Fwd’ing
Adil Salahi, Saudi Arabia.
It is often said that Islam does not encourage poetry. But such a
general statement is far from accurate. A medium length Surah in the
Qur’an is given the title, Al-Shu’ara’, or The Poets. It concludes with
a few verses condemning exaggerations that poets often resort to. It
also criticizes them for the wide gap between what they say and what
they do. These concluding verses run as follows: “As for the poets, only
those who are lost in grievous error would follow them. Are you not
aware that they roam confusedly through all valleys, and that they often
say what they do not do? Excepted are those of them who believe and do
righteous deeds, remember God often and defend themselves after having
been wronged. Indeed the wrongdoers will in time come to know how evil a
turn their destinies are bound to take.” (26: 224-227)
This is not a condemnation of all poetry or all poets. It distinguishes
between exaggerated statements often used by poets and poetry that
observes the moral values stressed by Islam, particularly commitment to
truth and resisting oppression. When poets indulge in unrestrained
exaggeration of feelings, emotions or actions, or extol their own
virtues in an exercise of great self-admiration, or assure their
audience of great things which they know to be unreal, then Islam
strongly censures them.
But poets who use their talent to serve the cause of the truth,
stressing good moral values, propagating true principles, and advocating
Islam will have a double reward. They will achieve a good standing among
people in their own generation and in later generations.
This is a valuable reward in this life, and they stand to earn reward
from God on the Day of Judgment.
It is to the first type of poetry that the Prophet refers when he says:
“It is more preferable for any one of you that his inside is full of
puss eating into his body than its being full of poetry.” (Related in
all six main collections of Hadith). The Hadith gives a horrid picture
of the type of person who allows such pursuits to pervade his poetry,
throwing to the wall all moral values that restrain people’s speech and
encourage them to say only what is right and proper.
By contrast, the Prophet praises poets who use their talent to emphasize
virtues and advocate proper values. He is quoted to have said: “Some
poetry is pure wisdom.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood and Ibn
Majah) The same wording is used in another Hadith which mentions that a
Bedouin came to the Prophet and spoke most eloquently. The Prophet
commented: “Some fine speech is pure magic and some poetry is pure
wisdom.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Abu Dawood,
Al-Tirmithi, Ibn Majah and others).
Here the Prophet compares the effect of fine speech to magic in the
sense that both may captivate an audience. That speech may be
captivating is a well-known experience. The speaker may be an orator, or
someone speaking at leisure when a group of people are listening, and he
or she provides some highly interesting talk. His listeners may be all
attentive as he expounds his ideas to them. Similarly, poets can use
their talent and their understanding of human nature and their life
experience to highlight some very useful meaning. This is noted most
particularly in the poetry of Al-Mutanabbi, a famous Arab poet who lived
around 800 years ago. Some of his wise sayings are still treated as very
relevant to human society today.
In Islam, poets can have a very prominent role. We know about Hassan ibn
Thabit, who is often described as the Prophet’s own poet. Hassan was a
fine poet who belonged to the Ansar, the Prophet’s companions from
Madinah. As Islam was fighting the onslaught of the unbelievers who
tried hard to suppress its message, the information battle was no less
important than the military fight. Unbelieving poets were engaged in a
determined attack on the Prophet and his companions. Poetry traveled
easily in Arabia and was appreciated by all Arabs.
Hence, it was necessary for Muslim poets to rise to the occasion and
defend Islam in poetry to reply to the abuse of pagan poets. Hassan went
to the Prophet, seeking permission to use his poetic talent against the
unbelievers in Makkah, who were leading the fight against Islam. It is
universally known that the Prophet himself belonged to Quraysh, the main
Arab tribe in Makkah. If Hassan were to attack this tribe, he would
implicitly attack the Prophet as he belonged to them. Hence, the Prophet
asked him: “How about my relation to them?” Hassan said: “I will
extricate you like a hair is pulled out of dough.”
This promise Hassan honored with great dexterity. He was able to write
poetry of the highest quality in praise of the Prophet, defense of Islam
and criticism of Quraysh and its attitude to both the Prophet and God’s
message. Thus, he attained high distinction as the main media fighter
for the cause of Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet and for many
years to come after the Prophet had passed away.
His position was acknowledged by Aishah, the Prophet’s wife. It so
happened that, on a certain occasion, Hassan took a wrong attitude in a
question involving Aishah. She was innocent and free of blame in that
question, and this fact is expressly stated in the Qur’an. But prior to
that, Hassan said the wrong words against her. He came to regret that
and the matter was thus settled.
Aishah no longer thought of the matter and she appreciated Hassan’s role
in the advocacy of Islam. A report by a relative of Aishah who belonged
to the generation of successors to the Prophet’s companions goes as
follows: “I severely criticized Hassan in Aishah’s presence, but she
said to me, ‘Do not condemn him, for he used to defend God’s messenger,
(peace be upon him)’.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad.)
Her magnanimous attitude speaks volumes for her integrity and commitment
to the cause of Islam. She forgot her personal grievance against the man
and remembered only his virtue in defending Islam and the Prophet. Her
attitude provides an example that should be followed by Muslims in later
generations. It is an attitude that puts the cause of the Muslim
community above the personal interests or grievances of individuals,
regardless of their position in society.
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“I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has a grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the straight path. (The truth)”
(11:55-56)
“…Indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the worlds” (6:162)