سُوْرَةُ الشُّعَرَآءِ
Surah Ash-Shu'araa (26) — Ayah 224
وَٱلشُّعَرَآءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ ٱلْغَاوُۥنَ ﴿224﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
As for the poets, the erring ones follow them,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلشُّعَرَآءُ
wal-shuʿarāu
And the poets
يَتَّبِعُهُمُ
yattabiʿuhumu
follow them
ٱلْغَاوُۥنَ
l-ghāwūna
the deviators
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
224. And only those who are astray follow the poets [134].
[134] One of the accusations of the disbelievers of Makkah was also that you (God forbid) are a poet. In this context, here some characteristics of poets and those who applaud poets have been described, so that everyone may decide for themselves whether the Messenger of Allah ﷺ could be a poet or not. Then, what are the qualities of your followers, and what are the qualities of the followers of poets? The work of poets is merely to enliven gatherings and create temporary excitement, which has nothing to do with lasting guidance. And those who applaud them are also people devoid of guidance and are astray.
[134] One of the accusations of the disbelievers of Makkah was also that you (God forbid) are a poet. In this context, here some characteristics of poets and those who applaud poets have been described, so that everyone may decide for themselves whether the Messenger of Allah ﷺ could be a poet or not. Then, what are the qualities of your followers, and what are the qualities of the followers of poets? The work of poets is merely to enliven gatherings and create temporary excitement, which has nothing to do with lasting guidance. And those who applaud them are also people devoid of guidance and are astray.
