Tradition

مَنْ أَصْغَى إلى ناطِق فَقَدْ عَبَدَهُ فَاِنْ كَانَ النّاطِقُ عَنِ اللّهِ فَقَدْ عَبَدَ اللّهَ وَ إنْ كانَ النّاطِقُ يَنْطِقُ عَنْ لِسانِ إِبْلِيسَ فَقَدْ عَبَدَ إبْلِيْسَ

Imam al-Jawad (‘a) is narrated to have said: “He who listens to a speaker has worshiped him. Therefore, if the speaker speaks of God, he has worshipped God and if he speaks of Satan, he has worshipped Satan.”1

Brief Commentary

Whenever someone speaks in regards to any topic, he exerts a certain influence over those who hear him. Similarly, when someone listens to another’s speech, he is influenced by those words as well. In this same way, words can be positive or negative, and in some cases, they can be a mixture of both truth and falsehood. When one sits complacently and listens to another’s speech, it is a type of worship in the sense that the words take root in their soul and exert their own influence and effect.

Therefore, those who listen to positive and truthful words will find positivity and truth taking root in their souls, while those who listen to negative and deviant words will find those attributes taking root in their souls. Therefore, we must always be careful not to sit in the company of negative speakers so that their words do not affect us in a detrimental way.

• 1. Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 339, Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 434, Wasa'il Al-Shi’a, vol. 27, p. 127, Mustadrak Al-Wasa’il, vol. 17, p. 308.