56:53Al-Waaqia

It is better for the belly of any one of you to be stuffed with pus rather than to stuff (one's mind) with poetry.

It is better for a man's belly to be stuffed with pus which corrodes it than to stuff (one's mind) with frivolous poetry. Abu Bakr has reported it with a slight variation of wording.

"If a man were to fill his stomach completely with pus until it destroyed him, that would be better for him than filling (his mind) with poetry."

"If a man were to fill his stomach completely with pus until it destroyed him, that would be better for him than filling (his mind) with poetry."

it is better for a man’s belly to be full of pus than to be full of poetry. Abu ‘Ali said : I have been told that Abu ‘Ubaid said : It means that his heart is full of poetry so much so that it makes him neglectful of the Quran and remembrance of Allah. If the Quran and the knowledge (of religion) are dominant, the belly will not be full of poetry in our opinion. Some eloquent speech is magic. It means that a man expresses his eloquence by praising another man, and he speaks the truth about him so much so that he attracts the hearts to his speech. He then condemns him and speaks the truth about him so much so that he attracts the hearts to another of his speech, as if he spelled the audience by it.