Will you explain the hadith: “It is better for one of you to be filled with pus that will spoil him than to be filled with poetry”?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Abu Hurayra (radiyallahu anh) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“It is better for one of you to be filled with pus that will spoil him than to be filled with poetry.” [Bukhari, Adab, 92; Muslim, Shi’r 7, (2257); Abu Dawud, Adab 95, (5009); Tirmidhi, Adab 71, (2855).]

The following is stated in another narration reported by Muslim from al-Khudri: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was walking when a poet who was reciting a poem appeared before him. The Prophet said: “Seize the devil!” or “Catch the devil!”.

Explanation of the Hadith:

1. This hadith condemns memorizing poetry. It likens memorizing poetry to filling the stomach with pus. In a narration of Muslim, the reason for the utterance of this hadith is mentioned as follows:

“I was walking with the Messenger of Allah in the town of Arj when we came across a poet who was reciting poetry. The Messenger of Allah said:

“Catch this devil - or seize this devil - it is better for a person to be filled with pus than to be filled with poetry.”

The condemnation of poetry is absolute in this occasion. In other words, no distinction is made between a little and a lot, whether it is good or evil in content, and all of it is condemned altogether. Such an attitude toward poetry is contrary to other narrations. The scholars differ on this issue.

The majority of the scholars distinguish between good and bad poetry; they explain the condemnation as “the poetry overpowering the person, or the poem he was reciting being evil, or the person being an unbeliever”.

The poem in question was also interpreted; it was pointed out that the condemnation was not absolute, but rather conditional. That is, it is said that if a person fills himself completely with poetry and leaves no room for anything else, then condemnation will be in question.

For those who hold this view, the title of the chapter in which Bukhari included this hadith helps us to understand the “condition” in the hadith: “The chapter on the poetry being makruh when it preoccupies a person and interferes with dhikr and knowledge.” Therefore, the prohibitions against poetry are related to excesses in this regard. Therefore, if dhikrullah and knowledge prevail in a heart, the presence of non-condemned poetry does not mean that the heart is filled with poetry.

Ibn Abi Jamrah does not interpret “filling the belly” as only the evil poetry that occupies the heart to the extent that it makes a person forget the obligatory and mustahab duties, but also as all kinds of knowledge and culture, such as rhymed prose, magic, etc. that cause the heart to harden and turn away from Allah, and cause some doubts and misgivings in one’s creed, causing people to become cold, resentful, revengeful and hateful toward one another.

Ibn Abi Abi Jamrah’s extension of the hadith’s meaning reminds us of all kinds of activities - sometimes art, sometimes sports, sometimes folklore, sometimes politics, sometimes gossip, divination, horoscopes, futurism, magazines, riddles, puzzles, etc., - which are consciously and systematically carried out by invisible powerful committees in order to separate the people of our time from all kinds of religious atmosphere and to alienate them from spirituality. Although these preoccupations may be meaningful for a small number of individuals, they are nothing more than a “devil’s trap”, for the vast majority, set between them and Allah. Saying, “It is better for the heart to be filled with pus than with this” like Ibn Abi Jamrah is in accordance with the spirit of the hadith.

2. It is noteworthy that in this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) uses a harsh and exaggerated style in condemning poetry. We say “exaggerated” because, as it will be seen in the following narrations, the Prophet’s attitude toward poetry was not always as harsh as it is here; on the contrary, he listened to poetry. Ibn Hajar explains this harshness with the excessive fondness for poetry among the Prophet’s adressees:

“Because the people to whom he addressed were people who valued poetry highly and were very much engaged in it. Therefore, he forbade them from poetry so that they would turn to the Quran and dhikr and worship...”

He adds that there is no harm in engaging in other things (provided that they are not of the condemned kind) after allocating them as much time as they are commanded.

3. Arj, as mentioned in Mu’jam al-Buldan, is one of the towns of Taif, 78 miles away from Madinah.

see Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-ü Sitte Tercüme ve Şerhi)

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