Chapter 23: Explanation Regarding
Verses Of Poetry
Almighty Allah says
(وَالشُّعَرَآءُ
یَتَّبِعُہُمُ الْغَاوٗنَ ﴿۲۲۴﴾ؕاَلَمْ تَرَ اَنَّہُمْ فِیۡ کُلِّ وَادٍ
یَّہِیۡمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۲۵﴾ۙوَ اَنَّہُمْ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَا لَا یَفْعَلُوۡنَ ﴿۲۲۶﴾ۙاِلَّا
الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَ ذَکَرُوا اللہَ کَثِیۡرًا وَّ
انۡتَصَرُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوۡا ؕ)
“And the poets
are followed, by the misguided ones. Have you not noticed that they roam
aimlessly in every ravine, And they say that which they do not do, Except for
those who believed and did good deeds, and remembered Allah abundantly, and
retaliated after, they were treated unjustly.” [Surah Shu’ra 26 Verses 224-227]
In other words, this command is not for those who retaliated by replying
to the unjust poetry of the ignorant poets
Hadith 1: It is in
Sahih Bukhari from Ubay bin Ka’ab رضی اللہ
تعالٰی عنہ that Nabi Kareem
صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم said, ‘Some stanzas (poems) bear wisdom’.
Hadith 2: It is in
Sahih Bukhari and Muslim from Bara’ رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ that Nabi Kareem
صلَّی
اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم said to Has’saan ibn Thaabit رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ ‘Satirize the mushrikeen (polytheists),
Jibra’eel علیہ السلام is with you’. The Prophet
صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم would say to Has’saan رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ ‘Reply (to them) on my behalf. O Allah, Aid
Has’saan through Roohul Quds (The Holy Spirit)’.
Hadith 3: It is in
Muslim from Hazrat A’isha رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہا says, ‘I
heard Rasoolullah صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم say the following to Has’saan رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ ‘Roohul Quds is always at your aid, for as
long as you repel (them) on behalf of Allah and His Rasool صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم
’.’
Hadith 4: Darqutni
reported from Hazrat A’isha رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہا that it was
mentioned to Rasoolullah صلَّی
اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم regarding a poetic stanza and he صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ
وسلَّم said, ‘It is a phrase (form of expression). If it is good, then it
is good and if it is bad, then it is bad’.
Hadith 5: It is in
Sahih Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ
تعالٰی عنہ that Rasoolullah
صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم said, ‘It is better for the stomach of a man
to be filled with pus which causes it to decay, than for it to be filled with (vile)
poetic stanzas’.
Hadith 6: It is in
Sahih Muslim from Abu Sa’eed Khudri رضی اللہ
تعالٰی عنہ who says, ‘we were travelling with Rasoolullah صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم
towards a mount, when a poet passed by us,
reciting a few stanzas’. Huzoor-e-Akram
صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم said, ‘Seize the shaitaan! It is better for
the stomach (inside) of a person to be filled with pus, instead of it being
filled with poetic stanzas’.
Hadith 7: Imam Ahmed
reported on the authority of Sa’ad ibn Waq’qas رضی اللہ
تعالٰی عنہ that Rasoolullah صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم said, ‘The Last Day will not come until such
people become apparent who will eat by means of their tongues, just as a cow
eats with its tongue’. [In other words, their means of attaining sustenance
will be by way of praising (certain) people and being derogatory (towards
other) people, and in doing so, they will not pay any heed to what is true and
what is untrue, similar to a cow, that does not care whether something is
beneficial or harmful. It eats whatever its tongue touches.] From this Hadith
it can be derived that poetic stanzas can be good and bad as well. If the poems
are said in praise of Allah and His Rasool صلَّی اللہ
تعالٰی علیہ وسلَّم
, or if
they are words of wisdom, or if they teach good etiquettes, then they will be
regarded as good and if they consist of absurd and futile words, then they are
regarded as being bad. Since most of the poets generally blurt out unsuitable
words, it is for this reason that they are criticised.
Laws of Jurisprudence
Law: There is no harm in
reading such poetic stanzas which are Mubah (Lawful). If the poetic stanza
contains the praise of a particular female who is still alive, then to read
such stanzas is disapproved, and if she has already passed away, or if it is
not regarding a particular female, then to read it is permissible. If a young
boy is being discussed in a poem, then the ruling is the same as it is
regarding poems in praise of females. [Alamgiri]
Law: If
the aim of studying poetry is to take its aid in better understanding the
commentary of the Qur’an, i.e. by studying it, one may become better acquainted
with the idioms, style and elegance of the Arabic language, like responses
taken from the words of poets from the days of ignorance, then there is no harm
in doing so. [Alamgiri]
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