سورة الشعراء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Jumhur narrates in a marfu' hadith: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse: وَ الشُّعَراءُ یَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغاوُونَ [And as to the poets, those who go astray follow them]: "Which poet have you seen who is followed? What Allah meant is these jurists (court scholars) who acquaint the hearts of the people with falsehood (untruth); وَ هُمُ الشُّعَرَاءُ الَّذِینَ یُتَّبَعُونَ [and they are the poets who are followed]."

Ali ibn Ibrahim: وَالشُّعَرَاءُ یَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ [And as to the poets, those who go astray follow them] - what is meant by this are those who devised a new religion with their own opinions, and the people followed them in that. And the phrase: أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِی کُلِّ وَادٍ یَهِیمُونَ [Do you not see that they wander distracted in every valley] confirms this interpretation; that is, those who rise up in debate and dispute with false words and misleading arguments, and enter into every path, وَ أَنَّهُمْ یَقُولُونَ مَا لَا یَفْعَلُونَ [and that they say what they do not do] - meaning that they counsel people but do not take counsel themselves, and they forbid evil deeds but do not themselves refrain from them, and they call to good deeds but do not themselves perform them. These are the ones about whom Allah the Exalted has said: وَ أَنَّهُمْ یَقُولُونَ مَا لَا یَفْعَلُونَ [and that they say what they do not do]; these are the ones who have usurped the right of the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): In the presence of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), mention was made of the storytellers, tale-tellers and fable-spinners. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "May Allah curse them, for they spread improper words against us". Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked: "Is it permissible for us to listen to the words of the storytellers?" He said: "No, you have no right to" and then said: whoever listens to a speaker has worshipped him; if the speaker speaks from Allah, he has worshipped Allah, and if he speaks from Satan, he has worshipped him". Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked: "What is the interpretation of the verse: وَ الشُّعَراءُ یَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغاوُونَ [And as to the poets, those who go astray follow them]?" He said: "They are the storytellers".

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ka'b ibn Malik said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! What is your view about the poets?" He said: "The believer fights with his sword and his tongue. By the One in whose hand my soul is, it is as though the poets are shooting arrows at the enemies [with their poetry]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to [Ka'b ibn Malik], one of the poets of early Islam, [satirize the enemies], meaning: recount their vices and faults in the form of poetry. By the One in whose hand my soul is, this satire is more painful to them than an arrow.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to Hassan ibn Thabit, one of the poets of early Islam: "Satirize the enemies [with your poetry], or provoke their anger, for Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) is your helper".

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): O Shia! Teach your children the poetry of al-Abdi [Sufyan ibn Musab al-Abdi, a companion of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and one of the poets of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)], for he is upon the religion of Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Marwan said: I was sitting in the presence of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) along with Ma'ruf ibn Kharrabudh, and Ma'ruf was reciting poetry to me and I was reciting poetry to him, and he was asking me and I was asking him, and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was listening to what we said. At this Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has said: For a man's belly to be filled with pus is better for him than to be filled with poetry". Ma'ruf submitted: "What the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) meant is the one who composes poetry, not someone like us who recites the poetry of others". Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Alas for you! Or woe to you! This statement was said by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)".