Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Does speaking one’s thoughts aloud to oneself count as “speaking of it” in the hadith that states thoughts are forgiven unless acted upon or spoken?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Speaking one’s thoughts aloud to oneself does not count as “speaking of it” in the hadith. According to Ibn Hajar, Kirmani, and ‘Ayni, only verbal expressions with legal or ethical consequences matter. Internal speech or private muttering does not incur sin unless it is communicated to others in a meaningful way. And Allah knows best.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“Indeed, Allah has pardoned my Umma for the thoughts that occur within themselves, as long as they do not act upon them or speak of them.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
The statement of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace):
“As long as one does not act upon it or speak about it.” Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani explained in Fath al-Bari:
“What is meant is that there is no blame for what occurs in the heart until it is acted upon by the limbs or expressed by the tongue in accordance with it.”
Kirmani commented:
“This indicates that mental occurrences have no legal consequence; rather, what is considered in matters of speech is their verbal expression, and in matters of action, their physical execution.” (End quote).
Badr al-Din al-‘Ayni stated in ‘Umdat al-Qari:
“His saying ‘As long as one does not act upon it’ applies to actions, and ‘or speak about it’ applies to speech-related matters.” (End quote).
An example of action-based matters (‘amaliyyat) is if a person internally considers drinking alcohol or committing adultery. They are not held accountable for merely thinking about it until they act upon it.
An example of speech-related matters (qawliyyat) is if a person entertains the thought of insulting or backbiting someone. They do not incur sin merely for this internal thought unless they actually verbalize the insult or backbiting.
A vow (nadhar) falls under speech-related matters, meaning its validity depends on the utterance of a clear verbal expression. Simply contemplating a vow internally does not establish any legal consequence because a vow requires a specific verbal formulation articulated by the one making it. For example, saying: “I vow to fast for five days” or “I vow to give such-and-such amount in charity”—or other expressions that explicitly indicate a vow—are necessary for it to take effect.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
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