The first trait covered is excessive speech or loquaciousness. Imam Ghazali begins the section by saying that there is no choice but to cut it out. The actions of the limbs affect the spiritual heart, with the tongue having a particular effect, to such an extent that excessive speech eventually leads to death of the heart. One should limit speech to what is important and speak good or remain silent. Specifically, one should only use the tongue to enjoin good, forbid evil, or remember Allah ﷻ. Of the twenty ailments of the tongue, five that predominate include lying, backbiting, arguing, excessive praising, and joking.
