Welcome to the 14th episode of Heavenly Call on the occasion of the blessed fasting month of Ramadhan. We start with the special supplication of the 14th day:

 “O Allah, do not take me to task this day for my lapses; pardon me in it my slips and offences; and do not make me the target therein of afflictions and blights; with Your might, O might of the Muslims.”

The blessed month of Ramadhan is the month of recitation of the holy Qur’an, and in fact is the springtime of the holy Qur’an. So we should endeavour to adorn our gatherings with the teachings of the holy Qur’an by abstaining from idle talk and by speaking good and virtuous words. Now, the question is: Should we sit and listen to every word or we must be careful and choose precisely?

There is a wonderful saying from the 9^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Imam Mohammad Taqi (AS), says: “He who listens (with conviction) to a speaker, has worshipped him. If that speaker speaks of God, then the listener has worshipped God; and if that speaker speaks of the Satan, he has worshipped the Satan.”

This hadith teaches us that a believer should always feel responsible before God the Omnipresent, and should not listen to idle talks since words often influence thoughts. This hadith divides speakers and listeners into two groups – one which leads to the proximity of God and the other to the tentacles of the Satan.

The 9^th Imam’s statement is very significant in the current world which is dominated by the harmful effects of the media, both the Zionist controlled international news media that mostly dishes out lies, and the seditious social media where rumours, obscenities, and satanic tendencies galore. These facts warrant us to be alert towards the media in order to sift truth from falsehood. Let us ponder on a very simple question. We all are very alert and sensitive about our food, but are we alert and sensitive to the same degree about the food of our mind and heart? In
Ayah 24 of Surah Hajj, the holy Qur’an, after describing paradise and its beauties speaks of the eternal bliss of the true believers:

“They shall be guided to the purest speech and guided to the path of the Laudable.”

Good speech thus means virtuous, beautiful, pleasant, and inspiring words. It is a speech that is full of spirituality and glorification of God. Good speech leads a person towards sublimity and perfection. The path of the Laudable, mentioned in Ayah 24 of Surah Hajj, means the path which God is pleased with, and which leads the true believers into the perpetual bliss of paradise and the proximity to God. No doubt, he who observes etiquette in speech will stick to certain principles and values in his behavior, too. That’s why interpreters of the holy Qur’an believe that the path of the Laudable means good and praiseworthy deeds.

Among the factors indicating the effectiveness of speech on the soul and the spirit is a person’s respect and reverence toward parents, especially when they are in old age. The holy Qur’an says in Ayah 23 of Surah Isra’, “Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except Him, and (show) kindness to parents. Should they reach old age at your side- one of them or both- do not say to them ‘fie!’ And do not chide them, but speak to them noble words.”

There are two noteworthy points in this Ayah. First, God commands us not to utter to our parents such words as ‘uff’ which meaning ‘fie!” The exegetes of the Qur’an say that the word ‘uff’ in Arabic means the most simple of words one can utter as a sign of annoyance.

Secondly, God commands us to address our parents with noble words and speak to them reverently. It seems that after worshipping God the most important duty for us is to be at the service of our parents with full respect for them.

AS/ME