Sunan Ibn Majah 3759

Chapter: What kind of poetry is undesirable

Authentic 4 scholars’ grades Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Ibn Majah 3759

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصٌ، وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَوَكِيعٌ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏

"‏ لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ الرَّجُلِ قَيْحًا حَتَّى يَرِيَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:

"If a man were to fill his stomach completely with pus until it destroyed him, that would be better for him than filling (his mind) with poetry."

Reported by Ibn Majah (No. 3759), Al-Bukhari (No. 6155), Muslim (No. 2257), Abu Dawud (No. 5009), At-Tirmidhi (No. 2852) and Ahmad (No. 7535, 8025, 8301, 8724, 9807, 9829).

Classical commentary

Al-Sindi — Hashiyat al-Sindi on Sunan Ibn Majah

قَوْله ( قَيْحًا ) الْقَيْح صَدِيدٌ يَسِيل مِنْ الْجُرْح ( يَرِيه ) فِي النِّهَايَة مِنْ الْوَرْي مِثْل الرَّمْي يَدْخُل الْجَوْف يُقَال رَجُل مُورًى غَيْر مَهْمُوز وَقَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ هُوَ الْوَرَى بِفَتْحِ الرَّاء وَقَالَ ثَعْلَب هُوَ بِالسُّكُونِ الْمَصْدَر وَبِالْفَتْحِ الِاسْم وَقَالَ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ وَرَى الْقَيْح جَوْفه يَرِيه وَرْيًا أَكَلَهُ وَقَالَ قَوْم مَعْنَاهُ يُصِيب رِئَته وَأَنْكَرَهُ غَيْرهمْ لِأَنَّ الرِّئَة مَهْمُوزَة وَصَحَّحَهُ بَعْضهمْ ( مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئ شِعْرًا ) قَالَ النَّوَوِيُّ قَالُوا الْمُرَاد مِنْهُ أَنْ يَكُون الشِّعْر غَالِبًا عَلَيْهِ مُسْتَوْلِيًا بِحَيْثُ يَشْغَلهُ عَنْ الْقُرْآن أَوْ غَيْره مِنْ الْعُلُوم الشَّرْعِيَّة وَذِكْر اللَّه تَعَالَى ا ه وَبِالْ…

Scholar	Grade	Applies to	Work
Al-Albanid. 1420 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 3759
Shu'ayb al-Arna'utd. 1438 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 3759
Zubair Ali Zaid. 1435 AH	AuthenticSahih - Agreed Upon	The hadith	No. 3759
Muhammad Fu'ad Abd al-Baqid. 1388 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 3759

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6155

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ); said, "It is better for anyone of you that the inside of his body be filled with pus which may consume his body, than it be filled with poetry."

لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ رَجُلٍ قَيْحًا يَرِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2257

It is better for a man's belly to be stuffed with pus which corrodes it than to stuff (one's mind) with frivolous poetry. Abu Bakr has reported it with a slight variation of wording.

لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ الرَّجُلِ قَيْحًا يَرِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 5009

it is better for a man’s belly to be full of pus than to be full of poetry. Abu ‘Ali said : I have been told that Abu ‘Ubaid said : It means that his heart is full of poetry so much so that it makes him neglectful of the Quran and remembrance of Allah. If the Quran and the knowledge (of religion)…

لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ أَحَدِكُمْ قَيْحًا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2852

that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "It is better that one of you fill his insides with puss than to fill it with poetry."

"‏ لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ أَحَدِكُمْ قَيْحًا يَرِيهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 7535