Quran Universe
17:53

وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُواْ ٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيۡنَهُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَ كَانَ لِلۡإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوّٗا مُّبِينٗا

Waqul liAAibadee yaqooloo allatee hiya ahsanu inna alshshaytana yanzaghu baynahum inna alshshaytana kana lilinsani AAaduwwan mubeenan

And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.

Word by word
  1. وَقُلAnd say
  2. لِّعِبَادِيto My slaves
  3. يَقُولُواْ(to) say
  4. ٱلَّتِيthat
  5. هِيَwhich
  6. أَحۡسَنُۚ(is) best
  7. إِنَّIndeed
  8. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَthe Shaitaan
  9. يَنزَغُsows discord
  10. بَيۡنَهُمۡۚbetween them
  11. إِنَّIndeed
  12. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَthe Shaitaan
  13. كَانَis
  14. لِلۡإِنسَٰنِto the man
  15. عَدُوّٗاan enemy
  16. مُّبِينٗاclear
Al-Isra · 17:53Makkah

Say the best words. Shaytan works through the gaps.

Speech among believers

How it starts
a harsh word
Shaytan stirs
conflictwords lead to actions
the best wordcloses the gap
Who is the enemy
my brotherhe started it
Shaytana clear enemy to both

The Prophet ﷺ is told to instruct the believers to speak to one another with the best and politest words. Ibn Kathir explains that otherwise Shaytan sows discord, and words lead to actions and fights. He cites the Prophet ﷺ forbidding anyone to point a weapon at his brother even in jest.

The family group chat at 11pm. A sarcastic reply. A voice note with an edge. By morning two siblings are not speaking. It started with one word. The best word could have ended it.

I just say what I think, people should not be so sensitive.

My words open or close the door for Shaytan, so I choose the best ones.

Try this

Before sending one message today, reread it and change one word to a kinder one.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And say to My servants that they should say those words that are best. (Because) Shaytan verily, sows a state of conflict and disagreement among them. Surely, Shaytan is to man a plain enemy (53)

People should speak Good Words with Politeness

Allah commands His servant Muhammad ﷺ to tell the believing servants of Allah that they should address one another in their conversations and discussions with the best and politest of words, for if they do not do that, Shaytan will sow discord among them, and words will lead to actions, so that evil and conflicts and fights will arise among them. For Shaytan is the enemy of Adam and his descendants, and has been since he refused to prostrate to Adam. His enmity is obvious and manifest. For this reason it is forbidden for a man to point at his Muslim brother with an iron instrument, for Shaytan may cause him to strike him with it

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

لَا يُشِيرَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى أَخِيهِ بِالسِّلَاحِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي أَحَدُكُمْ لَعَلَّ الشَّيْطَانَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَ فِي يَدِهِ فَيَقَعَ فِي حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ

(No one of you should point at his brother with a weapon, for he does not know whether Shaytan will cause him to strike him with it and thus be thrown into a pit of Fire.) Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded this Hadith with the chain of narration from 'Abdur-Razzaq.