al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi
Al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan (Silence and the Manners of Speech) is a work on moral discipline and asceticism by the Baghdadi traditionist Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE) that compiles transmitted reports, hadiths, and wisdom maxims concerning the restraint of the tongue and the virtues of silence.
Content and Method
The book gathers prophetic narrations, traditions from the Companions and Successors, and sayings of early ascetics and scholars regarding the preservation of speech, avoiding idle talk, and guarding oneself against the perils of the tongue. Ibn Abi al-Dunya documents reports concerning figures such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Bakr, Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, Al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibrahim ibn Adham, and Al-Awza'i, illustrating practical methods early Muslims used to habituate themselves to silence and circumspection in conversation. The material emphasizes that safety in one's religion stems from holding back the tongue, viewing unnecessary speech as a liability, and limiting speech to virtuous acts such as the remembrance of God, commanding good, and reciting the Quran.
Abridgments and Editions
The work was abridged by the polymath Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti under the title Husn al-Samt fi al-Samt (The Beauty of Demeanor in Silence), in which he summarized Ibn Abi al-Dunya's compilation while supplementing it with additional hadiths and poetic verses.
In modern scholarship, the original text has been published in multiple editions under slightly varying titles:
- Al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan, edited by Najm Abd al-Rahman Khalaf (published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in Beirut, 1406 AH, in 754 pages).
- Al-Samt wa Hifz al-Lisan, edited by Muhammad Ahmad Ashur (published by Dar al-I'tisam, 1406 AH, in 365 pages).
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