Sahih Muslim

Sahih Muslim 2259

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الثَّقَفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْهَادِ، عَنْ يُحَنِّسَ، مَوْلَى مُصْعَبِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ نَسِيرُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالْعَرْجِ إِذْ عَرَضَ شَاعِرٌ يُنْشِدُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ خُذُوا الشَّيْطَانَ أَوْ أَمْسِكُوا الشَّيْطَانَ لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ رَجُلٍ قَيْحًا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Translation

Qutayba ibn Said al-Thaqafi narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us, from Ibn al-Had, from Yuhannis, the client of Musab ibn al-Zubayr, from Abu Said al-Khudri, who said: As we were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at al-Arj, a poet came by reciting poetry. The Messenger of Allah said: Catch the devil—or detain the devil—for it is better for a man to have his belly filled with pus than to have it filled with poetry.