Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale
Journal issue | 52 | 2016
Research Article | Silence and Speech Etiquette
Silence and Speech Etiquette
A Contribution to the Study of Islamic Ethics
Abstract
When speaking of silence, the Koran employs three different verbal roots (ṣ-m-t, s-k-t, n-ṣ-t); on the basis of this linguistic profusion, Arabic Islamic culture has elaborated a complex conception of silence, which embraces an element of abstention, linking it to passivity and stillness, and a cognitive element, linking it to listening and learning. The exegetical corpus and above all the moral literature, represented here chiefly by the learned Sunnite Ibn Abī al-Dunyā of Baghdad (d. 281/894)’s Kitāb al-ṣamt wa ādāb al-lisān, equate silence with verbal discipline and award it the status of an Islamic value, to the extent that it is posited as an optimal attitude in the believer’s relation with God and with other members of the Islamic community.
Submitted: Nov. 20, 2015 | Accepted: March 17, 2016 | Published June 30, 2016 | Language: en
Keywords Silence • Koran • Ibn Abī al-Dunyā
Copyright © 2016 Ida Zilio Grandi. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.14277/2385-3042/AnnOr-52-16-1
