Arabs were masters in poetry. Sahaaba used to compose and recite poetry in praise and defence of Islam. Poetry was the ultimate medium of expression then.
Hassaan Bin Thaabit (Radhiallahu anhu) used recited poetry in defence of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in the Musjid. (Bukhari, Vol4 Hadith 434)
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) made dua of mercy for Aamir bin Akwa (Radhiallahu anhu) who read poetry while the Muslim army marched to Khaibar.
Khansa is a major poet of pre-Islamic Arabia. Her poetry, and those of others, were preserved by Islamic scholars who studied 7th century Arabic to explain the words of the Qur'an completely. She became a Sahaabi and all of her sons died for Islam.
The effects of Arabic poetry appeared in Spanish poems in the 1200s and entered English literature. Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice is based on the Arabic Prince of Morocco. Christopher Marlowe (Tamburlaine the Great, 1587), Edward White (A Brief Rehearsal of the Bloody Battle of Barbary, 1594), and others show the influence. They in turn inspired later English authors.
The Thousand and One Nights, an Arabic story, increased the use of poetry in European literature, enriching the language and stimulating intellectuals. Poetry was the crowning artistic and intellectual achievement of the Arabs and its influence is one of their most lasting legacies to the West.
ANOTHER MUSLIM GIFT TO THE WEST
