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GUARDING THE TONGUE A 15 Day Journey to Mindful Speech and Spiritual Growth BY LEKA

Day 1 VERILY ALLAH WILL NOT CHANGE THE CONDITION OF A PEOPLE UNTIL THEY CHANGE WHAT IS WITHIN THEMSELVES S13V11 Defining Gossip Gheebah Read Surah an Nur S24 V11 20 Read Surah Al Hujurat S49 V11 12 Meditate on them while making Istighfar Find your weakness Who do I mostly gossip with Why do I feel the need to give my opinion Will this person listen if I try to give advices Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent Sahih al Bukhari Sahih Muslim Personal notes

Day 2 REFLECTING ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF GOSSIP Write down a personal experience where gossip negatively impacted you or someone you know Reflect on how it affected relationships and trust Motivational Tip Remember that Allah is always watching and listening By avoiding gossip you are seeking His pleasure and protecting your deeds from being weighed down by unnecessary sins Allah promises rewards for those who control their tongues and strive for good Keep in mind that every word you refrain from speaking unjustly brings you closer to Jannah Paradise

Day 3 MONITORING SPEECH WITH ISLAMIC MINDFULNESS Exercise during the day Heal with the Quran Today be extra conscious of your speech Keep a log of every time you gossip or feel tempted to gossip Reflect on how you feel afterward and how it aligns with your desire to please Allah Recite Surah Al Asr to remind yourself of the value of time and righteous actions Before speaking pause and reflect on Surah Qaf S50 V18 Not a word does he utter except that there is a vigilant observer ready to record it Motivational Tip Allah reminds us in the Quran to be conscious of our words as they are being recorded Every effort you make to refrain from harmful speech is rewarded and by practicing restraint you are drawing closer to Allah s mercy Stay mindful and remember that even a single moment of silence for His sake can bring immense reward

Day 4 SET YOUR INTENTION TO STOP GOSSIPING Set your Make a sincere intention to avoid gossip for the sake of Allah Make a sincere intention to avoid gossip for the sake of Allah and repeat the following dua to help you remain focused Wake up 30 Min before Fajr and pray Tahajjud Take a picture of the sky or something similar on the same day and use it as a wallpaper to constantly remind yourself O Allah help me guard my tongue from saying anything that displeases You Protect me from gossip slander and idle talk and allow my words to be a source of benefit and goodness Grant me the strength to speak only what is true and kind and guide me toward silence when my words could cause harm O Allah purify my heart and speech for Your sake alone Ameen And during a part of the night pray Tahajjud beyond what is obligatory for you perhaps your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory Surah Al Isra S17V79

Day 5 PRACTICING MINDFUL SPEECH Practice in the field Before engaging in any conversation today recite the dua for seeking Allah s guidance in speech Rabbi ishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri wahlul uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli O my Lord expand for me my breast with assurance and ease for me my task and untie the knot from my tongue that they may understand my speech Surah Taha S20 V25 28 Whenever you feel tempted to engage in gossip or idle talk pause and recite SubhanAllah to redirect your focus back to praising Allah instead of speaking unnecessarily Personal notes

Day 6 UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF GOSSIP Analyze to Overcome your nafs Reflect on the reasons behind why people gossip Is it for connection validation or insecurity Recite Surah Al Furqan S25 V63 And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily and when the ignorant address them harshly they say words of peace Personal notes

Day 7 THE POWER OF SABR PATIENCE IN SPEECH Exercises Practice sabr patience in all your conversations today Before you respond to anyone pause and take a deep breath Reflect on how patience can help you choose words that are more thoughtful and less reactive Recite Surah Al Asr S103 V3 Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience Write about how incorporating patience influenced the quality of your conversations Whoever is patient and forgives that is one of the greatest things he can do Prophet Mohammed reported by Sahih Muslim Personal notes

Day 8 REFLECTING ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WORDS Exercises Infos Spend time today reflecting on the impact your words will have on the Day of Judgment Recite Surah Qaf S50 V18 Not a word does he utter except that there is a vigilant observer ready to record it Being conscious of the long term consequences of actions like judgment engages a part of the brain responsible for future planning This helps cultivate discipline in everyday behaviors including speech Islam teaches us to be mindful of our words knowing they are recorded and accounted for Write down a situation where you caught yourself about to say something harmful but held back Reflect on how this made you feel spiritually and psychologically A man utters a word pleasing to Allah without considering it of any significance and because of that Allah exalts him in rank Prophet Mohammed reported by Sahih al Bukhari

Day 9 COGNITIVE REFRAMING CHANGING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS Exercises Psychological Insight Today actively replace negative or judgmental thoughts about others with positive reframing If you catch yourself thinking negatively about someone immediately challenge the thought and replace it with something compassionate Recite Surah Hujurat S49 V12 O you who have believed avoid much negative assumption Indeed some assumption is sin Cognitive reframing is a technique that helps shift negative thinking patterns into more positive or neutral ones Islam encourages us to assume the best of others and avoid suspicion which aligns perfectly with this psychological practice None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself Prophet Mohammed reported by Sahih al Bukhari Sahih Muslim

Day 10 SELF REFLECTION AND ISTIGHFAR Exercises Psychological Insight Take time to reflect on your interactions over the past week Identify moments where you slipped into gossip or idle talk Make a list of these instances and after each one say Astaghfirullah I seek forgiveness from Allah Self reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth Islam encourages constant selfevaluation and seeking forgiveness for mistakes which helps us become more conscious of our actions and leads to positive behavior changes Recite Surah Al Imran 3 135 And those who when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves by transgression remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins End the day with sincere repentance By Allah I seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day Sahih al Bukhari

Day 11 BUILDING EMPATHY IN CONVERSATIONS Exercise Psychological Insight Today practice active listening and empathy in your conversations Try to understand the feelings and perspectives of others without judgment Empathy builds stronger relationships and reduces misunderstandings By focusing on understanding rather than judging we align our actions with Islamic principles of compassion and care for others Recite Surah An Nisa 4 36 Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him and to parents do good and to relatives orphans the needy the near neighbor the neighbor farther away the companion at your side the traveler The believers in their mutual kindness compassion and sympathy are just like one body When one of the limbs suffers the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever Sahih al Bukhari Sahih Muslim

Day 12 GRATITUDE AS A TOOL FOR POSITIVE SPEECH Exercises Psychological Insight Begin your day by listing three things you are grateful for Make it a point to share at least one of these with someone in your conversations today Gratitude shifts focus from negativity to positivity Regularly practicing gratitude rewires the brain to seek out positive experiences which in turn fosters more constructive and uplifting conversations Islam encourages gratitude as a means to increase blessings and strengthen our connection to Allah Recite Surah Ibrahim S14 V7 If you are grateful I will surely increase you in favor but if you deny indeed My punishment is severe A llah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people Sahih al Bukhari

Day 13 OVERCOMING SOCIAL PRESSURE TO GOSSIP Exercises Psychological Insight Identify situations where you feel pressured to engage in gossip due to social expectations Write out a strategy for politely excusing yourself or redirecting the conversation Recite Surah Al Ma idah S5 V2 And cooperate in righteousness and piety but do not cooperate in sin and aggression Social pressure can lead to behaviors we might not normally engage in By preparing responses in advance you reduce anxiety and feel more empowered to maintain your values Islam encourages standing firm in righteousness even when it s difficult Part of the perfection of one s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him Tirmidhi

Day 14 CULTIVATING FORGIVENESS FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS Exercises Motivation If you find yourself gossiping or slipping in your speech today take time to forgive yourself and focus on growth Recite Surah Al Zumar S39 V53 Say O My servants who have transgressed against themselves by sinning do not despair of the mercy of Allah Indeed Allah forgives all sins Indeed it is He who is the Forgiving the Merciful Islam teaches us that Allah s mercy is vast and we should also be merciful to ourselves and others Each time you slip seek forgiveness and continue striving to better yourself knowing that every step brings you closer to Allah s grace The strong person is not the one who can overpower others in a physical sense rather the strong one is the one who controls himself when he gets angry Sahih al Bukhari

Day 15 SETTING LONG TERM GOALS FOR SPEECH Exercises Psychological Insight Set specific long term goals for maintaining positive and mindful speech These can include daily dhikr practicing silence when needed or focusing on empathy in your interactions Setting goals helps reinforce new behaviors and keeps you motivated to maintain them Islam emphasizes continuous personal growth and striving toward righteousness in all aspects of life Setting goals helps reinforce new behaviors and keeps you motivated to maintain them Islam emphasizes continuous personal growth and striving toward righteousness in all aspects of life Recite Surah An Nahl 16 97 Whoever does righteousness whether male or female while he is a believer We will surely cause him to live a good life and We will surely give them their reward in the Hereafter according to the best of what they used to do Write down your goals and revisit them regularly A nd whoever fears Allah He will make for him a way out and will provide for him from where he does not expect Surah At Talaq S65 V2 3