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ibnu Rashid
27-06-2004, 05:47 AM
Assalaamu alaykum,

Allah (subhana wa ta'aalaa) said (translation of interpretation of meaning obviously):

As for the poets, the erring follow them,

See you not that they speak about every subject (praising others right or wrong) in their poetry?

And that they say what they do not do. (Ash-Shu'ara 26:224-226)

From these three aayaat, one would immediately think that poetry is NOT permissible. At the revelation of these aayaat, a few sahaabah who were known for their poetry, including Hassan ibn Thabit (entitled the poet of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)) and Ka'ab ibnu Maalik approached the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) to enquire about this. Rasulullaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) told them to read the aayah which followed these aayaat, which was:

Except those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, and remember Allâh much, and reply back (in poetry) to the unjust poetry (which the pagan poets utter against the Muslims). And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned. (Ash-Shu'ara 26:227)

And he told them that they were amongst this exception. So from this, we learn that if poetry is recited at the correct time, for the correct purpose, then it becomes a praiseworthy thing and something related to the sunnah, if not being a sunnah itself.

From a post in another forum:

After the advent of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, the kuffar wished to use poetry to humiliate Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, by means of poetry. In reply to this, Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, used to command and order one of the Sahabah to sit on the mimbar, and to reply and to give answer to the poetry said by the kuffar.

Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, at one time when his finger was bleeding, he said:

"Hal anti illaa isba'un dameeti,"
You are but a finger from which the blood is flowing.
"Fee Sabee Lilaahi Ma Laqeeti"
And whatever has become on you, it is in the Path of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

End of post.

I remember Shaykh Tameem (who i've mentioned in another post) used to mention to me that some of the mashaa'yikh would recommend listening to poetry/anaasheed at times when one was feeling sad. He himself at times would come borrow my mp3 player right before we would go to sleep and ask me to put on the nasheed Hammun wa Ghammun (http://www.islam4life.net/audio/hammun.rm) and he would go to sleep listening to this. He told me when he was in South Africa, during the Bukhari khatam at Azaadville some students recited this nasheed, and a visiting Shaykh (whose name i forgot, but i know he's popularly referred to as Maulana al-Makki as he recides in Makkah) was sitting there crying away listening to it.
Also, i remember once I was playing Sanakhudu ma'aa rikanaa ma'ahum (http://www.islam4life.net/audio/Sanakhudhu.rm) and i stepped out of the room and another of our roommate entered the room. When i came back, he told me that he was about to start crying after he heard the words.

ANYWAYS...my point is that poetry can be a very powerful tool. Unfortunately, most of the best and meaningful ones are in Arabic. So insha'Allah, i know there are alot of mashaayikh-ul-lugah in this forum that can bust out their nahw/sarf/balaagah/adab skills and help translate some nice poems (and i tell you, it truly is a very beneficial way of learning vocabulary and implementing rules in a practical manner).

I was thinking that one poem can be posted and one person can translate as much as they want at a time, let it be one line or ten. If a poem consists of 20 lines, and 5 brothers do 4 lines each, then we just put it together and we have a whole poem translated that simply.

Sounds good???

ibnu Rashid
27-06-2004, 06:05 AM
Perhaps I can start it off with this poem, entitled Yaa Saahibee Kafaa.

يا صاحبي كفى ..عذبتني العذاب
هيجت مدمعي.. فزدته انسكاب
بكى و مالهو ..سوى البكاء جواب
و بين اضلعي.. من الاسى التهاب
انا الذي جنا و ضيع الصواب
قد كنت في الهدى و كان لي ركاب
فازني الهوى ازاً و ما اصاب
أقوى على الشباب حسبتني فتى
ركضت في المنى و نجت كل باب
عذبت اذ بدى من ربي الحجاب
فديمنا يلم تكن سوى سراب
نام الفؤاد عن شريعه الصواب
حتى بعثته يا صاحب الكتاب
فكانت العتاب و كانت المتاب
اواه يا اخي ما ابأس الشباب
ما أبأس الفتى ان ضيع الكتاب
عليه زينه و جوفه خراب
عجبت ياأخي مني ولي عجاب
كم طال عيشه في دينه و قار
كيف يشتهي من بعده شراب
يا صاحبي كفى احسنت لي الخطاب
يجزيك ربنا باحسن الثواب

For the 'iraab (tashkeel), one can listen to the poem here:

http://www.anashed.net/audio/KAFAMAKAN/ya_sa7by_kafa.ram


I'll *try* doing the first two lines.


يا صاحبي كفى ..عذبتني العذاب
هيجت مدمعي.. فزدته انسكاب


Oh my companion, that is enough...You have punished me with a true punishment,
You have aggravated my tearful eye...And made it pour forth

ibnu Rashid
27-06-2004, 06:18 AM
Go to View -> Encoding -> Arabic . If Arabic not there, go to More instead and it should be there.

Muawiyah
03-07-2004, 02:26 AM
brother ibnu Rasheed, was that Maulana Abdul Hafeez al-Makki Damat barakaatuhum or Maulana Khayr Muhammad al-Makki Damat barakaatuhum (who is popularly known as Shaykh Muhammad al-Makki al-Hijaazi)

UmmIbrahimIsa
01-08-2004, 11:24 PM
Go to View -> Encoding -> Arabic . If Arabic not there, go to More instead and it should be there.

assalamu alaikum wr wb

jazakuAllahkhairun for that, now i can go and read all the other ones that ppl posted that i couldnt once read before.
though would like a translation of it