Question:
How is it to compose poetry free from blameworthy intentions? Some people say that poetry, regardless of its type, ruins the doer’s worldly life and hereafter.
Answer:
There are two types of poetry:
① Poetry that is based on exaggeration, hyperbolic words, love affairs against Shariah, and falsehood.
② Poetry that interprets the Book and Sunnah, is free from all kinds of filth, clean, and protected from exaggeration.
The former is forbidden and haram, while the latter is permissible and lawful. Allah Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran:
﴿وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ . أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ . وَأَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُونَ . إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَانتَصَرُوا مِن بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا ۗ وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ﴾
“And the poets – [only] the deviators follow them; Do you not see that in every valley they roam? And that they say what they do not do, Except those [poets] who believe and do righteous deeds and remember Allah often and defend [themselves] after they were wronged. And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.”
Most poets in the Roman arena express opinions according to personal likes and dislikes rather than any principle or discipline and use exaggeration. They wander here and there in their poetic imaginations, and therefore those who follow them are also considered misguided. No amount of discouragement for such poets is enough. If one observes the Diwans of Arab poets, this reality becomes very clear. In the poetry of these poets, modesty and decency are completely disregarded, as is evident from the chapter on women’s thighs in Diwan Hamasa. This reprehensible type exists in the poetry of every language, and such poetry destroys the world and the hereafter. Regarding such verses, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
لأن يمتلئ جوف أحدكم قيحا خير له من أن يمتلئ شعرا
“It is better for any one of you to fill his belly with blood and pus than to fill it with poetry.”
This hadith is also narrated from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) in Sahih Bukhari
and from Saad bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim
. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has classified this hadith in a way that indicates that spending time in poetry to the extent that a person refrains from the remembrance of Allah, acquiring knowledge, and reciting the Quran is forbidden. Filling the belly means that apart from poetry, he remembers nothing, neither the Quran nor the Hadith, and remains engaged day and night in poetry, as is the case with contemporary poets. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his commentary on this hadith:
ظاهره العموم فى كل شعر لكنه مخصوص بما لم يكن مدحا حقا كمدح الله ورسوله وما اشتمل على الذكر والزهد وسائر المواعظ مما لا إفراط فيه يؤيده حديث عمرو بن الشريد عن أبيه عند مسلم كما أشرت إليه قريبا
“This hadith, according to its apparent meaning, includes all poetry, but it is specific to those poems that do not contain praise of the truth, such as the praise of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), and those that include remembrance, asceticism, and all such admonitions that are not excessive. This is supported by the hadith narrated by Amr bin Shuraid from his father in Muslim, as I have briefly indicated.”
That is, one should not fill the belly with poetry that is based on obscenity or falsehood, but poetry that contains praise and glorification of Allah Almighty, praise and eulogy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), remembrance and supplications, asceticism and piety, and such admonitions and advice that are moderate, are not objectionable. It is narrated from Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him):
بينا نحن نسير مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالعرج إذ عرض شاعر ينشد فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خذوا الشيطان أو أمسكوا الشيطان لأن يمتلئ جوف رجل قيحا خير له من أن يمتلئ شعرا
Once we were walking with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) near the village of Arj when a poet came reciting poetry. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Catch this devil,” or he said: “Stop this devil, for it is better for a man to fill his belly with pus than to fill it with poetry.”
It is narrated from Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
إن أعظم الناس جرما إنسان شاعر يهجو القبيلة من أسرها ورجل تنفى من أبيه
“Indeed, among the people, the greatest criminal is the poet who condemns an entire tribe because of one man, and the man who denies his fatherhood.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar says its chain is Hasan (good).
This narration with slight variations is also found in Ibn Majah, Book of Manners, Hadith
, Ibn Hibban Hadith
, and Silsilat al-Sahihah
. Alama Busiri also declared it authentic in the Zawaid of Ibn Majah. These hadiths confirm that poetry containing devilishness, falsehood, etc., is not permissible. However, composing good poetry is correct and there are many evidences for it.
Firstly, in the verse under discussion from Surah Ash-Shu’ara, the exception ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ﴾ is mentioned, exempting those poets who are believers and do righteous deeds and whose poetry is based on truth and reality, because Allah Almighty has used words that clearly indicate that a believer who adheres to righteous deeds and frequently remembers Allah cannot produce false, love-affair-based, exaggerated, or excessive poetry. Such things are the work of those deprived of faith qualities. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) explains:
﴿الشُّعَرَاءُ هُمُ الْغَاوُونَ﴾ فنسخ من ذلك واستثنى فقال ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾
“Allah Almighty has exempted the believers, the righteous doers, and those who remember Allah frequently through ﴿وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ﴾ by ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ﴾.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani said in Fath al-Bari
that commentators have said that the poets mentioned refer to the poets of the polytheists, behind whom follow misguided, devilish leaders and disobedient jinn who recite their poetry, because a misguided person follows only those who are also misguided. Alama Qurtubi named some of them, including Abdullah bin Al-Zubairi, Hubayrah bin Wahb, Musafiq, Amr bin Abi Umayyah bin Abi Salat, and it is also said that this verse was revealed about two poets who satirized each other, each accompanied by a group of misguided irreligious people. Then Ibn Hajar Asqalani mentioned the interpretation of Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that among those misguided and foolish people, Allah Almighty exempted the believers. According to Ibn Abi Shaybah, a mursal narration states that when this verse ﴿وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ﴾ was revealed, Abdullah bin Rawahah, Hassan bin Thabit, and Ka’b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with them) came crying and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Allah Almighty has revealed this verse and He knows that we are poets.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Read the next part of the verse ﴿إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ﴾ You are the ones, and ﴿وَانْتَصَرُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا﴾ you are also.”
It is clear that in the mentioned Quranic verse, the believers, righteous, and good poets are exempted, and reading collections of their excellent poetry is correct and proper. The hadith of Amr bin Shuraid from his father, which Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani referred to, is as follows: Shuraid (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
ردفت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوما فقال هل معك من شعر أمية بن أبى الصلت شيء قلت نعم قال هيه فأنشدته بيتا فقال هيه ثم أنشدته بيتا فقال هيه حتى أنشدته مائة بيت
One day I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he asked: “Do you remember any verses from Umayyah bin Abi Salat’s poetry?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “Recite them.” I recited one verse, and he said: “Recite more.” I recited another verse, and he said: “Recite more.” Until I recited one hundred verses to him.
This hadith is also narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
أصدق كلمة قالها الشاعر كلمة لبيد ألا كل شيء ما خلا الله باطل وكاد أمية بن أبى الصلت أن يسلم
The truest words spoken by a poet are those of Labid, who said: Beware, everything except Allah will perish, and Umayyah bin Abi Salat was close to accepting Islam.
In the poetry of Umayyah bin Abi Salat, there was acknowledgment of the Oneness of Allah and the Hereafter, as Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his commentary on Muslim. Labid bin Abi Rabi’ah Al-Amiri came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with his tribe’s delegation; he was a respected man both in the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. He died in 41 AH at the age of 140 years, was a poet, and one of the most eloquent people! After accepting Islam, he did not compose poetry but used to say: The Quran is sufficient for me. See the commentary on Mukhtasar Al-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah
. Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
فقيه حوار إنشاد الشعر الذى لا فحش فيه وسماعه سواء شعر الجاهلية وغيرهم
“In this hadith, the permissibility of composing and listening to poetry that does not contain obscenity is established, whether it is from the pre-Islamic period or otherwise.”
Shurayh narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she was asked:
هل كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يتمثل بشيء من الشعر قالت كان يتمثل بشعر ابن رواحة ويقول ويأتيك بالأخبار من لم تزود
Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) ever recite poetry? She said: “He used to recite the poetry of Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he used to recite this verse ويأتيك بالأخبار من لم تزود and ‘He will give you news of what you did not provide for the journey.'”
This verse is from Tarqah bin Al-Abd; the full verse is:
ستبدو لك الأيام ما كنت جاهلا
ويأتيك بالأخبار من لم تزود
Soon the time will bring before you things you do not know, and a person will give you news whom you did not provide for the journey.
Abdullah bin Rawahah Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the leaders who participated in the battles of Aqabah, Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, and the battles before the conquest of Mecca, and he attained martyrdom while commanding in the Battle of Mu’tah. His poetry was:
وفينا رسول الله يتلو كتابه
إذا انشق معروف من الفجر ساطع
أرانا الهدى بعد العمى فقلوبنا
به موقنات أن ما قال واقع
يبيت يجافي جنبه عن فراشه
إذا استثقلت بالكافرين المضاجع
“We have the Messenger of Allah who recites His Book when the morning dawn breaks. We were blind, and He showed us the way; our hearts believe in His words that what He says will surely come to pass. (He is the Prophet who) spends the night apart from his bed while the sleep of the disbelievers is heavy.”
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered Mecca for Umrah Al-Qada, Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking ahead of him reciting this poetry:
خلوا بني الكفار عن سبيله
اليوم نضربكم على تنزيله
ضربا يزيل الهام عن مقيله
ويذهل الخليل عن خليله
“O sons of the disbelievers! Leave the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), today we will strike a blow according to the command of the Quran that will displace the upper part of the head and make friends unaware of each other.”
Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: O Abdullah bin Rawahah! You are reciting poetry in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and in the sanctuary of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O Umar! Leave him; these verses are hitting those disbelievers faster than arrows.”
Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) used to respond to the satire of the disbelievers in poetry, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him: “You satirize those disbelievers; Jibril (Gabriel) is with you.”
It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to satirize and serve the polytheists, and he said: “What will you do about my lineage?” (Meaning, my family and theirs are the same, so I will also be involved in this satire.) Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I will remove you from them as hair is removed from the head.” Urwah said: “I started speaking ill of Hassan to Aisha, but she said: Do not speak ill of him; he used to defend the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
كإن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يضع لحسان منبرا فى المسجد يقوم عليه قائما يفاخر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أو قالت ينافح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الله يؤيد حسان بروح القدس ما يفاخر أو ما ينافح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), on which he would stand and recite poetry in defense on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “As long as he defends the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty helps Hassan bin Thabit through the Holy Spirit, i.e., Jibril (Gabriel).”
Aamir bin Aku’ (may Allah be pleased with him) was a poet and accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) towards Khyber and recited some poetry:
اللهم لولا أنت ما اهتدينا
ولا تصدقنا ولا صلينا
فاغفر لنا ما مضى وما أتينا
وثبت الأقدام إن لاقينا
إنا إذا صبحنا بنا علو
وبالصباح علو علينا
O Allah! If You were not there, we would not have found guidance, nor would we give charity or pray. Forgive what we have committed before, and when facing the enemy, keep us steadfast and send tranquility upon us. When we are called to war, we respond, and the enemy also calls for salvation from us.
Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed for him: “يرحمه الله” “May Allah have mercy on him.”
It is narrated from Abi bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إن من الشعر حكمة
“Indeed, some poetry is full of wisdom.”
Aswad bin Sari’ said: I was a poet and came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “Shall I recite some praises with which I have praised my Lord?” He said: “Indeed, your Lord likes praises.”
Aswad bin Sari’ praised Allah in poetry, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) liked it.
From the above authentic and explicit evidences, it is clear that poetry containing praise and glorification of Allah, praise and eulogy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), admonitions and remembrances, and satire of disbelievers and polytheists is correct and proper to read. There is consensus of the Ummah on the permissibility of poetry free from falsehood, obscenity, and exaggeration, as Ibn Abdul Barr has narrated.
Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
جالست النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أكثر من مائة مرة فكان أصحابه يتناشدون الشعر ويتذاكرون أشياء من أمر الجاهلية وهو ساكت فربما تبسم معهم
“I attended more than a hundred gatherings with the Prophet (peace be upon him). His companions used to recite poetry among themselves and mention many things from the pre-Islamic period, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) remained silent and sometimes smiled with them.”
Imam Tirmidhi declared this narration Hasan Sahih, and there are other evidences as well.
Therefore, poetry free from filth is correct and proper, and there is no objection to it. In the present era, to inspire the youth with the spirit of Jihad, Jamaat al-Da’wah has published well-known poetry collections by Amir Hamad and Sultan al-Jihadi. If you wish to study, you may read them, and in any case, avoid poetry that corrupts morals, destroys modesty, contains falsehood, or is based on exaggeration.
