The tongue (lisan), fiqh rulings

Lisan, in lexicon, is the fleshy, elongated, movable organ in the mouth, fit for tasting, swallowing and speaking; its plurals are alsina, lusin. A man's lisan is eloquent, and lisan can mean language in one of its senses. Lugha is what each people uses to express its aims, and the two overlap ^{1 2}.

Keeping the tongue from what is not forbidden is recommended, and from what is forbidden, such as idle talk, obscenity, insult, backbiting and mockery, is obligatory, and more so during the fast, on the hadith: whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him say good or be silent. Al-Shafi'i said to think before speaking and speak only when the benefit is clear ². On the report of Abu Musa, the best Islam is when Muslims are safe from one's tongue and hand, and on the report of Mu'adh, people are thrown on their faces into the Fire only for the harvest of their tongues ².

The jurists differ on the ruling for one who slips into divorce or an oath without meaning it, and on the effect of a slip into zihar; the detail is in the entries on oaths, divorce and zihar ³.

The jurists agree that the tongue carries blood-money, on the words of the Prophet ﷺ in the letter to Amr ibn Hazm (may God be pleased with him): in the tongue is blood-money. If the injury makes one mute, the full blood-money is due; if it takes away taste, the full blood-money is due; if taste is only reduced, a judged sum is due unless the loss is measurable, in which case a fifth or more of the blood-money is due for each measurable taste lost ³. If the tongue has two tips and one is cut, the blood-money is in proportion; if one of two tongues is complete and the other is an extra growth, the cutter owes blood-money for the complete one and a judged sum for the other ^{3 4}. If speech returns after the blood-money is paid, the Shafi'is hold it must be returned ⁴. The detail is in the entry on blood-money ⁴.