that lampoons innocent people, indulges in deliberate love-poetry, or otherwise consists of futile and blameworthy speech. By contrast, verse that defends the religion of Allah, refutes falsehood with words of truth, or conveys wisdom and exhortation for a legitimate purpose is unobjectionable.
Poetry is simply speech: whatever is ugly in it remains ugly, and whatever is fine remains fine. Sharḥ al-Iqnāʿ states: “A mosque must be safeguarded from the recitation of prohibited poetry, while the recitation of permissible poetry is allowed therein.”
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The same yardstick applies to every form of speech: whatever brings benefit and serves the interests of the religion is encouraged, whereas that which is useless or harmful is unbefitting for the Houses of Allah.
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It is likewise essential to ensure that worshippers, those engaged in remembrance, and those reciting the Book of Allah are not distracted. Their condition must be taken into account and they must not be disturbed, for the very raison d’être of the mosques is the establishment of prayer and the remembrance of Allah Most High.