Useless Language / Conversation
A short answer would be – Yes! Both of the ayahs that mention these words ‘Lahw al hadeeth’ and ‘laghw’ have the same meaning. I’ll copy the Tafsir below. But I would also like to add on something. For the part where you asked ‘what about.’ This list is going to increase as you progress with faith to a point when you wouldn’t feel the need to ask ‘what about?’. Quran urges one to think, reflect, ponder. A person of your calibre knows the extent to which it pushes one’s intellect. So I don’t need to explain that part. But the point is, this isn’t going to be a result of somebody telling you. Or if i may say, somebody forcing you to think a certain way. This is something that you yourself have to experience and affirm. After applying Allah’s laws in your life and then being introspective of the results. Do you feel a certain way when you’re joking around or having a ‘general’ conversation with someone? Is it messing with the thought of purity or something? So laws or a statement isn’t going to really change the way you act. It should come from within you. Now something from the scholars 😄 (that i wholeheartedly agree to). 23:3) who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous;4 4. Literally, laghv is anything nonsensical, meaningless and vain, which is in no way conducive to achieving one’s goal and purpose in life. The believers pay no heed to such useless things and they show no inclination or interest for them. If by chance they see such things being indulged in, they keep away and avoid them scrupulously, or treat them with utmost indifference. This attitude has been described in (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 72), thus: If they have to pass by what is vain, they pass by like dignified people. This is indeed one of the outstanding characteristics of the believer. He is a person who feels the burden of responsibility at all times. He regards the world as a place of test, and the life as the limited time allowed for the test. This feeling makes him behave seriously and responsibly throughout life just like the student who is taking an exam with his whole mind and body and soul absorbed in it. Just as the student knows and feels that each moment of the limited time at his disposal is important and decisive for his future life, and is not inclined to waste it, so the believer also spends each moment of his life on works which are useful and productive in their ultimate results. So much so that even in matters of recreation and sport, he makes a choice of only those things which prepare him for higher ends in life and do not result in mere wastage of time. For him time is not something to be killed but used profitably and productively. Besides this, the believer is a person who possesses a right thinking mind, pure nature and fine taste. He has no inclination to indecent things. He can talk useful and healthy things but cannot indulge in idle talk. He has a fine taste of humor, but is not given to jesting, joking, ridicule, etc. nor can he endure dirty jokes and fun. For him a society in which the ears are never immune from abusive language, back-biting, slander; lying, dirty songs and indecent talk is a source of torture and agony. A characteristic of the promised Paradise is: Therein you will not hear anything vain or useless. Towards understanding the Quran by Maulana Maududi.