Recognize the power of words [14:24-25]

blog Mar 30, 2023

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

Have you not considered how Allah sets forth a parable of a good word (being) like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in heaven, Yielding its fruit in every season by the permission of its Lord? And Allah sets forth parables for men that they may be mindful. [Quran 14:24-25]

The verses for today’s reflection are from Sura Ibrahim and they compare the impact of a good word “kalimat tayyabba” to that of a good tree “shajjarat tayyabba”.

So what is a Kalimat Tayyabba, a "good word"?

In the first instance, scholars explain, that it is a word that calls to righteousness, to the Truth. But it is so much more than that.

The Quran compares a good word to a good tree (and later an evil word to an evil tree). It is interesting that we consider trees to have solid physical mass while we rarely consider our words in the same way. We think that they are spoken into air and disappear in the next moment. (And sometimes we wish that they did!)

On the other hand, we have all experienced the power of words to connect and heal people and also perhaps the power of words to alienate and harm people. Words often produce powerful, lasting effects on both the speaker and the listener. Whether we are aware of it or not, every word we say has the potential to ease or afflict ourselves and others. The Quran here is asking us to be mindful of this power and to use it wisely.

Let’s explore the parable of this verse which compares a good word to a good tree.

A good tree is one that:

Is beautiful to behold; it gives pleasure to all who see it;

Is stable; it remains firm and unshaken in storms, because its roots are firmly fixed in the earth [even though it’s branches are flexible and allow the wind to pass through them];

It has a wide canopy; its branches reach high, catching sunshine and at the same time providing shade to countless birds in its branches and men and animals beneath it, and

It has abundant fruit, providing pleasure and nourishment to those who eat it.

If we reflect upon the miracle of the tree, it will lead us to a feeling of awe, of the recognition of His greatness and our insignificance, a quality that psychologists now recognize is a major contributor to mental and emotional wellbeing.

Similarly, a good word is one that is

A pleasure to listen to. It is easy on the senses;

It is firmly rooted in truth;

Its impact is one of providing knowledge, inspiration, guidance, support, validation, comfort;

The fruits of a good word are increased connection with others, the decimation of knowledge and guidance, an expansion of the mind, inspiration towards good actions;

By reminding ourselves and others of His greatness, and facilitating connection with the Divine, our words can also be awe inspiring.

Can you think of other ways in which words that we speak are like that of a tree?

We can further deepen our understanding of this parable by exploring a narration from Imam Ali (as), where he says:

“Speech is implanted in the heart and deposited in the thought, strengthened by the intellect conveyed through the tongue; its body is the letters, its soul is the meaning, its adornment is punctuation and its order is reason”.

This profound saying has so many layers of meaning that it is not possible to do it justice here. For today, let us simply reflect on the process of communication.

What comes out of our mouths is not the beginning of communication. The thought and idea that we express is seeded in our hearts, watered by our thoughts and then expressed by our tongues. Just as the tree begins and is grounded in its root system, the root of our communication then, lies in the heart and in the intention in our hearts.

A pure intention provides a strong root system for the tree of our communication.

What this means for us is that if we are having trouble managing our tongues, we need to go back to the root of our ideas and thoughts. We need to start with a pure intention.

If the roots of our communication are healthy, that is, if we intend to communicate:

·     To connect
·     To build relationships
·     To share our ideas, our thoughts, feelings and our inner world
·     To inform
·     To advise
·     To guide, to caution
·     To praise, appreciate and show gratitude

Then it will be fairly easy to learn the skills of communication. The fruits of our tree with these strong roots will be delicious and nourishing to others.

If, on the other hand, our intention is:

·     To mislead
·     To deceive
·     To gossip
·     To be judgmental
·     To show how we are better
·     To sow dissention
·     To fix others without looking at ourselves
·     To show off
·     To bring others down
·     Or any number of other unworthy intentions

Then learning skills of communication will not bring us the connection, the intimacy or the happiness that we seek. The fruits of our communication will not be worthy.

So, before we open our mouths, lets pause for a moment and check in with our intention:

What am I hoping to achieve through this communication?

Is my intention worthy?

Would what I am about to say qualify as a “kalimat tayyabba”?

As the Arabic saying goes, “Open your mouth only if what you are about to say is more beautiful than silence”.

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Recognize the power of words [14:24-25]

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