And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the prohibition of backbiting and the command to guard the tongue: "From Sahl ibn Sa'd, who said:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him."

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة

Sahih al-Bukhari 6474

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without thinking about its being good or not) and, as a result of this, he will fall down into the fire of Hell deeper than the distance between the east and the west.

إن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة ما يتبين فيها يزل بها إلى النار أبعد مما بين المشرق والمغرب

Riyad as-Salihin 1514

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And from him (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:

A man utters a word pleasing to Allah without considering it of any significance for which Allah exalts his ranks (in Jannah); another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell.

إن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة من رضوان الله تعالى ما يلقي لها بالًا يرفعه الله بها درجات، وإن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة من سخط الله تعالى لا يلقي لها بالًا يهوي بها في جهنم

Riyad as-Salihin 1515

Narrated by al-Bukhari".

The Shaykh : 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 the two jaws is the tongue, and what is between the two legs is the private part, whether of a man or a woman. That is, if one guards his tongue and guards his private part, he has guarded his tongue from forbidden speech, such as lying, backbiting, talebearing, deception, and the like, and he has guarded his private part from unlawful sexual intercourse, sodomy, and the means to them. If he does so, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guarantees him Paradise, meaning that his reward is Paradise if he guards his tongue and guards his private part. The slip of the tongue is as dangerous as the slip of the private part. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) paired them together because the tongue has a desire for speech; many people take pleasure and delight in speaking about the faults of people, and, may Allah protect us, so you find that the thing he loves most is to speak about the faults of people. 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 when one lies with a word to make people laugh. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for the second hadith, which pairs this with the desire for speech, so too is the desire for women, for man 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 states that a man may speak a word without being clear about it, and thereby he will fall into the Fire, further than the distance between the East and the West. A word he is not clear about means he does not verify it; he transmits what he heard, and it is enough for a person to be a liar that he narrates everything he hears. You find him speaking a word without being clear, without verifying, not knowing what it means, and not knowing what it will lead to, may Allah protect us. He will fall into the Fire, further 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 a single word causes him to fall into the Fire further than that. This indicates the obligation to verify what you speak, whether you are transmitting it to others or transmitting it from others. Verify, be patient, do not rush. What obligates you to rush with speech? Be patient until you verify and the matter becomes clear to you. Then, if you see benefit in the speech, speak; and if you do not see benefit in the speech, remain silent. As for the third hadith, it is that a man may speak a word from the pleasure of Allah, meaning a word that pleases Allah: Qur'an, glorification, saying Allahu Akbar, saying La ilaha illa Allah, enjoining good, forbidding evil, teaching knowledge, reconciling between people, and the like. He speaks a word that pleases Allah the Mighty and Majestic and does not give it a thought, meaning he does not think it will reach the level it reached. Otherwise, he had intended it, known it, and given it thought. But he does not think it will reach what it reached, and Allah will raise him in degrees in Paradise by it. And the opposite of that is a man who speaks a word from the anger of Allah and does not give it a thought, and thereby he plunges into the Fire, because he spoke it and did not think it would reach what it reached. This happens often. Many people, may Allah protect us, you find asking about a sinful person or the like, and he says, "Leave him, leave this one. By Allah, he will not be guided, and by Allah, Allah will not forgive him," may Allah protect us. This is a dangerous word. A worshipper was passing by a sinful person; the worshipper worshipped Allah, and the other was a sinner. The worshipper said: "By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so". Look, may Allah protect us, he made a broad assertion and swore upon Allah: "By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so". Because this worshipper was pleased with his deeds, he saw himself and indicated by his deeds to his Lord, as if he had a favor over Allah the Exalted and Majestic. So he said: "By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so". Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: He said: I seek refuge in Allah. A single word became the cause of his deeds being nullified; we ask Allah for safety. So beware of the slip of the tongue, beware of the slip of the tongue. And among the slips of the tongue is if one says, for example, to a person, "So-and-so, our neighbor does not pray; perhaps you can advise him." May Allah reward you with good. He says, "No, this one cannot be guided. This one is a tyrant, this one is an open sinner." I seek refuge in Allah from the one who says to you, "This one cannot be guided." The hearts are in the hand of whom? In the hand of Allah the Exalted, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) informed us, saying: If He wills, He will turn him astray, and if He wills, He will guide him. This is a settled matter. Even a person sometimes finds things in his heart that he knows are from Satan, and if Allah does not steady him, he will slip. The hearts are in the hand of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. So you say, "This will not benefit him, this one is not going to be guided. It is forbidden, this is not permissible." Call him to Allah and do not despair. Will there not be found in this Ummah one who was among its most fierce enemies and its most severe opponents, and who was the second of two in the leadership of the Ummah after our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), namely 'Umar ibn al-Khattab? 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was hostile to the Islamic call, he warned against it, he fled from it, and he was among its most fierce enemies. Then Allah guided him, and he became the second caliph after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Likewise, Khalid ibn al-Walid and 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. What did they do at Uhud? They charged at the Muslims from behind on their two horses, along with other horsemen, and they mixed with the Muslims, and defeat occurred. In the end, they were two of the great commanders of the Muslims. So do not despair, my brother, and ask Allah for guidance and steadfastness, and do not slip with your tongue so that you perish. May Allah protect me and you from His disobedience, and guide us to what pleases Him, for He is capable of all things.