Explanation of Hadith 15: Guarding the Tongue and Honoring Guests

He (RH) said: The fifteenth hadith:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (RA),

from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said:

“And when they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allāh. That is instructed to whoever should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him a way out” (Quran 65:2)

"let him speak good or remain silent."

And whoever

“And when they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allāh. That is instructed to whoever should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him a way out” (Quran 65:2)

should honor his neighbor. And whoever

“And when they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allāh. That is instructed to whoever should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him a way out” (Quran 65:2)

let him honor his guest." Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

This Hadith, the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (RA), consists of three sentences.

The first is the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:

“And when they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allāh. That is instructed to whoever should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him a way out” (Quran 65:2)

“let him speak good or remain silent.”

This sentence is among the concise speech of the Prophet ﷺ,

and his saying, "let him remain silent."

What is meant by silence is remaining quiet despite the ability to speak,

otherwise, one who is unable to speak is either mute, unable to speak,

or tongue-tied, unable to express himself.

However, the one praised is neither the mute nor the tongue-tied,

but rather the one who is able to speak, yet refrains from speaking.

Undoubtedly, if the motive for this is seeking what is with Allah ﷻ,

or intending to honor a Muslim, then his reward is great.

And if it is for other than that, he still gains some good.

This is the first matter.

And this Hadith, in its first part, guides us to a great principle,

since the actions of servants are either of the limbs or by the tongue,

So if a person guards his tongue from evil and only speaks good or remains silent,

he will have then gathered the greatest good.

And the Prophet ﷺ said,

“And are people thrown into the Fire on their faces except for the harvests of their tongues?”

So, by the tongue, people are cast into the Fire.

The scholars said, as established by Al-Muwaffaq and others,

that it is recommended for a person to speak little, except in what is beneficial.

This is their general view: it is recommended to speak little except in what is beneficial.

And few people are able to do that.

The second and third sentences relate to honoring the neighbor and the guest.

These two sentences relate to a great character trait, which is generosity.

And generosity is among the greatest of noble manners.

The Prophet ﷺ clarified that a believer cannot be a miser.

And the most deserving of honor is one who is a neighbor.

And what is meant by "neighbor" is not just a physical neighbor,

rather, a neighbor can be whoever is with you in the house,

as Al-A'sha said: "O our neighbor, depart, for you are divorced."

And by "neighbor", he meant his wife.

For the greatest honor is to honor one's wife and father,

or before that, one's father, mother, wife, children, and siblings,

for these are most deserving of honor, then neighbors.

And neighborhood is of two types: a neighbor of closeness,

meaning a relation by blood or close proximity.

And the second is one who is further away.

Then after that, anyone who is a guest, even if there are no ties between them.

Yes.