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Does the saying, "Calamity is entrusted to utterance," apply to someone who utters words they do not intend, such as saying, "I do not want to marry," and what should she do if she has excessive recourse to such talk?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The saying "Calamity is entrusted to logic" (or "Affliction is tied to speech") is not a Quranic verse nor an authentic prophetic tradition (hadith). Rather, it is an utterance attributed to some Companions and Successors, and it is a common proverb. It has been reported from Ibn Mas'ud and Aisha, may Allah be pleased with them both, and its meaning is supported by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) hadith to the sick Bedouin.

The meaning of the saying is: a person may utter a word, and then be afflicted with a calamity that corresponds to what they said.

This does not mean that everything a person says will result in an affliction. Instead, its essence is to warn a person against speaking ill or being pessimistic, and to be keen on choosing good and kind words, for fear of being afflicted by what they uttered.

Whoever is afflicted by such a thing should seek Allah's forgiveness, have a good opinion of Him, and rely upon Him.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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