Do not argue with a person. Do not try to give precedence to what you have to say. Do not laugh excessively as this causes the illumination of the heart (and countenance) to disappear. If you have made ghibah of a person, seek his forgiveness. If you are unable to do so, make du’a-e-maghfirah on his behalf. In doing this, there is hope that you will be forgiven on the day of judgement. Do not make false promises. Do not laugh in such a way that the other person feels insulted or offended. Do not be boastful of something that you own or a quality which you possess. Do not occupy yourself with poems and poetry. However, if the subject matter is not contrary to the Shari’ah and you occasionally quote a few lines when making du’a or when advising someone, there is no harm in this. Do not mention things that you hear from here and there because the majority of such things are false.
