Verses on Guarding the Tongue

Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed upon humanity the gift of speech, enabling individuals to express their likes, dislikes, and emotions while communicating with others. It is essential for individuals to protect their tongues from engaging in backbiting, slander, mockery, ridicule, and falsehood, as well as to avoid uttering anything that may incite Allah’s anger. Numerous verses in the Holy Quran urge believers to guard their tongues against such behaviors, encourage them to speak kindly, and warn against wrongful speech. The following are some notable examples:

Verses Warning Against the Evils of the Tongue

Several Quranic verses caution Muslims against lying, mockery, slander, and speaking ill of others. Among these are:

Allah says: (Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged; and ever is Allah Hearing and Knowing.)
Allah states: (O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin, and do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother while he is dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.)
Allah mentions: (O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.)
Allah commands: (O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? It is greatly hated by Allah that you say what you do not do.)
Allah warns: (Indeed, those who harm believing men and believing women without [any] wrongdoing they have committed have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.)
Allah advises: (And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.)
Allah states: (Indeed, those who accuse chaste, unaware, believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have a great punishment – the Day their tongues and their hands and their feet will testify against them as to what they used to do.)
Allah warns: (And do not say about what your tongues assert of falsehood, “This is lawful and this is unlawful,” to invent falsehood about Allah. Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allah will not succeed.)
Allah reminds: (When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge, and you thought it was insignificant, while it was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous.)
Allah affirms: (No word does he utter except that there is by him a vigilant observer.)
Allah reiterates: (And indeed, we have appointed for you keepers * noble recorders, * they know whatever you do.)

Verses Encouraging Truthfulness and Right Speech

There are several Quranic verses that encourage honesty and righteous speech, including:

Allah instructs: (O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.)
Allah mentions: (And those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.)
Allah commands: (And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces division among them. Indeed, Satan is ever, to man, a manifest enemy.)
Allah highlights on the tongue of Ibrahim (peace be upon him): (And grant me a sound tongue among the others.)
Allah speaks of Ibrahim, Isaac, and Jacob: (And We granted them of Our mercy and made for them a discreet tongue.)