What has been narrated about poetry

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying :

it is better for a man’s belly to be full of pus than to be full of poetry.

Abu ‘Ali said : I have been told that Abu ‘Ubaid said : It means that his heart is full of poetry so much so that it makes him neglectful of the Quran and remembrance of Allah. If the Quran and the knowledge (of religion) are dominant, the belly will not be full of poetry in our opinion. Some eloquent speech is magic. It means that a man expresses his eloquence by praising another man, and he speaks the truth about him so much so that he attracts the hearts to his speech. He then condemns him and speaks the truth about him so much so that he attracts the hearts to another of his speech, as if he spelled the audience by it.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ أَحَدِكُمْ قَيْحًا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا " . قَالَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ بَلَغَنِي عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَجْهُهُ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ قَلْبُهُ حَتَّى يَشْغَلَهُ عَنِ الْقُرْآنِ وَذِكْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِذَا كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ وَالْعِلْمُ الْغَالِبُ فَلَيْسَ جَوْفُ هَذَا عِنْدَنَا مُمْتَلِئًا مِنَ الشِّعْرِ وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا . قَالَ كَأَنَّ الْمَعْنَى أَنْ يَبْلُغَ مِنْ بَيَانِهِ أَنْ يَمْدَحَ الإِنْسَانَ فَيَصْدُقَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَصْرِفَ الْقُلُوبَ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ ثُمَّ يَذُمَّهُ فَيَصْدُقَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَصْرِفَ الْقُلُوبَ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ الآخَرِ فَكَأَنَّهُ سَحَرَ السَّامِعِينَ بِذَلِكَ .

Ubayy b. Ka’b reported the Prophet ﷺ as saying :
In poetry there is wisdom.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ مَرْوَانَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ يَغُوثَ، عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ " إِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حِكْمَةً " .

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:

A desert Arab came to the Prophet ﷺ and began to speak. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: In eloquence there is magic and in poetry there is wisdom.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَجَعَلَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلاَمٍ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا وَإِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حُكْمًا " .

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib:

I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: In eloquence there is magic, in knowledge ignorance, in poetry wisdom, and in speech heaviness.

Sa'sa'ah ibn Suhan said: The Prophet of Allah ﷺ spoke the truth. His statement "In eloquence there is magic" means: (For example), there is a right due from a man who is more eloquent in reasoning than the man who is demanding his right. He (the defendant) charms the people by his speech and takes away his right. His statement "In knowledge there is ignorance" means: A scholar brings to his knowledge what he does not know, and thus he becomes ignorant of that. His statement "In poetry there is wisdom" means: These are the sermons and examples by which people receive admonition. His statement "In speech there is heaviness" means: That you present your speech and your talk to a man who is not capable of understanding it, and who does not want it.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ فَارِسٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو تُمَيْلَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ النَّحْوِيُّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي صَخْرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ جَهْلاً وَإِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حُكْمًا وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ عِيَالاً " . فَقَالَ صَعْصَعَةُ بْنُ صُوحَانَ صَدَقَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا " . فَالرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ أَلْحَنُ بِالْحُجَجِ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْحَقِّ فَيَسْحَرُ الْقَوْمَ بِبَيَانِهِ فَيَذْهَبُ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ جَهْلاً " . فَيَتَكَلَّفُ الْعَالِمُ إِلَى عِلْمِهِ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فَيُجَهِّلُهُ ذَلِكَ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حُكْمًا " . فَهِيَ هَذِهِ الْمَوَاعِظُ وَالأَمْثَالُ الَّتِي يَتَّعِظُ بِهَا النَّاسُ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ عِيَالاً " . فَعَرْضُكَ كَلاَمَكَ وَحَدِيثَكَ عَلَى مَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ وَلاَ يُرِيدُهُ .

Sa'id said:

Umar passed by Hassan when he was reciting verses in the mosque. He looked at him. Thereupon he said: I used to recite verses when there was present in it the one who was better than you (i.e. the Prophet).

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي خَلَفٍ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ، - الْمَعْنَى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ مَرَّ عُمَرُ بِحَسَّانَ وَهُوَ يُنْشِدُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَلَحَظَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ قَدْ كُنْتُ أُنْشِدُ وَفِيهِ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ .

The tradition mention above has also been transmitted by Sa’id b. al-Musayyab through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds:
so he (‘Umar’) feared that he would refer to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; therefore he allowed him.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، بِمَعْنَاهُ زَادَ فَخَشِيَ أَنْ يَرْمِيَهُ، بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَجَازَهُ .

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to setup a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan who would stand on it and satirise those who spoke against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say: The spirit of holiness (i.e. Gabriel) is with Hassan so long as he speaks in defence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الْمِصِّيصِيُّ، لُوَيْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، وَهِشَامٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، رضى الله عنها قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَضَعُ لِحَسَّانَ مِنْبَرًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَيَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَهْجُو مَنْ قَالَ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنَّ رُوحَ الْقُدُسِ مَعَ حَسَّانَ مَا نَافَحَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ " .