It
is an often quoted proverb which includes two actions, the action of “speech”
and the action of ‘thought’. Thinking refers to pondering, deliberation,
contemplation and philosophy while the action of speaking implies to practice,
deed and leaping. Thus, the title given implies the importance of thought over
actions and thoughtful actions. Nothing should be done rashly and thoughtlessly
in an impulsive way. Deliberation should precede the action. There is no action
without contemplation and vice versa.
Actionless contemplation and
uncontemplated action, both are dangerous. Both are the actions of over-caution
and rashness, the former is less dangerous. One is the evil of omission and the
other of commission, one produces inaction but the other leads to destruction.
If we care to know the history of great deeds done and dared, we come to know
that at the root of them, there lies a close observation, a cool calculation of
pros and cons of actions and a foresight. These combined with perseverance and
energy lead men to success. Prudence in life is a great thing. The words of
speech exercise great power over man as Hazrat Ali(R.A) said:
“The words are
slave of man; when they
are spoken, man is slave to them.”
Allah commands us to say best words,
words that are true, words that do not hurt other’s feelings and words that are
according to the level of understanding of the listeners. The value ‘Think
Before You Speak” is highlighted in various sayings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):
“The guarantee
of tongue is the guarantee
of paradise.”
“Whoever
believes in Allah or the last day
should speak
good words or remain silent.”
In our everyday experiences, we find
innumerable instances of pious purpose wrecked on the rock of thoughtlessness
and indiscretion. It is better to deliberate than to repent. Thinking before
speaking makes us wise and it comes with the passage of time as said by Hazrat
Ali (R.A):
“When man is
wise; his conversation is
brief.”
It is an open fact that man is buried
under his tongue. Abraham Lincoln has rightly remarked that it is better to
keep one’s mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open the mouth to remove
all the doubts.
The philosophy of thoughtfulness
before speech saves us from troubles, disrespect, lament, and un-reliability.
Speech is basic to communication and it must be well-timed and contemplated
otherwise it will create problems for us because the spoken words do not come
back as a poet says:
“The words from the
mouth produced,
Are the arrows from bows shot.”
Thoughtless speech brings many
troubles to us as we may hurt someone thoughtlessly. The hurt one feels the
scars of speech throughout his life as it is said:
“The wounds of the
sword heal but not
of tongue.”
Thoughtless speech results in
humiliation and sometimes in great trouble. The people hate the thoughtless
speakers and do not pay heed to them as Imam Shafi said:
“If the foolish one
speaks, don’t reply to
him, for better than response is silence,
if you speak, you have aided him.”
There are various mythological and
fictional stories bearing out the importance of this moral. The story of “Jester
and King” verifies this moral. A jester used to please the king by telling him
stories. Once, he displeased the king by thoughtless saying and was punished to
death. He got pardon as his last wish and it was his contemplated action. Thus,
uncontemplated action caused death punishment and contemplated action saved his
life. The hunter killed his dog thoughtlessly to see his blood-mouthed. Later
on, he repented on his action. All these stories bear the importance of thought
before action.
Following are the steps to think
before you speak;
1.
Observe yourself
2.
Recognize your situation
3.
Observe the people
4.
Formulate the responses
5.
Consider the information
6.
Gauge the reaction
7.
Be thoughtful about your tone
8.
Communicate at stage last
To put in a nut-shell, I say that
contemplation and thought precede the speech and the action. We should neither
be too contemplative as Hamlet nor be too active as Oedipus. Both of the states
must be balanced, proportional and moderated because action without proper
thought is futile. Silence sometime becomes gold and sometime becomes crime and
hurting as it is said:
“Spiteful words can break your feelings
but silence breaks your heart.”
We
should avoid hurtful words, criminal silence and drastic leaping into action.
If we do not know what we are talking about, we should not try to be
convincing. It is okay to express opinion. We should listen more and more and
speak less according to this golden proverb:
“We are blessed
with two ears to hear
more and more and one tongue to
speak less.”
