and as a result, we refrain from speaking, even if we are eloquent:

3 عَنْ أَبِي أَرَاكَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيّاً يَقُولُ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِبَاداً كَسَرَتْ قُلُوبَهُمْ خَشْيَةُ اللَّهِ فَاسْتَنْكَفُوا مِنَ الْمَنْطِقِ وَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفُصَحَاءُ أَلِبَّاءُ نُبَلَاءُ يَسْتَبِقُونَ إِلَيْهِ بِالْأَعْمَالِ الزَّاكِيَةِ لَا يَسْتَكْثِرُونَ لَهُ الْكَثِيرَ وَ لَا يَرْضَوْنَ لَهُ الْقَلِيلَ يَرَوْنَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ شِرَارٌ وَ إِنَّهُمْ أَلَأَكْيَاسُ الْأَبْرَارِ.

📚Al-Zuhd, p. 5, hadith 6

Abi Araka said: I heard Imam Ali (peace be upon him) say: 'Indeed, Allah has servants whose hearts have been broken by the fear of Allah, and as a result, they refrain from speaking, while they are eloquent and wise and virtuous, they hasten towards Allah with pure deeds, they do not consider a lot of deeds for Him to be a lot, and they are not content with a little deed for Him, they see themselves as evil, while they are the clever good ones!'

✅We must know that useless talk leads to the great affliction of hardheartedness, and out of fear of being afflicted with this affliction, we must keep our tongues from vain and forbidden talk:

4 عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ جُمَيْعٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: كَانَ الْمَسِيحُ يَقُولُ لَا تُكْثِرُوا الْكَلَامَ فِي غَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُكْثِرُونَ الْكَلَامَ فِي غَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ قَاسِيَةٌ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَ لَكِنْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ.

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 114

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Christ (peace be upon him) used to say: 'Do not speak much in other than the remembrance of Allah, for those who speak much in other than the remembrance of Allah, their hearts are hard, but they do not know it!'

✅Learning and jurisprudence in the many narrations that have been transmitted in the Shi'a hadith collections regarding guarding the tongue are effective for our salvation from obscene talk, and each of them has separate lessons for treating our spiritual illnesses. May we be diligent in learning and acting upon them, if Allah wills.

✅Adorning the conclusion of this brief text with two luminous words:

5 قَالَ مَنْ كَثُرَ كَلَامُهُ كَثُرَ خَطَؤُهُ وَ مَنْ كَثُرَ خَطَؤُهُ قَلَّ حَيَاؤُهُ وَ مَنْ قَلَّ حَيَاؤُهُ قَلَّ وَرَعُهُ وَ مَنْ قَلَّ وَرَعُهُ مَاتَ قَلْبُهُ وَ مَنْ مَاتَ قَلْبُهُ دَخَلَ النَّارَ.

📚Nahj al-Balagha, Short Sayings

The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever's speech is excessive, his mistakes are excessive, and whoever's mistakes are excessive, his shame is little, and whoever's shame is little, his piety is little, and whoever's piety is little, his heart dies, and whoever's heart dies, he enters the Fire!'

6 Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Whoever does not consider his words to be part of his deeds, his mistakes will be many, and his punishment will come!'

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 115

اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ