Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 28:

Kitab Al-Sh'ir - Book of Poetry

'Amr b. Sharid reported his father as saying : One day when I rode ehind Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM -, he said - to me - : Do you remember any Poetry of Umayya b. Abu Salt. I said : Yes. He said: Then go on. I recited a couplet, and he said : Go on. Then I again recited a couplet and he said : Go on. I recited one hundred couplets - of his poetry -. This hadith has been reported on the authority of Sharid through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

'Amr b. Sharid reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Messeniger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - asked him to recite poetrv, the rest of the hadith is the same, out with this addition : "He - that is Umayya b. Abu Sharid was about to become a muslim and in the hadith transmitted on the authority, of Ibn Mahdi - the words are - "He was almost a Muslim in his poetry."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying: The truest word spoken by an Arab - pre-Islamic - in poetry is this verse of Labid: "Behold! apart from Allah everything is vain."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying : The truest word uttered by a poet is this verse of Labid: "Behold ! apart from Allah everything is vain," and Umayya b. Abu Salt was almost a Muslim.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying : The truest verse recited by a poet is: Beliold ! apart from Allah everything is vain, " and Ibn Abu Salt was almost a Muslim.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying: The truest couplet recited by a poet is : "Behold ! apart from Allah everything is vain," and he made no addition to it.

Abu Huraira reported: I heard Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying : The truest word which the poet stated is the word of Labid : "Behold ! apart from Allah everything is vain."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger- may peace be opon him -as saying : It is better for a man's belly to be stuffld with pus which corrodes it than to stuff - one's mind with frivolous poetry. Abd Bakr has reported it with a slight variation Of wording.

Sa'd reported Allah's Apostle - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - as saying : It is better for the belly of any one of you to be stuffed with pus rather than to stuff - one's mind - with poetry.

Abd 'Sa'id Khudri reported: We were going with Allah's Messenger - may peace be upon him -. As we reached the place - known as - 'Arj there met - us - a poet who had been reciting a poem. Thereupon Allah's Messenger - MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM - said : Catch the satan or detain the satan, for filling the belly of a person with pus is better than stuffing his brain with poetry.

Buraida reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle - may peace be upon him - said : He who played chess is like one who dyed his band with the flesh and blood of swine.