حسان بن ثابت
Ḥassān ibn Thābit
Person
The Prophet’s poet, who answered the satires of the Quraysh in verse.
What it means
Hassan ibn Thabit of Medina, a Khazraji, was known as the poet of the Prophet. The Prophet set a pulpit for him in the mosque and said: “O Hassan, answer for the Messenger of God; O God, support him with the Holy Spirit” (Sahih al-Bukhari). He wrote elegies for the dead of Uhud and Hamza.
What the sources say
The pre-Islamic poetry tradition was a forum for argument, and Hassan’s verse was answered in kind. The Prophet’s response to poets who mocked him varied from patience to a general amnesty at the conquest of Mecca.