Man wishes to be granted his desires And God refuses save what He has willed
Man says: My wealth and my profit But the fear of God is the best of what one gains (100)
There is no disagreement regarding the permissibility of poetry. The Companions and scholars have recited it, and there is a need for it to understand the language and Arabic (101), to cite it as evidence in exegesis (Tafsir), and to become familiar with the meanings of the speech of God Almighty and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings of God be upon him). It is also used as evidence for genealogy, history (102), and the battles of the Arabs. It is said: "Poetry is the diwan (record) of the Arabs." If it is said: "But God Almighty said: {And the poets, [only] the deviators follow them} (103), and the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: 'For one of you to fill his belly with pus until it corrupts him is better for him than to fill it with poetry.'" Recorded by Abu Dawud and Abu 'Ubayd (104). He stated: "The meaning of 'corrupts him' (yarihi) is 'consumes his interior.' It is said: 'wara-hu yarihi.'" The poet said (105):
May my Lord make them corrupt as they have corrupted me And make the branding irons hot upon their livers
We say: As for the verse, it refers to those who transgressed and lied, evidenced by His description of them by saying: {Do you not see that they wander in every valley? (225) And that they say what they do not do?} (106). Then He exempted the believers, saying: {Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and remember God often} (107). And because the prevailing trait of
(100) Cited by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, in: al-Isti'ab 4/1648. (101) The 'waw' was dropped from: A, M. (102) In A: "and the histories." (103) Surah al-Shu'ara, 224. (104) Recorded by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on what has been said regarding poetry, from the Book of Manners. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/598. And by Abu 'Ubayd, in: Gharib al-Hadith 1/34-36. It was also recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on what is disliked for poetry to be the prevailing thing in a person..., from the Book of Manners. Sahih al-Bukhari 8/45. And by Muslim, in: The Book of Poetry. Sahih Muslim 4/1769, 1770. And by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on what has been said: 'For one of you to fill his belly with pus...', from the Chapters of Manners. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 10/292. And by Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on what is disliked of poetry, from the Book of Manners. Sunan Ibn Majah 2/1236, 1237. And by al-Darimi, in: The Chapter: 'For one of you to fill his belly...', from the Book of Seeking Permission. Sunan al-Darimi 2/297. And by Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/175, 177, 181, 2/39, 96, 288, 331, 355, 391, 478, 480, 3/8, 41. (105) He is Suhaym 'Abd Bani al-Hash-has. His Diwan 24. (106) Surah al-Shu'ara, 225, 226. (107) Surah al-Shu'ara, 227.
