Poetry Recitation in Mosques
And in these two hadiths, in the first hadith, the second point mentioned is that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade poetry recitation in the mosque:
وأن ينشد فيه شعر
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade frivolous poetry recitation in the mosque.
And the commentator of Bukhari writes that there are multiple hadiths on this subject, but the chains of narration of all of them have been criticized. However, the hadith we have just mentioned has been declared good (hasan) by some hadith scholars. Its chain of narration is authentic up to Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, according to Hafiz Ibn Hajar, those who consider the narration of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) authentic regard this hadith as authentic.
Besides the hadith of prohibition, there is a well-known incident narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Musnad Hamidi, Ibn Hibban, Ibn Khuzaymah, Abdul Razzaq, Bayhaqi, Sharh al-Sunnah by Al-Baghawi and Tahawi, Mustadrak Hakim, and other hadith collections. It is about Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who is famous as the poet and eulogist of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded him to respond to the poems of the disbelievers and polytheists that were insulting or criticizing the Prophet (peace be upon him), and said:
يا حسان أجب عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
O Hassan! Respond to the insults of these disbelievers in defense of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
And it did not stop there; rather, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for Hazrat Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) saying:
اللهم أيده بروح القدس
For detailed authentication, see
O Allah! Assist him through your angel Jibreel (Gabriel).
And in some narrations, it is also mentioned that when Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) heard Hazrat Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) reciting poetry in the mosque, he expressed surprise and said that you are reciting poetry in the mosque. To which he replied:
كنت أنشد فيه وفيه من هو خير منك
“I used to recite poetry in this mosque even when a far superior personality than you was present in it.” (Meaning the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him))
Then he turned to Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and swore to ask him if he had ever heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: O Hassan! Respond to those disbelievers on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and pray: O Allah! Assist Hassan through your angel Jibreel. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) confirmed this by saying yes.
And in the chapter
, the text brought by Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) does not, according to Ibn Battal, clarify whether Hazrat Hassan’s poetry recitation was in the Prophet’s Mosque and in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). But in another place in Sahih Bukhari
in the
, the text of the hadith states that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Hazrat Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him):
أجب عني
Respond on my behalf.
From these two words of the Prophet’s instruction, it is understood that this incident took place in the Prophet’s Mosque or in the presence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Moreover, in Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Sharh al-Sunnah, and Musnad Ahmad, there is a very clear and explicit hadith narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينصب لحسان منبرا فى المسجد فيقوم عليه يهجو الكفار
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to have a pulpit made for Hazrat Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) in the Prophet’s Mosque, upon which he would ascend and recite poetry in response to the insults of the disbelievers.
Now, on one hand, there are hadiths of prohibition, and on the other hand, hadiths permitting it. Do not be troubled by the apparent contradiction seen earlier from these two types of hadiths. The great hadith scholars and scholars of knowledge have reconciled and harmonized these two types of hadiths and resolved this apparent contradiction.
Conformity and Agreement in Both Types of Hadith
There are two types of hadiths related to poetry recitation in mosques. Some state that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade poetry recitation in the mosque. However, in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other books, some hadiths indicate from the Prophet’s own practice that it is not impermissible. In fact, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) to respond to the polytheists and disbelievers who were composing satirical poetry against him. For this purpose, Hassan used to recite poetry in the mosque from the pulpit.
To reconcile these two types of hadiths, the scholars and muhaddithin have said:
Firstly:
The poetry of Hazrat Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) was not ordinary poetry with trivial content. Rather, the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded him to respond to the satirical verses composed by the disbelievers and polytheists who insulted the Prophet and the companions.
Secondly:
There is a prohibition on reciting in the mosque those poems that relate to the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), which contain arrogant views such as “there is none like us,” unwarranted exaggeration, and other ignorant matters. If the poetry includes vain and frivolous talk, descriptions of flowers and nightingales, wine and youth, or tales of battles and raids, then such poetry—whether ignorant or romantic—is prohibited. However, poetry based on truth and righteousness can be recited in the mosque. Because impure, frivolous poetry or indecent talk contradicts the respect and sanctity of the mosque, whereas good and meaningful poetry does not.
There is no need here to go into the details of distinguishing between good and bad, or truth and falsehood in poetry, because every sound-minded Muslim can make this distinction. However, one point should be especially noted: poetry that can be recited in mosques includes those that present the oneness of Allah Almighty in a good manner; describe the position of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet and messenger; encourage following the Book and Sunnah, obedience to Allah and His Messenger; exhort good manners; and emphasize the fulfillment of the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants, all expressed in good and pure language.
Whether such poetry is called praise (Hamd), eulogy (Naat), a poem (Nazm), or something else, it is permissible. But if a poet or naat reciter includes in their poetry statements that contradict the status and rank of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or are against reality, then such poetry should not be recited in mosques, nor anywhere else, nor should it be listened to. The same applies to such praise poetry.
For example, if a poet deviates from the right path and believes, may Allah protect us, that Allah is present everywhere in essence and in everything, influenced by the false doctrine of Alawiyyah or Wahdat al-Wujud (unity of existence) held by some Mu’tazilites, then such poetry should be kept away not only from mosques but also from one’s home or office library, and such people should not be welcomed in gatherings.
Similarly, there are polytheistic poems related to the essence or attributes of Allah, and poems that are considered disrespectful to Allah’s majesty, even if called naat. For example, someone might say:
“What is there in Allah’s realm besides unity?
Whatever you want, ask from Muhammad.”
Due to lack of knowledge or religious understanding, many poets have made many mistakes and exaggerations in naat poetry attributed to praise. If a knowledgeable person, whose beliefs conform to the agreed-upon beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah, were to collect all the Urdu naat poetry written so far and separate the true from the false, it would not be surprising if the false and incorrect poetry, influenced by wrong beliefs, exaggeration, and ignorance, outweighs the correct.
Now tell me, how can such poetry be recited or sung in mosques? And I say “sung” because the public’s taste was already corrupted. Poets, following the trend of “go with the flow,” recited or listened to film songs, and then composed naat poetry in the style of those songs, which were then sung in the same manner.
If such poetry contains exaggeration, disrespect, or polytheistic beliefs about the Prophet’s status, then it is not permissible to recite such poetry in mosques, let alone anywhere else.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) changed the old name of Medina from Yathrib to Taybah and Tabah because the old name’s meaning was not appropriate and to some extent to abandon it. He declared it disliked to refer to the city by its old name. If today’s naat reciters insist on saying Yathrib in their poetry, then such poetry and other similar incorrect poetry should not be recited in mosques. The details of what incorrect matters are found in such poetry have been discussed to some extent in our Seerah-related programs, which you have heard. (Alhamdulillah, the Seerah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) programs are now available by Allah’s grace, and the book is titled Seerat Imam al-Anbiya (peace be upon him).)
Thirdly:
Putting aside these details, to reconcile the permissibility and impermissibility of poetry recitation in mosques, scholars have said that occasionally reciting correct poetry in the mosque is not objectionable. But if it becomes frequent and prevents the people in the mosque from education, teaching, remembrance, and recitation of the Qur’an, then such poetry recitation is also prohibited.
