Tradition

"لاَ خَيْرَ فِى الصَّمْتِ عَنِ الْحُكْمِ كَما أنَّهُ لا خَيْرَ فِى القَوْلِ بالْجَهْلِ"

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “There is no benefit in the silence of the knowledgeable, just as there is no benefit in the speech of the ignorant.”1

Brief Commentary

God has taken a covenant from those who know that they should not remain silent when they see people committing sins or when they witness deviations taking place. They must use logic and reasoning in order to guide the people to the truth. Everyone is responsible to the degree of their knowledge. Similarly, those who do not know should not interfere in such matters or else they will simply make a bad situation worse. It is wrong for the knowledgeable to be silent, just as it is wrong for the ignorant to speak in regards to what they do not know.

• 1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Words of Wisdom.