Renowned for their fluency in speech and richness of language, the Arabs were the fortunate nation among whom the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born. The Word of God which was revealed to him captivated the hearts of many who were learned as well as those who were illiterate. But the Holy Qur’an cannot be downplayed and considered a mere literary work of art.
There is much more to the Holy Qur’an than its beauty in sound and formation. God the Fashioner may have decorated His Scripture with rhyme and prose, but God, Who is also the Wise, assimilated great depth in each letter and word of the Qur’an. The Qur’an distinguishes itself from poetry. Maintaining its sanctity, God Almighty named an entire chapter of the Holy Qur’an as ‘The Poets’ – a chapter which details the divinity of His Word and one which contains abundant lessons on avoiding empty talk.
The pagans had accused the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of being a mere poet who used words to bring people to his faith. With great clarity, the Holy Qur’an responds to this allegation:
“And We have not taught him poetry, nor does it befit him. It is but a Reminder and a Qur’an that makes things plain,”
Instead of being a literary work which can be replicated, we have in the Holy Qur’an a most precious gift of comprehensive and eloquent messages for all times and all places.
This, of course, does not mean that Islam opposes poetry. Rather, it only reminds us that the Holy Qur’an and the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are noble, and their dignity is to be preserved. From the time when the children of Madinah sang poetic verses in praise of God for bestowing them with the presence of the Prophet, to the present day when poetry on matters of faith has been recorded in numerous languages and styles, artistic use of words has become a way of worshipping our Creator and expressing feelings and thoughts.
When the Promised Messiah, His Holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on whom be peace), completed writing his poetic ode to the Holy Prophet, he announced that God Himself had accepted this ‘Qasidah’ which he had penned. To add to this, God had promised those who memorized this Qasidah that they would be granted excellent memory. Such people will be blessed with love and nearness of God, and develop deep affection for His Prophet in their hearts.
So what place does poetry have in religion? I think the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) explained it best in an Urdu couplet which has been translated as follows:
‘No concern do we have with verse or versifying–
Some may learn this way – this is our only aim.’
REFERENCES:
https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Seal-of-Prophets-Vol-1.pdf (pages 4-6; 69-71)
https://www.alislam.org/quran/26
https://www.alislam.org/quran/36:70
Voice of British Muslim Women 
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