This is a light-hearted and interesting piece I came across…

Ibn Shihaab relates that once, Marwan ibn al-Hakam and ‘Abdullaah Ibn Zubair gathered at the house of ‘Aisha (radhiallaahu `anhum) and sat in her room with a cover in between them. They asked her regarding poetry and hadeeth and then Marwan said,

من يشإ الرحمان يخفض بقدره *** وليس لمن لم يرفع الله رافع

Whoever hopes for the Most Merciful lowers himself to His Will

And for the one who is not raised by Allaah, there’s no-one to raise him

Then Ibn Zubair said,

وفوّض إلى الله الأمور إذا اعترت *** وبالله لا بالأقربين تدافع

And dispose all affairs to Allaah when you are afflicted

And hasten first to Allah and not to near kindred

Marwan responded,

وداو ضمير القلب بالبر والتقى *** ولا يستوى قلبان قاس و خاشع

And cure the heart with righteousness and piety

For the hard heart and the humbled one can never be the same

Ibn Zubair then said,

ولا يستوى عبدان: عبد مكلّم *** عتلّ, لأرحام الأقارب قاطع

And two slaves can never be the same:

The talkative, vulgar slave who severs the ties of kinship

And Marwan said,

وعبد يجافي جنبه عن فراشه *** يبيت يناجي ربه وهو راكع

And a slave whose sides forsake his bed

He spends the night calling & bowing to his Lord

Ibn Zubair said,

وللخير أهل يعرفون بهديهم *** إذا اجتمعت عند الخطوب المجامع

And goodness has its people, recognised by their guidance

When the masses do gather (to sort out) issues

 

Marwan then replied,

وللشر أهل يعرفون بشكلهم *** تشير إليهم بالفجور الأصابع

And evil has its people, recognised by their appearance

Fingers point to them in every evil.

Then Ibn Zubair became quiet and did not answer Marwan at all. ‘Aisha (ra) said, ‘O ‘Abdallaah! Why is it that you don’t respond to your companion? By Allaah I have never heard two men correspond (in poetry) as amazingly as you two have done!’

Ibn Zubair said, ‘I was afraid of falling short in speech so I held back.’

So ‘Aisha said, ‘Indeed, Marwan has of poetry what you do not have.’

-Rawdhatul ‘Uqalaa wa Nuzhatul Fudhalaa’