If a person takes a moment to think about the content, motive, and outcome of their speech before they start speaking, many unpleasant incidents can be avoided, and many slips of the tongue and sins will be kept away. This is because speaking thoughtlessly or without consideration plunges a person into various sins that stem from this particular organ!
In this regard, we read a valuable saying of Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him):
“The heart of the fool is in his mouth, and the mouth of the wise person is in his heart.” [1]
Undoubtedly, the “heart” in this luminous statement refers to intellect and thought. The positioning of the tongue either before or behind the heart symbolizes whether the person thinks and reflects on the content of their speech or does not.
To explain this phrase, it is said that a wise person does not speak unless after consulting their intellect, thinking, and reflecting. On the other hand, the foolish person speaks words that come to their tongue without thinking or reflecting, jumping ahead of their intellect and consideration of the consequences. Therefore, it is as if the tongue of the wise person is behind their heart, and the heart of the fool is behind their tongue. [2]
Thus, the insightful message of this noble statement is that the wise person thinks first and speaks later, while the fool speaks first and then reflects. For this reason, the speech of the wise is calculated, measured, beneficial, and thoughtful, whereas the speech of the fool is disorganized, sometimes dangerous, and harmful to themselves.
Indeed, how much better would it be if, before speaking, we always reflected on the content and results of our words, considering the harm that may come from them, or the danger of offending a believer, the consequences of supporting an oppressor, and so on? And in striving for the pleasure of God, the implementation of enjoining good and forbidding wrong, supporting the oppressed, and fighting the oppressor, we would use our thoughts and speech accordingly!
(Taken from the works of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi [3])
Footnotes:
[1] (Tuhaf al-Uqoul, p. 489; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 75, p. 374)
[2] This explanation was provided by the late Sayyid Razi in the commentary on Wisdom 40 of Nahj al-Balagha.
[3] This text is based on the works and thoughts of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi (two books: Ethics in the Qur’an and The Message of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)), compiled by the editorial team of his research office.