Careless Words

Written by: Abeeda

Just as we spend this beautiful month of Ramadan refraining from food and drink, we have an equal duty to rein in all our senses and their interactions.

The actions of our tongue are often immediately thought of as our spoken words, but in this era of social media, our words are no longer limited solely to that which we speak. The words we type and share, publicly or in smaller groups, are our own, and we should ensure that they are words filled with goodness.

A recent unfortunate incident led me to realize that when we write, rather than speak, our words, they are more open to misinterpretation. After all, we lose the expression that comes from tone, body language, and eye contact. This particular incident caused me to reconsider how I choose my words; I may not mean them to be harmful, but I will always take the time to read, re-read, and re-read again before I hit send.

No matter how much care we may take, our words will always be open to miscommunication. We hope that the recipient has a heart that offers an excuse for their fellow brother or sister, especially when the perceived misunderstanding is something out of the norm for the sender.

In the spirit of this month, I hope we can lend forgiveness to the oversights of one another. Words are often used with haste, so let us all make a conscious effort to pause and think about the words we speak and write, and let us all hear and read the words from our fellows with the same leniency that we would hope would be shown to us in moments of weakness.

©️Abeeda