Sunnahs in Speech Etiquette include: Speak Good or Stay Silent, Never Lying, Keeping Away from Backbiting. The table below lists each sunnah with a short description and the reference of the hadith it rests on. Sunnahs without a basis in authentic sources are not included.
Speech Etiquette sunnahs and hadith references
| Sunnah | Description | Hadith reference |
|---|---|---|
| Speak Good or Stay Silent | Keeping away from idle and harmful speech is the tongue's most valuable use. | B6475 Buhârî, Rikâk, 23 M173 Müslim, Îmân, 74 |
| Never Lying | Keeping away from lying, even in jest, builds trust. | T1990 Tirmizî, Birr, 57 D4991 Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 80 D4990 Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 80 |
| Keeping Away from Backbiting | Speaking about someone behind their back wounds them. The Prophet strongly warned against backbiting. | M6593 Müslim, Birr, 70 D4880 Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 35 T2502 Tirmizî, Sıfatü'l-kıyâme, 51 |
| Not Interrupting | Listening to someone without cutting them off while they speak is respect made concrete. | TŞ352 Tirmizî, Şemâil, 160 B95 Buhârî, İlim 30 |
| Correcting Gently | Gentleness adds beauty to any task; the Prophet advised this. | M6011 Müslim, Fedâil, 51 M6602 Müslim, Birr, 78 B3567 Buhârî, Menâkıb, 23 |
| Controlling Anger | Controlling yourself in a moment of anger is the shortest way to be spared words you would regret. | B6114 Buhârî, Edeb, 76 |
| Beginning Speech in the Name of Allah | Beginning an important matter of speech by remembering Allah brings blessing to the words. | HM8697 İbn Hanbel, II, 360 |
Other categories
- Eating & Drinking sunnahs
- Greetings sunnahs
- Cleanliness sunnahs
- Sleep Etiquette sunnahs
- Clothing sunnahs
- Social Life sunnahs
- Prayer & Worship sunnahs
- Family & Visiting sunnahs
- Everyday Courtesy sunnahs
The Sunnah & Hadith app sends this and other sunnahs as short reminders spread across your day. Free for iPhone, no ads: download on the App Store.