Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:227

إﻻ الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات

Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated from Yazid bin Abdullah bin Qusayt, that Abu Al-Hasan Salim Al-Barrad, the freed servant of Tamim Ad-Dari said: "When the Ayah --

والشعراء يتبعهم الغاوون

(As for the poets, the erring ones follow them) was revealed, Hasan bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Rawahah and Ka`b bin Malik came to the Messenger of Allah, weeping, and said: "Allah knew when He revealed this Ayah that we are poets." The Prophet recited to them the Ayah,

إﻻ الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات

(Except those who believe and do righteous deeds), and said:

أنتم

(This means) you.

وذكروا الله كثيرا

and remember Allah much. He said:

أنتم

(This means) you.

وانتصروا من بعد ما ظلموا

and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. He said:

أنتم

(This means) you. This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir from the narration of Ibn Ishaq. But this Surah was revealed in Makkah, so how could the reason for its revelation be the poets of the Ansar? This is something worth thinking about. The reports that have been narrated about this are all Mursal and cannot be relied on. And Allah knows best. But this exception could include the poets of the Ansar and others. It even includes those poets of the Jahiliyyah who indulged in condemning Islam and its followers, then repented and turned to Allah, and gave up what they used to do and started to do righteous deeds and remember Allah much, to make up for the bad things that they had previously said, for good deeds wipe out bad deeds. So they praised Islam and its followers in order to make up for their insults, as (the poet) Abdullah bin Az-Zab`ari said when he became Muslim: "O Messenger of Allah, indeed my tongue will try to make up for things it said when I was bad -- When I went along with the Shaytan during the years of misguidance, and whoever inclines towards his way is in a state of loss.'' Similarly, Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith bin Abd Al-Muttalib was one of the most hostile people towards the Prophet, even though he was his cousin, and he was the one who used to mock him the most. But when he became Muslim, there was no one more beloved to him than the Messenger of Allah. He began to praise the Messenger of Allah where he had mocked him, and take him as a close friend where he had regarded him as an enemy.

وانتصروا من بعد ما ظلموا

and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. Ibn Abbas said, "They responded in kind to the disbelievers who used to ridicule the believers in verse.'' This was also the view of Mujahid, Qatadah and several others. It was also recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah said to Hasan:

اهجهم

Ridicule them in verse. Or he said:

هاجهم وجبريل معك

Ridicule them in verse, and Jibril is with you. Imam Ahmad recorded that Ka`b bin Malik said to the Prophet, "Allah has revealed what He revealed about the poets. The Messenger of Allah said:

إن المومن يجاهد بسيفه ولسانه والذي نفسي بيده لكٲن ما ترمونهم به نضح النبل

The believer wages Jihad with his sword and with his tongue, By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it is as if you are attacking them with arrows.

وسيعلم الذين ظلموا أي منقلب ينقلبون

And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned. This is like the Ayah,

يوم ﻻ ينفع الظلمين معذرتهم

The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to wrongdoers. (40: 52) According to the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah said:

إياكم والظلم فٳن الظلم ظلمات يوم القيامة

Beware of wrongdoing, for wrongdoing will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Qatadah bin Di`amah said concerning the Ayah --

وسيعلم الذين ظلموا أي منقلب ينقلبون

(And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned), this refers to the poets and others. This is the end of the Tafsir Surah Ash-Shu`ara'. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds