Being "Quiet" a bad thing?

My Perspective:

As far as my perspective on the topic goes, I think indeed our Prophet Muhammad (saws) was truly the most inspiring and utmost beautiful example of compassion, mannerism, mercy and patience for all humanity.

Being "Quiet" is something that majority of the people in today's liberal world percieve as a "Weakness". Freedom of speech, liberation of thought, expression of opinion etc are things that power the "Liberal" ideology throughout the west in specific as our world has evolved decade by decade.

Now, I live in Canada and I can safely say that a big majority of the people in the west have truly "lost" the idea and the concept of "patience", "compromise" and "perseverance" when it comes to human bonding because everyone feels they have a right to express themselves and practice their right of freedom of speech and expression of opinion, because somehow if they don't, they might come off "weak" in the eyes of society.

This sadly, is an increasing mind-set that is prevailing specially here in the west and that is where the "abuse" of freedom of speech takes place because people make it a matter of their ego, pride, dignity and honor when it comes to "difference of opinion" and hence they feel they need to utilize the vehicle of "freedom of speech" to come off right, preserve their dignity and most of all put their point across even if its insignificant to the context.


Islamic stance:

Now in contrast, what the Prophet Muhammad (saws) taught us 'practically' within his lifetime, is that being "quiet" or adopting "silence" does NOT in any way, form or level; shows one's "weakness" whatsoever.

People barbarically insulted, sarcastically mocked, heartlessly humiliated, viciously disgraced and arrogantly shrugged off our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) in the initial stages of his Prophethood, yet he persevered through it all, he stood his ground against all odds, compromised by putting behind his dignity, sacrificed by leaving behind his honor and adopted "silence" by not giving importance to his pride even though he was the last and greatest Prophet of Allah (swt).

Why? Why would a Prophet adopt "Silence" and "Quietness" when people insulted him, mocked him, humiliated him and all he ever did was smile back at them compassionately by keeping quiet!

The answer is simple! A "Muslim" is supposed to keep his composure, hold his ground and NOT succumb to the "Nafs" by giving in to anger and the best way to do that is keeping "quiet".

Breaking the shackles of "Self-Slavery"

Islam, gives us the oppurtunity to "Liberate" ourselves from the "Slavery" of the "NAFS".

When a person gives in to his "Nafs" by succumbing to anger, crumbling to lower desires, drowning in the deviant waters of revenge, hate etc...then the person is only entrapping, imprisoning and cocooning himself in the prison of his own EXISTENCE!

A slave of the SELF, is not true liberation

A slave of the SELF, is not true freedom

A slave of the SELF, is not true "humanity"

....because a human being is the grandest creation of God Almighty and we owe alot to our creator and the best way to liberate and free ourselves from our own fallacious shortcomings, our own imperfect designs and our own feeble and erroneous tendencies, is to SUBMIT ourselves to the creator- Allah (swt) UNCONDITIONALLY with all our hearts and all our souls with every inch of our existences.

THAT is true freedom and true liberation, and Masha'Allah the Prophet (saws) showed us exactly that as an immaculate and perfect example of the way a human being should be.

Hadiths of the Prophet (saws)

There's a Hadeeth where the Prophet Muhammad (saws) once said:

"A man who restrains himself from violence is stronger than a man who knocks down the other in anger"

Here are a few more Hadiths that express the dire consequences of "Excessive" talking in the light of Islam:

At-Tirmidhi relates in a hadith on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar:

“Do not talk excessively without remembering Allah, because such excessive talk without the mention of Allah causes the heart to harden, and the person furthest from Allah is a person with a hard heart.”

In the above Hadith we can clearly see how it profoundly POINTS towards the social culture that has rooted deep down in the west today that I mentioned at the start of my posts!

The above Hadith portrays how excessive talking results in one's heart to become hardened because when you talk without a reason just to be "talkative" or to "impress others" or to preserve your dignity and "image" in the eyes of others, you think your practicing your right of "freedom of speech" and "expression of opinion" whereas your only ranting monotonously, thus giving in to your "Nafs" and becoming your own slave!

Because when you talk excessively for the sake of "Not" being "quiet", then you lose focus of the "rememberance" of Allah (swt) and you only talk for "yourself" by giving importance to your pride, honor and dignity for the sake of the world to hold you dear in their eyes. But what about holding dear in the eyes of your creator - Allah (swt)? Isn't that more important?

Hadiths on avoiding excessive talking

Here are a few more Hadiths that teach us to abstain from excessive talking and adopting "silence" more often.

Uqba ibn Amir said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is our best way of surviving?” He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied: “Guard your tongue, make your house suffice for sheltering your privacy, and weep for your wrong actions.’”

-- At-Tirmidhi

It has also been related by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Let whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or remain silent.”

-- Sahih Bukhari

Final thoughts:

That is exactly why the Prophet (saws) never excessively talked. Never excessively laughed, never excessively did anything.

The Prophet (saws) only talked upto an amount that was "Necessary" without indulging in monotonousness of speech.

He adopted "Silence" in the worst of times when normal men would bulge out with anger in the face of humiliation and insult. ..

He only smiled back in silence!

Such was his utter and profound greatness as a human being, as a man and most of all as an example of beauty, compassion, perseverance, compromise, patience (sabr) and most of all "Moderation" to for all of humanity.

May Allah (swt) guide us all and enable us to achieve the kind of success and prosperity in this life and the hereafter, that a good Muslim is supposed to.

Ameen!

Allahu Akbar