MAY 4

Observing Silence is Necessary

According to a tradition, the Prophet of Islam observed: One who believes in God and the Last Day should either speak words of goodness or keep quiet.

It is true that keeping quiet is as important as speaking. Yet on certain occasions speaking becomes extremely important. That is why according to a hadith, one who does not tell the truth at the right moment is called a ‘dumb Satan’. However, 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. The Prophet having been injured, fell down in a cave, out of sight of the people. His enemies proclaimed that he had been killed. The companions of the Prophet were in disarray. In the meantime one of the companions caught sight of the Prophet and exclaimed, ‘Here is the Prophet!’ At that moment the Prophet motioned him to keep quiet so that the enemy would remain ignorant of his being alive.

Another instance is cited in the hadith which says that asking the assembly to keep quiet while the Imam is giving a sermon is an absurd act, for that in itself would amount to making a noise.

This principle of keeping silence at meetings between individuals too is worth observing, but when the matter pertains to the whole community it assumes far greater importance. At a delicate moment the observance of silence by a leader prevents a riot from taking place, while an ill-timed speech by a leader can lead to a full scale riot, leaving in its trail hundreds of innocents slaughtered and property worth crores of rupees being burnt to ashes. It is in this sense that Sister Consolata has observed:

The greatest number of failings in a community come from breaking the rule of silence.