when ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was proclaimed caliph, the poets travelled to present themselves to him. They remained at his gate for several days without being admitted. One day, while they were waiting—and had resolved to depart (1)—Ibn Artaʾah passed by them (2), and Jarīr said to him:

O (3) rider who (4) gently urges on his mount—this is your hour, whereas my hour has passed.

Carry a message to our Caliph, should you encounter him: I (5) stand here at the gate like a prisoner bound in irons.

Do not forget our petition, for I have found pardon, yet my stay away from my family and homeland has grown long.

Adī then went in to ʿUmar and said, “Commander of the Believers, the poets are at your door; their arrows are poisoned and their words strike home.”

He replied, “Woe to you, Adī! What have I to do with poets?”

Adī said, “May Allah strengthen the Commander of the Believers! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was praised and he rewarded the one who praised him; in the Messenger of Allah you have a model to follow.”

“How so?” asked ʿUmar.

He answered, “Al-ʿAbbās b. Mirdās al-Sulamī praised him, so the Prophet gave him a cloak and thereby silenced his tongue.”

“Do you remember any of his verses?” ʿUmar asked.

“Yes,” Adī replied, and he recited:

I have seen you to be the best of all creation;
You spread a Book that came openly proclaiming the truth.

You laid down for us the religion of guidance after we had swerved from it,
At a time when the truth itself had fallen into darkness.

By clear proof you illumined a matter that had been obscured,
And with that same proof you extinguished a fire that had blazed.

So let whoever conveys my words to the Prophet Muhammad know
That every soul shall be requited for what it has sent ahead.

You re-established the path of truth after it had grown crooked,
For its ancient pillar had crumbled.

Exalted is our God in His elevation above the Throne (6);
Allah’s station has ever been the highest and the greatest.