Islamic manners in conversation

9-6-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

What are the Islamic manners for a conversation?

---

Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. The Islamic etiquettes of conversations are numerous but here are some of them: 1) Choosing only good language. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {…and argue with them in a way that is better….}[16: 125]. Allah also Says (interpretation of meaning): {And say to My slaves (i.e. the true believers of Islâmic Monotheism) that they should (only) say those words that are the best….}[17: 53]. 2) Avoiding use of expressions that are unlawful according to Shariah. 3) Being kind and soft in speech. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about you;…}[3: 159]. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) also said: "Indeed when leniency is introduced into something it makes it better and when it is taken out of something that thing becomes worse" [ Al-Bukhari and Muslim ]. 4) Listening attentively and never interrupting the speaker until he finishes what he wants to say. 5) Addressing others as you wish them to address you. 6) Respecting other's opinions no matter how different they are from yours…etc. Now when the conversation is between people of different sex, other etiquettes are added: 1) There should be a legal reason for talking. 2) The woman should be veiled according to Shariah. 3) The woman should not be too soft in speech. 4) There should not be any seclusion between alien men and women. 5) The speech between males and females should not go for a longtime as that might break away prudence hence leading for bad consequences. Allah knows best.