The Gathering of All Good: Looking, Silence, and Speech

Hawzah News Agency- Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from Ali ibn Ibrahim who narrated from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Yunus ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz, from Abu Hamzah, from Imam Baqir (pbuh) that Imam Ali (pbuh) said:

جُمِعَ الْخَیْرُ کُلُّهُ فِی ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ النَّظَرِ وَ السُّکُوتِ وَ الْکَلَامِ فَکُلُّ نَظَرٍ لَیْسَ فِیهِ اعْتِبَارٌ فَهُوَ سَهْوٌ وَ کُلُّ سُکُوتٍ لَیْسَ فِیهِ فِکْرَهٌ فَهُوَ غَفْلَهٌ وَ کُلُّ کَلَامٍ لَیْسَ فِیهِ ذِکْرٌ فَهُوَ لَغْوٌ فَطُوبَی لِمَنْ کَانَ نَظَرُهُ عِبْرَهً وَ سُکُوتُهُ فِکْراً وَ کَلَامُهُ ذِکْراً وَ بَکَی عَلَی خَطِیئَتِهِ وَ أَمِنَ النَّاسُ شَرَّهُ.

All good is gathered in three traits: looking, silence, and speech.

1. Every look that does not involve taking a lesson is mere distraction;

2. Every silence that does not involve reflection is mere heedlessness; and

3. Every speech that does not involve remembrance [of Allah] is idle talk.

So glad tidings to the one whose looking is a lesson, whose silence is reflection, whose speech is remembrance, who weeps over his sins, and from whose evil people are safe.

Al-Khisal,Book 3,Hadith 47