Husn al-Samt fi al-Samt
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-ʿIlm wa-al-Īmān lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Husn al-Samt fi al-Samt (حسن السمت في الصمت; The Good Conduct in Silence) is a concise ethical and hadith treatise authored by al-Jalal al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) on the virtue of silence, guarding the tongue, and observing upright conduct.
Composition and Purpose
Al-Suyuti composed the work as an abridgment (talkhīṣ) of Kitāb al-Ṣamt by Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH), augmenting it with additional prophetic traditions, ancestral reports (āthār), and poetic verses. The work is referenced under this title by bibliographers including Hajji Khalifa in Kashf al-Zunūn and Isma'il Pasha al-Babani in Hadiyyat al-'Arifin, as well as by Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-'Ajluni in Kashf al-Khafāʾ.
In his opening preface, al-Suyuti states:
"This is a concise tract that I abridged from the book al-Ṣamt of Abū Bakr Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, with additions upon it, and named it Ḥusn al-Samt fī al-Ṣamt."
Content and Method
The treatise compiles textual proofs and exhortations regarding the restraint of speech and the cultivation of dignified comportment (al-samt al-ḥasan):
- Prophetic Traditions: Al-Suyuti opens the text with the hadith: مَنْ صَمَتَ نَجَا ("Whoever remains silent is saved"), recorded through Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Darimi, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi al-Dunya, and al-Bayhaqi in Shuʿab al-Īmān on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr.
- Ancestral Reports and Poetry: In addition to narrations from the Companions and the early generations (al-Salaf), the author incorporates poetic selections and maxims highlighting that restraint in speech brings safety, avoids regret, and confers gravity and composure upon the seeker of knowledge.
Manuscript Tradition and Editions
Manuscripts of Husn al-Samt fi al-Samt are preserved across several international repositories, including:
- Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (Cairo), MS 530 Majāmīʿ.
- Al-Azhar Library (Cairo), MS [334] 10135.
- The Süleymaniye Library (Istanbul), MS 1030/1.
- Chester Beatty Library (Dublin), MS 4713/5.
- Leiden University Library (Netherlands), MS 2409/12.
- King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (Riyadh).
The treatise has been published in several edited editions, including:
- An edition edited by Muhammad al-Sa'id Basyuni Zaghlul, published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya (Beirut) and Dar al-Baz (Mecca) in 1407 AH / 1987 CE.
- An edition edited by Najm 'Abd al-Rahman Khalaf, published by Dar al-Ma'mun li-l-Turath (Damascus) in 1987 CE.
- A critical edition edited by Ahmad Muhammad Sulayman based on multiple manuscript witnesses, published by Dar al-'Ilm wa-l-Iman.
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