22.4.1 SPEAKING

Human speech serves the purposes of communication, education, social interaction, and worship. It has a big impact. It should consist only of positive and good messages. A good word is charity. Obscene, bad, and immoral talk should be avoided. The older ones speak first. Speaking less is a sign of iman. Allah’s name should be mentioned in conversation. Muslims are ordained to tell the truth. Telling a lie is a major sin. Exaggeration in conversation is a form of lying. Keeping silent to avoid self-incrimination is preferable to public declaration of sins. Open broadcasting of sins only serves to encourage others to commit the same sins. Secrets are a trust and should never be revealed in conversations. In some legal situations like the marriage of a virgin, silence is construed to mean consent. Silence is forbidden if it leads to abandoning speech that is waajib or mustahabb. However silence is waajib if speech will be haraam pronouncements.

22.4.2 ACTIVE LISTENING

22.4.3 WALKING

Bipedal walking enabled humans build a sophisticated civilization. Allah made the roads for human comfort and provided landmarks to show direction. It is not permitted to travel for visiting mashahid, qubuur, and any mosque apart from the 3 major ones. Tourism and walking must be purposive. Walking should be for worthy purposes like jihad, work, ibadat, seeking knowledge, physical exercise, and social interaction. The best manner is walking is taking quick and big steps. When walking or sitting by a public highway, the following rights of the road must be observed: lowering the gaze, avoiding causing any annoyance, and returning greetings. A dua is recited at the start of the journey. During the journey takbir is recited at high places or when ascending a hill. Tasbiih is recited in low places. A dua is recited at the end of the journey.

22.4.4 SITTING

A Muslim must be careful in choosing a sitting companion. A bad companion is a source of bad peer influence. Company of the righteous is recommended and that of transgressors is avoided. Sitting on graves is forbidden and visits to cemeteries should be brief. Sitting down serves the purposes of resting and relaxing muscles and the rest of the body. Sitting down is recommended in a calamity. Sitting is a form of ibadat. A believer remembers Allah sitting down. Sitting in the mosque waiting for salat has the reward of being in salat. Sitting in a study circle to study Qur’an and other religious sciences has been part of Muslim tradition for centuries. The study circles are usually held in the mosque. The prophet taught the etiquette of sitting in an assembly. Priority of sitting is given to the first-comer. A person cannot be forced to stand up and give his or her seat to a newcomer however is considered good manners and charity to do so. If a person goes out of the assembly for a short interval he has the right to reclaim his or her seat. There are special rights of sitting for the elderly, the learned, and the handicapped. Children should sit behind the adults. Women have to sit separate from men and their manner of sitting should respect the shyness expected of a woman.

22.4.5 STANDING

Standing is preparation for walking. Standing helps venous return due to the action of muscle pumping. The human upright posture is a bounty from Allah. Humans are able to maintain stationary equilibrium and dynamic equilibrium against forces of gravity and other forces like the wind or the push of other humans. Standing is involved in several acts of ibadat. Night prayer is called qiyaam al llayl because of the prolonged standing involved. Humans stand in remembrance of Allah. There is standing in the 5 obligatory prayers. During hajj there is standing at Arafat, wuquuf Arafat, and at Muzdalifat. Care must be taken to make sure that prolonged standing in salat does not cause postural hypotension due to venous pooling of blood in the lower extremity. A Muslim can stand up to show respect to another person. The respect to humans in extended even to the funeral bier. It is recommended to stand up when a funeral procession passes by.