Surah Ash-Shu'araa (26) — Ayah 226

(Ayah 226) {وَ اَنَّهُمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُوْنَ :} This is the third characteristic of poets, which was in complete opposition to the conduct of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Everyone who knew the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew that whatever he said, he did; friends and enemies all agreed that there was no contradiction between his words and actions. Whereas, regarding poets, everyone knows that what they say is one thing, and what they do is another. If you read their poetry, you would think they are braver than lions, but in reality, they are extremely cowardly. They compose such verses on generosity that one would think there is no one more generous than them, while in reality, they are extremely stingy. They make grand claims of asceticism, contentment, and self-respect, while in greed and avarice, they cross the ultimate limits of humiliation. Mirza Ghalib himself described his own state:

These matters of Sufism, this is your discourse, Ghalib
We would have considered you a saint, had you not been a wine-drinker

Hali, in his "Musaddas," has beautifully depicted the poets of his time.

If there is any punishment for composing bad poetry
Then that court whose judge is God
All the sinners will be acquitted there
If the vain uttering of falsehoods is forbidden
Wherever there is reward and punishment for good and evil
Our poets will fill up Hell

In these verses, Hali, while condemning poets, has granted all other sinners a certificate of freedom from Hell; this is the result of the very poetry that Allah Almighty has condemned. That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ لَأَنْ يَّمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ الرَّجُلِ قَيْحًا يَرِيْهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَنْ يَّمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ] [ مسلم، الشعر، باب في إنشاد الأشعار…:۲۲۵۷، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “It is better for a man’s belly to be filled with pus that corrodes it than to be filled with poetry.” The meaning of the belly (chest, stomach) being filled with poetry is that poetry dominates a person instead of the Qur’an and Hadith. Otherwise, there is no harm in memorizing, listening to, or reciting good poetry. Amr bin Shuraid narrates from his father that one day I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on a mount, and he said: [ هَلْ مَعَكَ مِنْ شِعْرِ أُمَيَّةَ بْنِ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ شَيْءٌ ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ، قَالَ هِيْهِ فَأَنْشَدْتُّهُ بَيْتًا، فَقَالَ هِيْهِ ثُمَّ أَنْشَدْتُّهُ بَيْتًا فَقَالَ هِيْهِ حَتّٰی أَنْشَدْتُّهُ مِائَةَ بَيْتٍ ] [مسلم، الشعر، باب في إنشاد الأشعار…:۲۲۵۵ ] “Do you remember any verses of Umayyah bin Salt?” I said, “Yes!” He said, “Recite them.” I recited a verse, and he said, “Recite more.” I recited another verse, and he said, “Recite more,” until I had recited a hundred verses to him.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates, he said: [ إِذَا خَفِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَابْتَغُوْهُ فِي الشِّعْرِ فَإِنَّهُ دِيْوَانُ الْعَرَبِ ] [مستدرک حاکم : 499/2، ح : ۳۸۴۵، قال الحاکم صحیح و وافقہ الذھبي ] “When something from the Qur’an is hidden from you (you do not understand the meaning of a word), then seek it in poetry, for it is the register of the Arabs (i.e., a collection of their past knowledge).” In the footnote of Ibn Hibban (7377), the researcher has quoted this narration from Bayhaqi’s “Al-Asma wa al-Sifat” and declared both its chains as Hasan. It is well known that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to cite Arabic poetry as evidence in the exegesis of the Qur’an.

226-1. Since the majority of poets are such that they express opinions based on personal likes and dislikes rather than principle, and in addition, they employ exaggeration and hyperbole, and in poetic imaginations they wander here and there, it is said that those who follow them are also misguided. For this type of poetry, it is also mentioned in the hadith that "For a belly to be filled with pus and blood, which ruins it, is better than for it to be filled with poetry." (Tirmidhi and Muslim, etc.)

226. And they say things which they do not do [136].

[136] The second characteristic of poets is that there is a clear contradiction between their words and actions; they say one thing and do another. And this is the exact opposite of the way of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Whatever teaching he presented, he was the first to act upon it himself, and then he made the believers a model of the same teaching. Therefore, O polytheists of Makkah! Judge for yourselves how true is the accusation you are making against this Prophet of being a poet.