The permissibility of poetry and listening to it

Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Once Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by a gathering of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was reciting his poetry to them, and those people listening to the poetry were taking no interest in it. So Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) sat down with them and said: Why is it that I see you not listening with interest to the poetry of Ibn al-Furay'ah, when, whenever he presented his verses before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would listen to it attentively, would reward him generously for it, and would not turn away from it to anything else? Then Sayyiduna Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) recited these verses: "The companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (that is, Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him)) remained firm on his ways during his time, and speech is equal to (or matches) action. That companion remained firm upon his method and his path; he stayed with the truth, and the truth is the most just. He is the famous horseman, and a hero who attacks (or stands his ground) on the day of battle. When war bares its shin and flares up (the fighting), he goes swiftly towards death, walking with pride. He is a man whose mother is Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her); he belongs to Banu Asad, and hope is placed in her house."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abdullah bin Mus'ab al-Zubayri, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Humayd bin Thawr al-Hilali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when he accepted Islam, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited these verses: "My heart has become the target of Sulayma's (glance), whether by mistake on her part or by design, from the hour when she was a full-bosomed woman; she brought distress even upon strong men of advanced age. You will see the fodder-sellers bound to her, a watering of a bloodied wound, greater than everything besides it. When the mirage drives back across the waterless wilderness, and the water quenches the one who comes to it, as the lion comes when it intends an ambush, of the wolf which the one who brought it has driven out. No physician from among you has ever cured me; we faced what was fitting of this distress and endured grief, until we came to Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him), who guides by reciting the Book that comes from Allah Almighty."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ya'la bin al-Ashdaq, who is da'if (weak).

Amr bin Muslim al-Khuza'i reports his father's statement: I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I recited to him these verses of Suwayd bin Amir bin al-Mustaliq: "Never consider yourself safe, even if you dwell within the bounds of the Sanctuary, for death is at both sides of every person. Walk your path, and walk it without bowing down (and keep walking) until whatever (the time of death) the Decreer has decreed for you. Every companion must one day part from his companion, and every provision, however carefully you keep it, must perish. Good and evil are tied with a single rope; the two ever-new things (that is, day and night) will bring both of them (that is, good and evil) to you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If this man had met me, he would have accepted Islam. The narrator says: Then my father wept. I said: Father, why are you weeping over a polytheist who died in the Age of Ignorance? My father said: By Allah! I have not seen any polytheist better than Suwayd.
Al-Tabarani and al-Bazzar recorded it through Ya'qub bin Muhammad al-Zuhri from an unknown (majhul) shaykh, and it is rejected (mardud) without any disagreement.

Sayyiduna al-Nabighah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited to him this verse of mine: "We have risen above people in chastity and nobility, and beyond that we also hope to attain a 'mazhar' (high place)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: O Abu Layla, where is the 'mazhar'? I submitted: By it is meant Paradise. He said: If Allah wills, you will attain it. Then he said: Recite poetry to me. So I recited to him these verses of mine: "There is no good in forbearance that is not accompanied by an anger that protects its clarity from becoming muddied, and there is no good in ignorance (that is, anger) for which there is no forbearance that can turn it (the anger) back when need arises." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have composed well. May Allah Almighty not cause (the teeth of) your mouth to fall out."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ya'la bin al-Ashdaq, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Dirar bin al-Azwar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I submitted: Extend your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you upon Islam. Sayyiduna Dirar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then I recited these verses: "For the sake of seeking forgiveness and humble supplication (that is, repentance), I have abandoned the gambling arrows, the singing of slave-girls, and wine; and my wheeling (of my horse) 'al-Muhabbar' at the time of hardship (that is, battle), and my urging on the polytheists to fight (I have abandoned all of this). So, O my Lord, let me not suffer loss in this bargain, for I have made this bargain in exchange for my family and my wealth." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Dirar! You will not suffer loss in your bargain.
Abdullah bin Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin Sa'd al-Athram, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared Umayyah truthful in this verse of his. His verse is this: "(Among the four angels who carry the Throne,) with the legs on the right side there is one angel in the form of a man and one in the form of a bull, while on the other side there is one in the form of an eagle and one in the form of a lion (or leopard)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He has spoken the truth. And this too is a verse of his: "In the last part of the red night, when (the time of the rising of) the sun (draws near, at that time) the colour of the sun is like a red rose. It refuses to rise (saying that it will not rise upon the polytheists), so it rises only when it is punished and lashed." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He has spoken the truth.
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), except that the narrator Ibn Ishaq is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain).

Sayyiduna al-A'sha al-Mazini (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited these verses to him: "O master of the people and lord of the Arabs! I have met with a wrong. I set out in the month of Rajab to obtain grain, and in my absence she did wrong and ran away; she broke the covenant and went into hiding. (These women) are the worst of things that overpower the one who is overpowered." The narrator says: At this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to say (that is, he repeated these words): "(These women) are the worst of things that overpower the one who is overpowered."
Abdullah bin Ahmad, al-Tabarani, Abu Ya'la and al-Bazzar recorded it. He (al-Bazzar) says: The name of al-A'sha is Abdullah bin al-A'war. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
This report has already passed, as a longer narration than this, in the Book of Marriage, in the chapter concerning disobedience (or discord).

Sayyiduna al-Tayhan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), during the journey to Khaybar, saying to Amir bin al-Akwa' (the narrator says: al-Akwa's name was Sinan): Recite some of your verses for us. So he dismounted and began reciting rajaz verses for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it through Sayyiduna Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayhan (may Allah be pleased with him) from his father, and I do not know Abu al-Haytham. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite poetry to one another and laugh, while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would be seated and would smile.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin al-Fadl bin Atiyyah, who is matruk (abandoned) and a kadhdhab (liar).

Al-Ajjaj narrates that he asked Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): What do you say about this verse: "Two kinds of phantoms are circling, and they have stirred up sickness: the phantom of Salma and a phantom that is hidden. She has stood up to frighten you that she will cut off a plump shin and a weak ankle." Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We used to recite this verse in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not object to it.
Al-Tabarani recorded it through his teacher Rafi' bin Salamah, and I do not know him. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Abu Hurayrah, visit at intervals; love will increase."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. He says: To our knowledge, no authentic hadith has been transmitted about love increasing through visiting at intervals. The chain of this report contains a narrator, Talhah bin Amr, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite these verses: "News will come to you about things for which you had not prepared."
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it within a hadith, and the narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was waiting for news (or when that news was delayed), he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite this half-verse of Tarafah: "News will come to you for which no preparation was made."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Al-Tirmidhi recorded this report, except that he mentioned Abdullah bin Rawahah instead of Tarafah.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I mentioned Banu Najiyah before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this, or perhaps someone said: "O eye, weep for Samah bin Lu'ayy!" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (The narrator is unsure; perhaps some man said this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)) (this is in fact the second half of the previous verse): "Samah bin Lu'ayy, whose descendants are called 'Banu Najiyah' by being attributed to their mother Najiyah: the clinging thing (that is, death) clung to that 'Samah' (or the snake is meant, from whose bite he died)."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator whose name has not been stated, and al-Bazzar's teacher is Muhammad bin Marwan, whom I do not know.

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard women reciting these verses on the occasion of a wedding: "He has gifted us a ram that has been grazing in the pasture; and, O girl, your husband, when he is in the gathering, knows what will happen tomorrow." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Only Allah knows what will happen tomorrow. Why do you not recite this: "We have come to you, we have come to you; they welcomed us and they welcomed you." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Some hadiths are transmitted from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) without this context.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was on a journey when he heard a camel-driver chanting (huda'). He said: Take us towards him! He asked: Which people do you belong to? They said: To Mudar. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I too belong to the tribe of Mudar. They said: We were the first to begin the huda' chant. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: How so? That man said: We had a slave who had camels with him. The slave fell asleep and the camels left him and scattered here and there. The slave's master came and struck him on his hand, and the slave began to say: Oh my hand! Oh my hand! And the camels began to come and gather around him.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Rabi'ah bin Salih, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Amir bin al-Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him): Recite your verses to us. So he recited these verses: "By Allah! Were it not for Allah, we would not have been guided, nor would we have given charity, nor would we have prayed."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin Abi al-Husayn, whose case is different, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

Abu al-Haytham bin Nasr bin Dahr al-Aslami reports from his father: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Amir bin al-Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him): Get up and recite your verses to us. So he began to recite these verses: "O Allah, were it not for You, we would not have been guided, we would not have given charity, and we would not have prayed. So send down tranquillity upon us, and keep our feet firm when we face the enemy. The enemy has transgressed against us. They intend trial (fitnah), and we refuse." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Allah! Have mercy on him. A man submitted: O Messenger of Allah! If only you had let us benefit from Amir (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) from Amir's poetry, that would have been fitting.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Ishaq, who is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain). The hadith narrated by Sayyiduna al-Tayhan (may Allah be pleased with him) has already passed earlier in this chapter.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered (Makkah) for the Umrah of al-Qada', and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) was holding his rein, reciting these verses as rajaz: "O offspring of the disbelievers, clear his path! The Most Merciful has revealed in His Book that the best of those slain is the one who is killed in His path."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Qatadah narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) would sometimes recite a line of poetry relating to the events of the Age of Ignorance.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except that the narrator Qatadah did not meet Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

Mutarrif narrates: I accompanied Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) from Kufah to Basrah, and not a day passed over me but that he recited some poetry to us on it. He used to say to us about this: In indirect speech (speaking by allusion and hint) there is room for you to avoid lying.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Ibn Harmah recited this verse of his uncle Ibrahim bin Ali bin Harmah: "Whoever does not wish for my praise, (let him know that) my odes are vessels of musk in the eyes of the noble; with the buyer, praise in a gathering is of great worth, just as is the custom of the daughters of al-Harith bin Hisham."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.