Sunan Abu Dawud #5014
General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)
The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ فَارِسٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو تُمَيْلَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ النَّحْوِيُّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي صَخْرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ جَهْلاً وَإِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حُكْمًا وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ عِيَالاً " . فَقَالَ صَعْصَعَةُ بْنُ صُوحَانَ صَدَقَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا " . فَالرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ أَلْحَنُ بِالْحُجَجِ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْحَقِّ فَيَسْحَرُ الْقَوْمَ بِبَيَانِهِ فَيَذْهَبُ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ جَهْلاً " . فَيَتَكَلَّفُ الْعَالِمُ إِلَى عِلْمِهِ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فَيُجَهِّلُهُ ذَلِكَ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حُكْمًا " . فَهِيَ هَذِهِ الْمَوَاعِظُ وَالأَمْثَالُ الَّتِي يَتَّعِظُ بِهَا النَّاسُ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ " إِنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ عِيَالاً " . فَعَرْضُكَ كَلاَمَكَ وَحَدِيثَكَ عَلَى مَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ وَلاَ يُرِيدُهُ .
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: In eloquence there is magic, in knowledge ignorance, in poetry wisdom, and in speech heaviness.
Sa'sa'ah ibn Suhan said: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) spoke the truth. His statement "In eloquence there is magic" means: (For example), there is a right due from a man who is more eloquent in reasoning than the man who is demanding his right. He (the defendant) charms the people by his speech and takes away his right. His statement "In knowledge there is ignorance" means: A scholar brings to his knowledge what he does not know, and thus he becomes ignorant of that. His statement "In poetry there is wisdom" means: These are the sermons and examples by which people receive admonition. His statement "In speech there is heaviness" means: That you present your speech and your talk to a man who is not capable of understanding it, and who does not want it.
Narrated by Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib:
Context
In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) discusses the complexities of communication and knowledge. He highlights that eloquence can sometimes mislead, and knowledge can lead to ignorance if misapplied. This serves as a warning about the ethical use of speech and the responsibility that comes with knowledge.
Modern Application
In today's communication landscape, being mindful of how we express ourselves is crucial. Understanding the impact of our words can help foster respectful dialogue and prevent misunderstandings in various interactions.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Ethics of Speech and Prophetic Warning because it emphasizes the importance of responsible communication and the potential pitfalls of eloquence and knowledge.
Related Ayahs
سُورَةُ الأَنبِيَاءِ
Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1 ayah
قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
The Prophet said, "My Lord knows whatever is said throughout the heaven and earth, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing."
سُورَةُ لُقۡمَانَ
Luqman (Luqman)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1 ayah
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِى لَهْوَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌۭ مُّهِينٌۭ
And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.
سُورَةُ الأَحۡقَافِ
Al-Ahqaf (The Dunes)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1 ayah
قَالَ إِنَّمَا ٱلْعِلْمُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأُبَلِّغُكُم مَّآ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦ وَلَٰكِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكُمْ قَوْمًۭا تَجْهَلُونَ
He said, "Knowledge [of its time] is only with Allah, and I convey to you that with which I was sent; but I see you [to be] a people behaving ignorantly."
سُورَةُ النُّورِ
An-Noor (The Light)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1 ayah
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُۥ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِۦ عِلْمٌۭ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُۥ هَيِّنًۭا وَهُوَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَظِيمٌۭ
When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous.
سُورَةُ يُونُسَ
Yunus (Jonas)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1 ayah
وَلَا يَحْزُنكَ قَوْلُهُمْ ۘ إِنَّ ٱلْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا ۚ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
And let not their speech grieve you. Indeed, honor [due to power] belongs to Allah entirely. He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
Common Words
67 total57 unique9 repeated
ٱلله3x
قال2x
وهو2x
ٱلسميع2x
ٱلعليم2x
علم2x
عند2x
ما2x
به2x
ربى1x
يعلم1x
ٱلقول1x
فى1x
ٱلسماء1x
وٱلأرض1x
ومن1x
ٱلناس1x
من1x
يشترى1x
لهو1x
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About Sunan Abu Dawud
This hadith is #5014 from Sunan Abu Dawud, in the Book of General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab). It is graded Da'if and narrated by Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib:.