42. Poetry
Sahih Muslim 2255aIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
رَدِفْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ هَلْ مَعَكَ مِنْ شِعْرِ أُمَيَّةَ بْنِ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ شَيْئًا قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ هِيهِ فَأَنْشَدْتُهُ بَيْتًا فَقَالَ هِيهِ ثُمَّ أَنْشَدْتُهُ بَيْتًا فَقَالَ هِيهِ حَتَّى أَنْشَدْتُهُ مِائَةَ بَيْتٍ
One day when I rode behind Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he said (to me): Do you remember any poetry of Umayya b. Abu Salt. I said: Yes. He said: Then go on. I recited a couplet, and he said: Go on. Then I again recited a couplet and he said: Go on. I recited one hundred couplets (of his poetry). This hadith has been reported on the authority of Sharid through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.
Sahih Muslim 2255cIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
اسْتَنْشَدَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ وَزَادَ قَالَ إِنْ كَادَ لَيُسْلِمُ وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ قَالَ فَلَقَدْ كَادَ يُسْلِمُ فِي شِعْرِهِ
"He (that is Umayya b. Abu Salt) was about to become a Muslim", and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Ibn Mahdi (the words are) "He was almost a Muslim in his poetry."
Sahih Muslim 2256aIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
أَشْعَرُ كَلِمَةٍ تَكَلَّمَتْ بِهَا الْعَرَبُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ
The truest word spoken by an Arab (pre-Islamic) in poetry is this verse of Labid: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain."
Sahih Muslim 2256bIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا شَاعِرٌ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ وَكَادَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ أَنْ يُسْلِمَ
The truest word uttered by a poet is this verse of Labid: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain," and Umayya b. Abu Salt was almost a Muslim.
Sahih Muslim 2256cIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
أَصْدَقُ بَيْتٍ قَالَهُ الشَّاعِرُ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ وَكَادَ ابْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ أَنْ يُسْلِمَ
The truest verse recited by a poet is: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain," and Ibn Abu Salt was almost a Muslim.
Sahih Muslim 2256dIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
أَصْدَقُ بَيْتٍ قَالَتْهُ الشُّعَرَاءُ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ
The truest couplet recited by a poet is: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain," and he made no addition to it.
Sahih Muslim 2256eIn al-Bukhari or Muslim
إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا شَاعِرٌ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ مَا زَادَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ
I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: The truest word which the poet stated is the word of Labid: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain."
Sahih Muslim 2257In al-Bukhari or Muslim
لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ الرَّجُلِ قَيْحًا يَرِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا
It is better for a man's belly to be stuffed with pus which corrodes it than to stuff (one's mind) with frivolous poetry. Abu Bakr has reported it with a slight variation of wording.
Sahih Muslim 2258In al-Bukhari or Muslim
لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ أَحَدِكُمْ قَيْحًا يَرِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا
It is better for the belly of any one of you to be stuffed with pus rather than to stuff (one's mind) with poetry.
Sahih Muslim 2259In al-Bukhari or Muslim
بَيْنَا نَحْنُ نَسِيرُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِالْعَرْجِ إِذْ عَرَضَ شَاعِرٌ يُنْشِدُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خُذُوا الشَّيْطَانَ أَوْ أَمْسِكُوا الشَّيْطَانَ لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ رَجُلٍ قَيْحًا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا
We were going with Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As we reached the place (known as) ʿArj there met (us) a poet who had been reciting poetry. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Catch the satan or detain the satan, for filling the belly of a man with pus is better than stuffing his brain with poetry.
Sahih Muslim 2260In al-Bukhari or Muslim
مَنْ لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدَشِيرِ فَكَأَنَّمَا صَبَغَ يَدَهُ فِي لَحْمِ خِنْزِيرٍ وَدَمِهِ
He who played Nardashir (a game similar to backgammon) is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.