and they turn truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth through their poetry and their words. They drift about in the valleys of error, changing their aims and their verses however they please. Inconstant, they never remain in one state: at one moment they praise, at another they vilify; at times they openly acknowledge sin, wine-drinking, fornication, and the like. Such are the traits of most of them.

The third trait is that they say what they do not do. They urge generosity, courage, and heroism, yet most of them are cowards and misers; they do not carry out what they preach. They may even extol themselves for qualities they do not possess. Thus they say what they do not do—and that is among the gravest flaws. Allah says, “O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do” (al-Ṣaff 61:2-3).

Allah then made an exception for the people of faith and truthfulness among the poets: “Except those who believe and perform righteous deeds, remember Allah often, and defend themselves after they have been wronged” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:227). Those poets who employ their verse to champion the truth and refute the false are exempted by Allah—such as Ḥassān ibn Thābit, Kaʿb ibn Mālik, and other poet-Companions whose poetry became a call to Islam, a defence of the truth, and a shield for the Messenger ﷺ. This is deemed jihad in the path of Allah and a form of supporting the truth; these poets are excluded from the censured category.

Question: From this we understand that the verse does not condemn poetry per se, but rather poets who exhibit these blameworthy qualities. If poetry is used to uphold Islam and elevate its cause, it is praiseworthy.

Answer: Yes, and it is counted as jihad.