Poetry from our pious predecessors…

كَتَبَ رَجُلٌ إلَى صَالِحِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْقُدُّوسِ
الْمَوْتُ بَابٌ وَكُلُّ النَّاسِ دَاخـِلُهُ * فَلَيْتَ شَعْرِي بَعْدَ الْبَابِ مَا الدَّارُ

فَأَجَابَهُ بِقَوْلِهِ :

الدَّارُ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ إنْ عَمِلْت بِمَا يُرْضِي الْإِلَهَ وَإِنْ خَالَفْت فَالنَّـارُ
هُمَا مَحَلَّانِ مَا لِلنَّاسِ غَيْرُهُمَـا فَانـْظُرْ لِنَفْسِك مَاذَا أَنْتَ مُخْتَارُ

A man wrote to Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-Quddoos:

Death is a door that everyone is passing through
O if only I knew! What homes lies there after the door

So he replied to him saying:

The Home is Everlasting Paradise if you’ve done that which pleases Allaah
And if other than that, then it is Hell-fire

They are two places, people have none other than them
So look for yourself, which one will you choose?

 عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ  قَالَ

قَالَ النَّبِىُّ :

أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ :
أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ

Narrated from Abu Hurayrah (radhiallaahu `anhu) that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

“The most truthful speech said by a poet is the speech of Labeed [1]:

“Behold! Indeed everything other than Allaah is only falsehood”

The lines of poetry in Labeed’s speech go on to include:

أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ

وكل نعيـم لا محالـة زائـل  

“Behold! Indeed everything other than Allaah is only falsehood

And every pleasure no matter what, is bound to cease…”

Read the complete stanza here

 الإمام عبدالله بن المبارك

رأيت الذنـوب تميت القـلوب * وقـد يورث الـذل إدمانهـا
وترك الذنـوب حياة القـلوب * وخـير لنفـسك عصـيانهـا
وهل أفسـد الدين إلا المـلوك * وأحـبار سـوء ورهـبانهـا

`Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak:

I saw that sins only kill the hearts
And disgrace is only inherited by its (sins) own addiction

Leaving sins is what brings the hearts to life
So choose only disobedience for your soul

And has religion been polluted by other than Kings
And evil scholars and the monks thereof?

قال على بن أبي طالب  :

لا تظـلمنَّ إِذا مـا كنتَ مقتـدراً * فالظـلمُ مـرتعُه يفضي إِلى النـدمِ
تنـامُ عينـكَ والمظـلومُ منتبـهٌ * يدعـو عليـكَ وعيـنُ اللّهِ لم تنـمِ

`Ali ibn Abi Taalib (radhiallaahu `anhu) said:

Never oppress if you are in a position to do so
For oppression, its field only leads to regret

Your eyes may sleep, but the oppressed one is attentive
Cursing against you while the Eyes of Allaah do not sleep

تزود من التقوى فإنك لا تدري *** إذا جن ليل هل تعيش إلى الفجـر
فكـم من فتى أمسى وأصبح ضاحكا *** وقد نسجت أكفانه وهو لا يـدري
وكم من صغار يرتجى لهم طول العمر *** وقد أدخلت أجسادهم ظلمة القبـر
وكـم من عروس زينوها لعرسـها *** وقد قبضت أرواحهم ليلـة القـدر
وكـم من صحيح مات من غير علة *** وكم من سقيم عاش حينا من الدهر
فـمن عـاش ألفـا وألفيـن إنـه *** لابـد من يـوم يسـير إلى القبر

Take taqwa as your provision, for you do not know
When the night darkens, will you live until fajr?

For how many of a youth laughs by morning and evening
And his shrouds have been weaved, and he does not know.

And how many of young ones are expected to live long
But their bodies are made to enter the darkness of the grave.

And how many of a bride have they beautified for her husband
And their souls have been seized on the night of decree.

And how many of a healthy one dies without an illness
And how many of an ill one has lived for a good time

So whoever lives for a thousand and more
He must one day, make his way to his grave

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[1] Agreed upon [Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Most of the poetry taken from: http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=106422 🙂