Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Ibn Shureid or Hazrat Yaqub bin Asim, one of these two, narrates that Hazrat Shureid said: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) seated me behind him on his mount. And he said: Do you remember any verses of poetry by Umayyah bin Abi Salt? I said: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Recite them. So I recited one verse to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Recite more. He kept saying: Recite more, recite more! Until I had recited one hundred verses to him.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, some poetry contains wisdom, and indeed, some speech has the effect of magic.

Hazrat Shureid narrates that I recited one hundred couplets from the poetry of Umayyah bin Abi Salt to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. After each couplet, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would say, "Recite more." And he said: "He was close to accepting Islam."

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed one or two verses from the poetry of Umayyah bin Abi Salt. He recited the verse: "Saturn and Taurus are beneath his right foot, and the Vulture is beneath his left foot. And the Lion lies in wait for him." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He has spoken the truth. The second verse is: "The sun rises in the last part of the night in such a way that it is red, and its color begins to turn rosy." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He has spoken the truth.

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite this verse of poetry: "Time will bring you such news as you have never heard before."

Hazrat Abu Huraira narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, the truest statement ever uttered by a poet is the saying of Labid. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the first hemistich of his verse and left out the second. The hemistich is (translation): "Everything except Allah is false and perishing." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umayyah bin Abi Salt was close to accepting Islam.

Hazrat Abu Huraira narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Indeed, the truest statement ever uttered by a poet is this verse of Labid: (translation) "Everything except Allah is false and perishable." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Umayyah bin Abi Salt was close to accepting Islam.

Hazrat Habib bin Abi Thabit narrates that Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit recited these verses to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): I bear witness by the command of Allah that Muhammad is the Messenger of that Allah who is above the heavens. The deeds of Yahya and his father (Hazrat Zakariya) are acceptable in this religion. Similarly, the deeds of Hazrat Hud are also acceptable when he used to stand among the people and invite them to the religion.

Imam Shabi narrates that Hazrat Hassan sought permission from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to recite poetry about the Quraysh. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: How can you do so when my lineage is also from among them? He replied: I will separate you from them just as a hair is taken out from flour.

Imam Shabi narrates that when the name of Hazrat Hassan was mentioned in the presence of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), it was said to her: Indeed, he supported against you and did such and such. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) replied: Leave it, certainly I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Allah Almighty helped Hassan in composing poetry through the Holy Spirit, that is, Hazrat Jibreel.

Imam Shabi narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Satirize the polytheists. Surely, the Holy Spirit, Hazrat Jibreel, is with you.

Hazrat Urwah bin Zubair narrates that Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit asked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about satirizing Abu Sufyan: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: How will you do it? He is my close relative. He replied: By Him Who has honored you, I will draw you out (from it) as a hair is drawn out from flour.

Hazrat Bara bin Azib narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Hassan bin Thabit: Satirize the polytheists. Indeed, Jibreel is with you.

Hazrat A'mash narrates that Hazrat Abu Khalid Walbi said that we used to sit in the gatherings of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and they used to recite poetry and remember the events of the Age of Ignorance.

Hazrat Nafi' narrates that Hazrat Abdullah bin Rawahah had a slave girl. He used to hide his intercourse with her from his wife. One day he had intercourse with her, and when he came to his wife, she accused him, saying: "Did you have intercourse with that slave girl?" He denied it, so his wife said to him: "If that is the case, then recite the Qur'an." He then recited these verses: "I bear witness by Allah's command that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah who is above the heavens. The deeds of Yahya and his father are acceptable in this religion." She said: "You are truthful."

Hazrat Khaythamah narrates that a poet came to Hazrat Umar and said: "Shall I recite poetry to you?" He permitted him to recite, so the poet began reciting poetry and mentioned Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: "May Allah elevate the ranks of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); you endured much hardship with great patience." Hazrat Umar said: "Indeed, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did so." Then the poet recited this verse. Hazrat Umar said: "Whatever Allah wills."

Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Hazrat Bara was humming a poem. I said to him, "You are humming a poem; what if death comes to you in this state?" He replied, "I will not die on my bed. I have killed ninety-nine polytheists and hypocrites."

Imam Sha'bi narrates that Hazrat Abu Khalid al-Walibi said: I used to sit with the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Sometimes, in their gatherings, they would mention only poetry.

Imam Shabi said: Hazrat Abu Bakr was a poet, Hazrat Umar was a poet, and Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was also a poet.

Hazrat Amir narrates that Hazrat Rabi’ bin Harash said: I came to Hazrat Umar while he was with the army of Ghatafan, and they were discussing poetry. Hazrat Umar asked: Who is the greatest poet among your poets? They replied: O Commander of the Faithful! You know better. Upon this, Hazrat Umar said: Who said this verse? “I came to you in such a state that I was barefoot and my clothes were old. Many fears surrounded me. I found my trust in such a state that you had not betrayed it. Hazrat Nuh also never used to betray.” We replied: Nabigha. He then asked similarly: Who said this verse? “I swear so that no doubt remains in your heart. And besides Allah, man has no religion.” Then he asked: Who said this verse? “Except for Sulaiman, when Allah said to him: Stand among the people and teach them about the fleeting nature of the world.” We replied: Nabigha. He said: He is the greatest poet among your poets.

Hazrat Abu Duhai narrates that Hazrat Abu Bakr requested Ma'di Karib to recite poetry, and said: Since accepting Islam, I have not requested anyone before you to recite poetry.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Ubaid bin Umair narrates that Hazrat Abu Bakr said: Sometimes a poet utters a word of wisdom.

Hazrat Hani narrates that I heard Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reciting this verse: Prepare your heart for death… because death is surely going to meet you, and never be afraid of death… when death descends into your valley.

Hazrat Ibn Sirin narrates that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Abi Talib said to Abdur Rahman bin Muljam Muradi: I intend for his life, and he intends to kill me. Bring from the tribe of Murad such a friend who will accept your excuse.

Hazrat Majma' narrates that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) built a prison and named it Nafi'. Then a thought occurred to him, so he demolished it and built an even stronger prison. Then he recited this verse: "Do I not seem to you a man of intellect and a well-known wise person? After Nafi' prison, I built the Makhis prison."

Imam Shabi states that Hazrat Umar wrote a letter to Hazrat Mughira, instructing him to summon the poets to his presence and listen to their poetry.

Hazrat Abdul Malik bin Abi Basheer narrates that Hazrat Ikrimah said: I was walking with Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) and we were heading towards the plain of Arafat. I was reciting poetry and he was correcting my mistakes.

Hazrat Qatadah narrates that Hazrat Mutarrif bin Abdullah said: I set out towards Kufa with Hazrat Imran bin Husain. Not a day would pass by except that he would recite poetry to us.

Imam Muhammad bin Sirin narrates that Hazrat Kathir bin Aflah said: The last gathering in which we sat with Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit was the gathering in which we recited poetry.

Hazrat Urwah narrates that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When we came to Madinah, at that time Madinah was a place afflicted with disease. So Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Bilal became ill. When Hazrat Abu Bakr recovered, he used to recite this verse: Every person wakes up among his family in such a state that death is closer to him than the strap of his sandal. And when Hazrat Bilal recovered, he used to recite this verse: I wish, O my Lord, that I could spend a night in the valley of Makkah in such a state that around me would be the grass of Idhkhir and Thumamah. And will I ever come to the water of Majannah one day, and will the springs of Shamah and Tufail ever appear before me?

Hazrat Urwah narrates that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recite these two verses from the poetry of Labid most often: "Those people have departed in whose protection life was spent. And I have been left behind like the skin of a mangy camel. And people indulge in slander and betrayal. And the one who speaks is blamed, even if he does not spread corruption."

Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that Hazrat Umar used to recite this verse: "She will come to you in distress, running in such a state that even the child in her womb will suffer. Her religion will be contrary to the religion of the Christians."

Hazrat Masruq narrates that Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit came to Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) after he had lost his eyesight. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was informed that the person has come to you about whom Allah, the Lord of Honor, has said: "Whoever bore it, for him is a great punishment?" She replied: "Is he not in great punishment that indeed his eyesight has gone?" The narrator says that then Hazrat Hassan recited a poem about Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) which he had composed for his daughter: "She is chaste, blameless, she has not committed any evil act. She does not point fingers at the honor of chaste women." Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "But you are not like that."

Hazrat Hakam states that Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila recited poetry in the mosque while the muezzin was pronouncing the iqamah.

Hazrat Hisham bin Urwah narrates that his father, Hazrat Urwah, said: I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable than Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in poetry, inheritance laws, and jurisprudence.

Hazrat Furat narrates that Hazrat Saeed bin Jubair said: In the Holy Qur'an, "al-qani'" refers to the one who asks (begs). Then he recited this verse of Shammakh: A man's wealth brings about well-being, and by replacing his poverty with affluence, it makes him chaste in comparison to those who ask (beg).

Hazrat Bayan narrates that Hazrat Amir, regarding the Quranic verse: { فَإِذَا ہُمْ بِالسَّاہِرَۃِ }, said: "Sahirah" refers to the earth. Then he recited this verse from Umayyah's poetry: "He came to us with the meat of the land and the sea."

Hazrat Asim says that I have never heard Hasan Basri recite a verse of poetry as an example except for this verse: The real dead is not the one who died and found rest; the real dead is the one who is dead while alive. Then he said: By Allah! The poet has spoken the truth: Surely, he is alive while his heart is dead.

Hazrat Hisham says that I heard my father, Hazrat Urwah, saying that I stopped seeing Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) three years before her death. And I have not seen anyone who knew the Qur'an, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, poetry, and the laws of inheritance better than her.

Hazrat Ikrimah says that when Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) was asked about anything from the Holy Qur'an, he would recite a verse of poetry from the Arabs' poetry.