The eloquent speech of Amr bin al-Ahtam (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Qays bin Asim, al-Zibriqan bin Badr and Amr bin al-Ahtam al-Tamimi were sitting in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Al-Zibriqan, boasting, said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am the chief of Banu Tamim; my word is obeyed among them and they respond to my call. I protect them from injustice and secure their rights for them, and this man (that is, Amr bin al-Ahtam) knows this well." At this Amr bin al-Ahtam said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, he is very eloquent of tongue, a protector of those who take refuge with him, and his command is obeyed within his close circle." Al-Zibriqan said (on hearing this): "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, he knows far more about me than what he has stated, and nothing but envy has kept him from saying the truth." Amr retorted: "I envy you?! By Allah, you are of mean stock on your maternal side, your wealth is newly acquired, your father was a fool, and you are of no standing in your tribe. By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, what I said first was true, and in what I have said now I have not lied either. But I am a man who, when pleased, says the best thing I know, and when angered, says the worst thing I can find. By Allah, I was truthful in both states." At this the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (twice): "Indeed, some eloquent speech is magic (in its effect); indeed, some eloquent speech is magic."
Concerning this it is also narrated from Abu Bakrah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was present in this gathering.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when the delegation of Banu Tamim came to him (peace and blessings be upon him), among whom were Qays bin Asim, Amr bin al-Ahtam and al-Zibriqan bin Badr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Amr bin al-Ahtam: "What do you say about al-Zibriqan bin Badr?" He said: O Messenger of Allah! He is obeyed (one whose command is followed) among those close to him, he is eloquent of tongue, and he is the protector of his tribe. Al-Zibriqan said: O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he knows far more about me than what he has stated, but he kept silent purely out of envy. At this Amr said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah! He is devoid of manliness, narrow-hearted, his maternal relatives are base and his father is a fool. By Allah, I did not lie at first, and now I have spoken the truth. But when I was pleased, I said the best thing I knew, and when I was displeased, I said the worst thing I knew. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, some eloquent speech is like magic (in its effect), and indeed, some poetry is pure wisdom."