Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

224. “And the poets, follow them the erring ones,”

225. “Do you not see that they wander about be wildered in every valley?”

226. “And that they say that which they do not do.”

227. “Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and remember Allah much, and defend themselves after being wronged; and soon those who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back.”

The Arabic word /qawun/ is derived from /qayy/ which is antonym of the word/rušd/ (guidance, right way), as in another occurrence the Qur’an says:

“...Truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error...”1

Since the pagans thought that the Qur’an was made by illusion and counted the holy Prophet as a poet, these verses condemn them by saying that the adherent of the poets are those who are misguided but the adherents of the Prophet of Islam (S) are not misguided. Poets are mainly aimless and do not act according to their sayings, while the Prophet (S) is not so.

The behaviour of the holy Prophet of Islam (S), which has a full agreement with his speech, is a sign that he is not a poet.

It is narrated from Imam Baqir (as) and Imam Sadiq (as) who, upon the commentary of the Qur’anic sentence:

“And the poets, follow them the erring ones”

said:

“Those who have learnt jurisprudence for an aim other than religion, or they have not learnt it deeply, not only are aberrant but also lead others astray, and the tellers of (vain) stories are included in this reproach.”

Since the name of the aimless poets has been mentioned beside the liars on whom Satans come down, perhaps there can be found a relation between Satan, liars, and aimless prating poets.

It is said in Tafsir-i-Baydawi that since the poems of the Age of Ignorance had mostly been about some imaginations beautiful women, making love with each other, vain boasts or ill-speaking and disdainful words against others’ honour, these verses have been sent down.

The verse says:

“And the poets, follow them the erring ones,”

The difference between a wise man and a poet is in this fact that a wise man at first considers the meanings and then uses the words, but a poet at first considers the frame of the words then utters the meanings.¹

A good poem, which supports the Truth, is counted in Islamic narrations better than Holy War with sword, and it is praised.²

The holy Prophet (S) said:

“Some statements, are like magic and some poems are wisdom.”4

The holy Prophet (S) once told a faithful poet by the name of Hissan:

“Ruh-ul-Ghudus is with you.”5

In one of his trips, the Prophet (S) called in Hissan and told him to make poetry. He began reciting poetry and the Prophet (S) was listening. He (S) ordered that there would be left a proper place for Hissan in the mosque.³

Imam Sadiq (as) once told his companions:

“Make your children acquaint with the poetry of ‘Abdi, because he is a good and religious poet.”7

Imam Sadiq (as) said:

“Whoever says a line of poem upon our legitimacy, Allah will give him a house in Heaven.”8

Also Imam Sadiq (as) said:

“Reciting poetry is hateful for the one who is fast and the one who is in pilgrim garment or is; in the sacred premises of Mecca, and also reciting poetry on Friday or the night before Friday is disliked.”9

An Islamic narration indicates that as soon as the above verse (No. 224) was revealed, some of the Muslim poets worried for themselves and came to the Prophet (S).

He (S) said:

“A believer struggles with both his sword and his tongue.”10

However, if poetry and art do not come beside and along the Faith, they can be a helpful means and a level path for the movement of the deluded ones.

Then, next to the abovementioned verse, the Qur’an adds:

“Do you not see that they wander about be wildered in every valley?”

They are drowned in their own imaginations and poetic similes. Even when rhyming drags them this side and that side, they are wandering about bewildered.

They do not often observe logic and reasoning, and their poems emerge out of their excitements; and these excitements and imaginary leaps send them to another field every time.

When they are content and pleased with someone, they elevate him very high by their praises, although the one deserves to be in the depth of the ground, or they introduce him as a beautiful angel, though he is a cursed Satan.⁴

And when they are offended from someone, they vilify and satirizf him so much that as if .they want to put him into the lowest of the low, though he is a pure and heavenly creature.

Does the exact content of the Qur’an have any similarity, with the mental designs of poets, especially with the poets of that environment who did not do anything save describing wine, the face of the love, and praising the intended tribes, or satirizing the enemies.

Moreover, poets are usually men of joy rather than being the strivers of battlefield, they are men of speech, not men of action.

So, in the next verse, it adds:

“And that they say that which they do not do.”

But the Prophet of Islam (S) is thoroughly man of practice; even his enemies admired him for his firm decision, his wonderful steadfastness, and giving prominence to practical issues. How different is the Prophet of Islam (S) and a poet!

It is understood from the structure of the above Qur’anic sentences that the Qur’an has stated three qualities for this group of poets:

1. Their followers often are the misguided people who escape from facts by using their own imaginary examples and paradigms.

2. They are usually some aimless people and their doctrine changes very soon. They easily vary their way under the effect of excitements.

3. They say sayings that they do not act accordingly, even where they state a fact they do not perform it.

But none of these three qualities adapts the Prophet of Islam (S); he is just in an opposite situation.

Yet, in view of the fact that there are some pure and purposeful poets who do the truth they say and are callers to truthfulness and purity. (Though there were scarcely found of this kind of poets in that society), in order that the right of these faithful artists and truthful strivers would not be wasted, the Qur’an separates them from others with an exception it says:

“Except those who believe and do righteous deeds…”

Those poets whose aim is not merely saying poems, but in their poems they follow some godly and humane aims. The poets who do not dive only in their poetry and do not neglect Allah, but they remember Him much and their poetry reminds people of Allah.

The verse continues saying:

“...and remember Allah much...”

When such poets are unjustly treated with, they use their own intellectual intuition for defending both themselves and the believers.

The verse says:

“...and defend themselves after being wronged...”

If they satirize a group by their poems it is because they want to defend the truth for the stacks against their poems.

Thus, there have been stated here four qualities for the poets who have aims: having Faith, doing righteous deed, much remembrance of Allah, standing severely against oppressions and getting help from the power of poetry for repelling it.

Since most of the verses of this Surah contain consolation to both the Prophet (S) and the scanty believers of that day in the face of the enemies, and since many verses of this Surah have been revealed to defend the Prophet (S) against the enemies' undue accusations, the Surah has been concluded with an expressive and intimidatory sentence unto these obstinate enemies.

It says:

“...and soon those who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back.”12

Some commentators have tried to introduce this ‘retuning’ exclusively to that very Fire of Hell, but there is no reason and evidence to limit it.

On the contrary, there may be said that the consecutive failures that they suffered in the battles of Badr and the like, and the weakness, disgrace and degradation they, finally had in this world, besides the failure in the Hereafter are included in the concept of this threat.

However, in the above verses we studied that one of the qualities of the good poets is that they remember Allah very much. Imam Sadiq (as) in a tradition said:

“The purpose of /ǒikrun kaIr/’...remember Allah much...’ is the four-hymns of Fatimat-uz-Zahra (as) which includes: proclaim His greatness, praise, the ejaculation /la ’ilaha ’illallah/ and glorification of Allah.13

The same Imam (as) in another tradition says:

“One of the most grievous and the most important thing that Allah has enjoined people is the remembrance of Allah.”

Then he (as) said:

“I do not mean you say /subhanallah-i-wal-hamdu lillah-i-wala’ilaha ’illallahu wallahu ’akbar/, though this is a part of it, but I mean remembrance of Allah when one encounters lawful and unlawful things. If it is the obedience of Allah one must do it, and if it is committing sin, one must leave it.”14