Reading from the book *Riyad al-Salihin*: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Backbiting and the Obligation of Guarding the Tongue.

The student: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on the Prohibition of Backbiting and the Command to Guard the Tongue: Know that it is incumbent upon you, as a person of legal age, to guard your tongue from all speech except for speech in which benefit is apparent. When speech and silence are equal in terms of benefit, the Sunnah is to refrain from speaking, because permissible speech may lead to what is forbidden or disliked, and this is common in practice. There is nothing that surpasses safety."
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:

And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, then let him say what is good or remain silent.

من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليقل خيرا أو ليصمت

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2500Sahih (Darussalam)

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) was asked: 'Which of the Muslims is the most virtuous?' He said: 'The one whom the Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hand.'

قلت يا رسول الله أي المسلمين أفضل ؟ قال : من سلم المسلمون من لسانه ويده

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2504Sahih (Darussalam)

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim" .

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the chapter on the prohibition of backbiting and the obligation of guarding the tongue: "Know that it is incumbent upon a person to guard his tongue and not to speak except in what contains religious or worldly benefit. This statement is derived from the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): This is the hadith that the author (may Allah have mercy on him) cited. When the two matters—remaining silent or speaking—are equal, safety is better. This means that if one is uncertain whether his speech contains good or not, it is better not to speak, because there is nothing that surpasses safety. The one who remains silent is safe, unless the situation requires him to speak. For example, if he sees something wrong, he should not remain silent; it is obligatory for him to speak, advise, and forbid this wrongdoing. As for when the benefit does not require him to speak, he should not speak, because that is safer for him. Then know that the saying of the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him): indicates that it is obligatory for a person to remain silent if the speech is not good, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) conditioned faith in Allah and the Last Day on speaking good, or otherwise remaining silent."
But good is of two types: Good in the speech itself, such as reciting the Qur'an, glorifying Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, saying La ilaha illa Allah, teaching knowledge, and the like. This is clear. And good for other than the speech itself, meaning good in the speech and good for others. This means that the speech is permissible, but it leads to a benefit, such as bringing hearts together, the relaxation of brothers, and their joy in your company. This is also from the good, because if a person remained silent from the beginning of the gathering to the end, people would be bored of him and dislike him, and they would say: This is a harsh, rough man. But if he speaks in a way that brings joy to them, even if it is permissible speech, it is from the good. Some people do this and call it jokes. They speak lies in order to make people laugh. This is wrong. Speak permissible speech in order to bring joy to their hearts. As for lying speech, it is forbidden. Then he mentioned the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him): Meaning, which Muslim is the best? He said: Meaning, he does not transgress against the Muslims, neither with his tongue through backbiting, talebearing, cursing, or the like, nor with his hand, meaning he does not take their wealth or strike their flesh. Rather, he is safe and just; he does not come to people except with what is good. This is the Muslim. In this is an encouragement for a person to be safe from your tongue and your hand; an encouragement for people to be safe from your tongue and your hand. Guard your tongue; do not speak about the servants of Allah except with good. Likewise, guard your hand; do not harm their wealth or their flesh. Rather, be safe so that people are safe from you. For this is the best of Muslims. We ask Allah to guide me and you to what He loves and is pleased with.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. These are three hadiths explaining the danger of the tongue, and that it is one of the most dangerous of the organs. In the first hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What is between his two cheeks is the tongue, and what is between his two legs is the private part, whether from a man or a woman. This means that if one guards his tongue and guards his private part, he guards his tongue from forbidden speech, such as lying, backbiting, talebearing, deception, and the like, and he guards his private part from zina, sodomy, and the means to them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guarantees him Paradise, meaning that his reward is Paradise. If you guard your tongue and guard your private part, the slip of the tongue is like the slip of the private part; it is very dangerous. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) paired them because there is a desire for speech in the tongue. Many people exaggerate and take pleasure when they speak about the honor of people, and they amuse themselves, and may Allah protect us. We find that the thing he loves most is to speak about the honor of people. And some people have a passion for lying, and you find that the best thing for them is lying. We ask Allah for safety. Lying is among the major sins, especially if one lies with a word to make the people laugh, to make the people laugh with it. For the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for the second, which was paired with the desire for speech, so too is the desire for women, for a person is created with that inclination, especially if he is young. If he tries to guard these two desires, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) guarantees him Paradise, meaning that this is his reward, because they are dangerous. Likewise, the second hadith: A man may speak a word in which he does not verify, and he falls by it into the Fire, farther than the distance between the East and the West. A word in which he does not verify means he does not confirm it; he transmits what he heard. You find that he speaks a word and does not verify, does not be certain, does not know what it means, and does not know what it will lead to. And may Allah protect us, he falls by it into the Fire, farther than the distance between the East and the West. The distance between the East and the West is very far, half the earth. And yet, one word causes him to fall into the Fire, farther than the distance between the East and the West. This indicates the obligation to verify what you speak, whether you are transmitting it to others or transmitting it from others. Be certain, be patient, do not rush. What obligates you to rush with the statement? Be patient until you are certain and the matter becomes clear to you. Then, if you see benefit in the speech, speak.