I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one day when he asked, "Do you have any of the poetry of Umaya bin Abu Salt with you?"I said, "Yes."He said, "Recite."So I recited a verse to him.He said, "More."Then I recited another verse, and he said, "More," until I had recited a hundred verses to him.In another narration it adds, "He nearly became a Muslim through his poetry."
ردفت رسول الله ﷺ يوما، فقال: هل معك من شعر أمية بن أبي الصلت شيء؟ قلت: نعم، قال: هيه فأنشدته بيتا، فقال: هيه ثم أنشدته بيتا، فقال: هيه حتى أنشدته مائة بيت. زاد في رواية: فلقد كاد يسلم في شعره.
Muslim narrated it in the chapter on Poetry (2255) via Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Ibrahim bin Maysara, from Amr bin Shareed, from his father, and he related it.Umaya bin Abu Salt Thaqafi was a pre-Islamic poet known for his adherence to monotheism, his call to abandon idols and affirm the oneness of God. His poetry frequently mentions the Day of Resurrection, the reckoning, paradise, and hellfire. For this reason the Prophet ﷺ said, "He nearly became a Muslim." He died in the fifth year after the Hijrah, and he has a published collection of poetry.