Reports on poetry and poets

Abu Nawfal bin Abi Aqrab narrates: Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked: "Was poetry listened to in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" She replied: "It was the most disliked speech to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Imam Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "When Iblis was sent down to the earth, he said: 'O my Lord! You have sent me down to the earth and made me accursed, so make a house for me.' The Lord said: 'Your house will be the bathhouse.' He said: 'Then make a gathering place for me.' The Lord said: 'It will be the markets and the roads.' He said: 'Appoint food for me.' The Lord said: 'Your food will be that over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned.' He said: 'Appoint a drink for me.' The Lord said: 'Every intoxicant.' He said: 'Appoint a caller for me.' The Lord said: 'Musical instruments.' He said: 'Appoint something to be recited for me.' The Lord said: 'Poetry.' He said: 'Appoint a writing for me.' The Lord said: 'Tattooing.' He said: 'Appoint speech for me.' The Lord said: 'Lying.' He said: 'Appoint snares for me.' The Lord said: 'Women.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ali bin Yazid al-Alhani, and he is da'if (weak). Various routes of this have already passed in the Book of Faith.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Imru' al-Qays will be the standard-bearer of the poets going to Hell."
Imam Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Abu al-Juhaym, the teacher of Hushaym bin Bashir, and I do not know him. The rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whenever a man raises his voice in song, Allah Almighty sends two devils who sit on his two shoulders and keep striking his chest with their heels, and they continue until he falls silent, whenever he falls silent."
Al-Tabarani recorded it with various chains; the narrators of one of them have been declared trustworthy by some and da'if (weak) by others.

Kaysan, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed us in a sermon and said: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah forbade seven things, and I too forbid you from them. Behold! Among them are wailing, singing, making images, poetry, gold, khazz (silk-blend cloth), saddles and silk." Allamah al-Haythami says: I say:
Al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded it in abridged form.
Al-Tabarani recorded it with two chains, the narrators of one of which are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus is better for him than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. He said: To our knowledge, no one other than Khallad bin Yahya has narrated it as musnad (connected to the Prophet).

Sayyiduna Malik bin Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he took part with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Conquest of Makkah, the Battle of Hunayn and the Battle of Ta'if. He was a poet. He narrates that he said: "O Messenger of Allah! Give me a ruling about poetry." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That the space from your throat down to below your navel be filled with pus is better than that it be filled with poetry." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Pass your hand over my head." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his blessed hand on my head. The narrator says: After that I never composed even a single line of poetry. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Malik bin Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) lived a long life, until all the hair of his head and beard turned white, but the spot where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had placed his blessed hand did not turn white.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat in abridged form, with the words: "pus and purulent blood." Its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus until it corrupts it (from within) is better for him than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Yazid bin Sufyan, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus or blood is better for him than that it be filled with verses by which satire has been made."
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus until it is completely full is better than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Abu Ubaydah bin Abdullah bin Ubaydullah bin Amr, and I do not know him. The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Utbah bin Abd (may Allah be pleased with him) both narrate: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus is better than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Bishr bin Umarah, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "That the belly of one of you be filled with pus, from the lower part of the belly up to the neck, thoroughly filled, is better for him than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Abu al-Za'ra' narrates that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "That a man's belly be filled with pus is better for him than that it be filled with poetry."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abu al-Za'ra', whose name is Abdullah bin Hani'; al-Ijli and Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah (trustworthy), and there is some weakness in him.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever composes verse will have no share with Allah Almighty."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Hajjaj bin Nusayr, whom the majority declared da'if (weak), while Ibn Hibban called him thiqah (trustworthy) and said: He makes mistakes. The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We were travelling with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he heard two men singing; one of them was answering the other, saying: "My companion remained such that his bones were gleaming; when the war turned away from him, his state became that he was hidden in a grave." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Look and see who these two are." The people said: "This is so-and-so and so-and-so." The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Overturn them both, and drive them to Hell."
Imam Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it. Al-Bazzar's wording is: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked, on the day of Uhud, at two men in a chamber reciting this verse to each other. Abu Ya'la also recorded something similar. Its chain contains Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, whom most declared da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna al-Muttalib bin Rabi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was on a journey when he heard the sound of someone singing. He asked: "What is this?" The people looked, and there was a man singing this to another man: "My companion remained such that his bones were gleaming; when the war turned away from him, his state became that he was hidden in a grave." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Overturn them both in the Fire, in tribulation, and drive them to the fire of Hell."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard the voices of two men singing, and both were singing this: "My companion remained such that his bones were gleaming; when the war turned away from him, his state became that he was hidden in a grave." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked about the two of them, and he was told: "They are Mu'awiyah and Amr bin Abi al-As." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Overturn them both in tribulation, and drive them to Hell."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Isa bin Sawadah al-Nakha'i, and he is a kadhdhab (liar).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "It is not lawful to sell singing slave-girls or to buy them, nor is trading in them lawful; their price is unlawful, and listening to them is a fitnah (trial)." Allamah al-Haythami says: I say:
Al-Tirmidhi recorded it, except that it does not contain the words: "listening to them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Ali bin Yazid al-Alhani, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Siba' bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: In the days of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) I heard people reciting this verse while performing tawaf: "Today he will flee openly and knock at our Marwah."
Imam Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).