| Ash-Shu'ara (The Poets): (227) "Except those who believe..."

(Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and remember Allah often and defend themselves after they were wronged.)

This is an exception for the believing, righteous poets who frequently remember Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Most of their poetry is in the vein of Monotheism (Tawhid), praising Allah the Sublime, urging obedience, wisdom, admonition, asceticism in this world, warning against reliance upon it, being deceived by its ornaments, or being tempted by its fleeting pleasures. They encourage what is with Allah the Almighty, spread the virtues of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), praise him, and mention his miracles so that love for him may penetrate the depths of the listeners' hearts, increasing their desire to follow him. They also spread praises of his family, his companions, and the righteous of his nation for similar purposes. Even if at times they engaged in satire, it occurred by way of defending themselves against those who satirized them, without aggression or excess, as indicated by the recitation of some: (And defended themselves just as they were wronged).

It is said that those intended by the exception are the believing poets who used to defend the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and strike back at the satirists among the polytheists. Evidence for this is provided by what ‘Abd bin Humayd and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Qatadah: that this verse was revealed regarding a group of the Ansar who defended the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), among them Ka‘b bin Malik, ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah, and Hassan bin Thabit. As-Suddi narrated something similar, as did those who reported from Abu Hassan Salim al-Barrad, who said: "When the verse (And the poets...) was revealed, ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah, Hassan bin Thabit, and Ka‘b bin Malik came crying and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Allah the Almighty has revealed this verse, and He knows that we are poets; we are ruined.' So Allah the Almighty revealed: (Except those who believe...), and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called them and recited it to them."

You know that the validity of the ruling lies in the generality of the expression, not the specificity of the cause. Ibn Marduyah and Ibn ‘Asakir recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he recited the saying of Allah Almighty: (Except those who believe...) to the end of the attributes, and said: "They are Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Ali, and ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah." This is perhaps a matter of limiting it to some of what the expression indicates, for it has been reported from him in some narrations that suggest generality.

Furthermore, this verse has been used as evidence to criticize poetry, excessive praise, satire, and other aspects of the craft, while permitting it regarding asceticism, etiquette, and noble character, as well as permitting satire against those who wrong one as a form of defense. Such has been said. Know that poetry is a category of speech; its good is good, and its ugly is ugly. The Hadith states: "Indeed, there is wisdom in poetry." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard it, rewarded it, and said to Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him): "Satirize them"—meaning the polytheists—"for the Holy Spirit will aid you." In one narration: "Satirize them, and Gabriel is with you." Ibn Sa‘d recorded from Ibn Buraydah that Gabriel (peace be upon him) aided Hassan in his praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with seventy lines. Ahmad, al-Bukhari in his History, Abu Ya‘la, and Ibn Marduyah recorded from Ka‘b bin Malik that he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Allah the Almighty has revealed in the Poets what He revealed, so what is your opinion on it?" He replied: "The believer struggles with his sword and his tongue. By Him in whose hand is my soul, it is as if you are hitting them with arrows."

Ibn Sa‘d recorded from Muhammad bin Sirin that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said one night while they were traveling: "Where is Hassan bin Thabit?" He said: "Here I am, O Messenger of Allah, at your service." He said: "Take!" and he began to recite to him, and he listened to him until he finished his recitation. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "This is harder upon them than the striking of arrows." It is narrated from Hisham bin ‘Urwah, from his father, from ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) built a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan bin Thabit to recite poetry upon.

Al-Daylami recorded from Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in a marfu‘ (elevated) narration: "The poets who die in Islam, Allah the Almighty commands them to say poetry that the Hour al-‘Ayn (women of Paradise) sing to their husbands in Paradise. And those who died in polytheism are called to woe and destruction in the Fire." Every one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all) recited poetry, as did many of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).

... [Examples of poetry by Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Fatimah, al-‘Abbas, and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas follow] ...

It has been said that there is not a single person among the sons of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, male or female, who did not compose poetry, except the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so that his status (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would be more profound. Because of this, the Successors and the Imams of the religion and Muslim jurists who came after them also had much poetry.

... [Discussion on the scholars' views, the prohibition of poetry containing obscenity or mockery of the Prophet, and the categorization of poetry as recommended, permissible, or forbidden] ...

** (And those who have done wrong will know to what [kind of] return they will return.) **

This is a severe threat and an emphatic warning, for in "will know" there is intimidation, and in "those who have done wrong" there is generalization and universality. The righteous predecessors used to admonish one another with it. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) ended his testament with it when he designated ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as his successor... [The text details this event]. The interpretation of "wrong" as disbelief, although common in several places in the Holy Quran, is better understood here as general, given the saying of Allah Almighty: (after they were wronged).

... [Linguistic discussion regarding the grammatical construction of "to what kind of return they will return"] ...