أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِى كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ 225
Translations
Do you not see that in every valley they roam
Transliteration
Alam tara annahum fee kulli wadin yahimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the poets as wandering aimlessly in every valley, seeking worldly gains and following their desires without divine guidance. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a metaphorical description of the poets' spiritual and intellectual state—they roam without purpose or firm belief, their words lacking substance and truth. The 'valleys' represent different paths of falsehood and misguidance that they traverse in pursuit of fame, wealth, and the approval of people rather than the pleasure of Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears near the conclusion of Surah Ash-Shu'ara, which addresses the accusation that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a poet. The surah distinguishes between true revelation and mere poetry, establishing that the Quran is divine speech, not poetic composition. The ayah contextualizes the general nature and characteristics of poets during the Jahiliyyah period.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest truth spoken by a poet is the word of Labid: 'Verily, all except Allah is false' (Sahih Bukhari 3841). This hadith affirms that while poets may speak falsehoods, even they occasionally utter truth, contrasting with the general characterization in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to distinguish between superficial eloquence and genuine truth, reminding believers to seek knowledge and guidance from authentic sources rooted in divine revelation rather than being swayed by flowery words disconnected from reality and moral purpose.