Hadith 2

Al-Adab Al-Mufrad

Book 36: Poetry

Chapter 381

There is some wisdom in poetry

بَابُ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حِكْمَةٌ

Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 857
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَرْزُوقٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، سَمِعَ مُطَرِّفًا قَالَ‏:‏ صَحِبْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ مِنَ الْكُوفَةِ إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، فَقَلَّ مَنْزِلٌ يَنْزِلُهُ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُنْشِدُنِي شِعْرًا، وَقَالَ‏:‏ إِنَّ فِي الْمَعَارِيضِ لَمَنْدُوحَةٌ عَنِ الْكَذِبِ‏.‏
Mutarrif said, "I accompanied 'Imran ibn Husayn from Kufa to Basra. Very rarely did he arrive at my house without reciting some poetry to me. He said, 'Indirect speech accords great scope in avoiding lies.'"