The Power of Words: Islamic Sermon Warns Against Harmful Speech and Gossip
A Friday Sermon address emphasizes the spiritual and social dangers of careless talk and urges believers to guard their tongues.
In a Friday sermon at Khalfa Masjid in Bhatkal, scholar Moulana Khawaja Moinuddin Akrami Madani delivered a powerful message on the importance of controlling one’s speech, warning of the severe spiritual and worldly consequences of harmful words.
The sermon focused on a core Islamic principle: that a true believer must speak only what is good or remain silent. The speaker highlighted how a single careless word can create conflict, break relationships, spread chaos, and disturb peace within families and communities.
“A word that comes from our tongue or our pen can become the cause of enmity between two loving people, create division between husband and wife, fuel discord, spread chaos, and disrupt peace and security,” the scholar said.
He stressed that Islam teaches people to “listen more and speak less,” noting that humans have been given two ears but only one tongue for this very reason. Unnecessary or unchecked speech often leads to spreading rumors, misinformation, and gossip without verifying the truth—actions strongly condemned in Islamic teachings.
Citing a Hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad), the scholar warned that those who spread words causing division among people will be thrown into a deep part of Hell, so far that the distance is described as “seventy years” of travel or the span between the East and the West.
The Prophet also reportedly guaranteed Paradise for those who guard two things: their private parts from sin and their tongue from harmful speech.
In a practical warning relevant today, the sermon cautioned against forwarding unverified messages—even those promising religious rewards—on social media and messaging apps, describing such acts as traps that lead people toward ruin rather than benefit.
The address concluded with an earnest prayer for wisdom, self-restraint, and protection of one’s faith by guarding one’s speech, urging the community to adopt silence over unnecessary and potentially harmful talk.
Source: Friday sermon at Khalfa Masjid, Bhatkal, by Moulana Khawaja Moinuddin Akrami Madani.
