Principles of Islam
31. Observing Silence
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31. OBSERVING SILENCE
The Prophet of Islam once observed, “One who
believes in God and the Last Day should either
speak words of goodness or keep quiet.”
It is true that failure to speak up and tell the truth
when the occasion calls for it can (according to a
hadith) earn one the name of ‘dumb Satan.’ But,
there are many occasions when observing silence is
more proper and more important.
One example of how essential it is to observe silence
is provided by an incident at the battle of Uhud in
which the Prophet having been injured in battle had
fallen down in a cave, away from the eyes of the
people. His enemies proclaimed that he had been
killed, and confusion prevailed among the
companions.
In the meantime, a companion of the Prophet
caught sight of him and exclaimed, ‘Here is the
Prophet.’ At that moment the Prophet motioned to
him to keep quiet (so that the enemy would remain
ignorant of his being alive).
