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. | al-Bukhari, Book of Heart-Softening Narrations, 23 (hadith no. 6475) Muslim, Book of Faith, 74 (hadith no. 173) |
| Never Lying | Keeping away from lying, even in jest, builds trust. | at-Tirmidhi, Book of Righteousness and Kinship, 57 (hadith no. 1990) Abu Dawud, Book of Good Manners, 80 (hadith no. 4991) Abu Dawud, Book of Good Manners, 80 (hadith no. 4990) |
| Keeping Away from Backbiting | Speaking about someone behind their back wounds them. The Prophet strongly warned against backbiting. | Muslim, Book of Righteousness and Kinship, 70 (hadith no. 6593) Abu Dawud, Book of Good Manners, 35 (hadith no. 4880) at-Tirmidhi, Book of the Description of the Day of Resurrection, 51 (hadith no. 2502) |
| Not Interrupting | Listening to someone without cutting them off while they speak is respect made concrete. | at-Tirmidhi, ash-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyyah, 160 al-Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, 30 (hadith no. 95) |
| Correcting Gently | Gentleness adds beauty to any task; the Prophet advised this. | Muslim, Book of Virtues, 51 (hadith no. 6011) Muslim, Book of Righteousness and Kinship, 78 (hadith no. 6602) al-Bukhari, Book of Virtues, 23 (hadith no. 3567) |
| Controlling Anger | Controlling yourself in a moment of anger is the shortest way to be spared words you would regret. | al-Bukhari, Book of Good Manners, 76 (hadith no. 6114) |
| Beginning Speech in the Name of Allah | Beginning an important matter of speech by remembering Allah brings blessing to the words. | Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, 2/360 |
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.