The Muslim Way of Speaking: Avoiding a Way of Speech Which Gives Rise to Doubts

Another way of speaking which Muslims must avoid is that peculiar to hypocrites, which is full of doubt and causes doubt. Because hypThe Aspects of the Muslim Way of Speaking ocrites are in serious doubt about the existence of Allah, about the afterlife and about Allah's promises, their speech reflects these doubts and insecurities. They are never able to explain the morality of the Qur'an as openly, clearly and definitely as the faithful can. This deepseated doubt, which reflects itself in their speech, aims also to cast doubt in the hearts of those who listen to them. However, the faithful, who believe sincerely and with certainty, are not affected by their speech, because they are convinced that the Word of Allah is true. If there is one who speaks in a way to reflect these doubts, they know it is the result of the person's insincerity and corrupted way of thinking. Such errors are never found in the speech of Muslims; because there is no doubt in their hearts, their words are definite and unambiguous. Nevertheless, they take care not to speak in a way such as to give rise to any misunderstandings among their listeners, because sometimes, even with the best of intentions, several sentences set together or two subjects mentioned successively may be open to different interpretations. Even if it is not intended, speech may give rise to uncertainty amongst the listeners. Thus, the Muslim way of speaking requires using a manner of speech which will not give rise to confusion by taking into consideration of how each word, one by one, may be interpreted, what types of connotations may arise, and the context of the situation. A contrary approach would reflect a disposition peculiar to the "secretly doubting character" of hypocrites. For this reason, taking great care to not make speeches that are particular to hypocrites, even without intending to do so, is a requirement of faith.

In addition, using expressions like "If only that hadn't happened," "Damn, we lost," and "Oh, what a shame," which do not demonstrate acquiescence to Allah's will, reflects again another hypocritical way of speaking. We are told in the Qur'an that the hypocrites in the midst of the believers try to break their resolve by acting as bearers of bad news:

Allah warns against such vile morality, and advises the avoidance of khannas; that is, from being of those who "whisper evil into the breasts of mankind." Hypocrites are those who have assumed the role of the khannas to the faithful; through furtive, secretive and ill-intentioned methods, they act as Satan's spokesmen, and try to sow seeds of doubt in people's hearts. As for the faithful, they carefully avoid a way of speaking which may reflect such deviance and instead take refuge in Allah from speech which gives rise to doubts.