*The Place of the Heart and the Tongue*
It is reported that Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
The intelligent person’s tongue is behind his heart: when he wants to speak, he first thinks. If [his words] will be in his favor, he says them, and if they will be against him, he does not speak. *And the ignorant person’s heart is behind his tongue: when he merely thinks of saying something, he says it, whether it is for or against him.*
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 2049.
Intelligent person thinks before speaking, ignorant person speaks without thinking
Keep heart before tongue: Intelligence
Keep tongue before heart: Ignorance
