Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said from the pulpit: The greatest verse of poetry ever spoken by the Arabs is: "Ala kullu shay'in ma khala Allah batil" (Be aware! Everything besides Allah Almighty is false). Umayyah bin Abi Salt was close to becoming a Muslim.

(Second chain) The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The truest verse ever spoken by a poet is this: "Behold! Everything besides Allah is false."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) affirmed some of the verses of Umayyah. He had said one verse: (Among the bearers of the Throne) some are in the form of a man, some in the form of an ox, under the right leg of Allah Almighty, some are in the form of a vulture, and some are in the form of a lion lying in ambush. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Umayyah has spoken the truth. Once he recited these verses: And at the end of every night the sun rises, at that time it is red and its color appears rosy, it refuses and does not rise gently, otherwise it would be punished and whipped. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: He has spoken the truth.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Shuraid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him to recite the poetry of Umayyah bin Abi Salt. So he recited a hundred couplets. Whenever he completed a verse, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: "Recite more, recite more." When I finished a hundred couplets, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He was close to becoming a Muslim."

(Second Chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Shuraid (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: Do you remember any poetry of Umayyah bin Abi Salt? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Recite to me. So I recited a verse, and whenever I finished a verse, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: Recite more. Until I had recited one hundred verses to him (peace and blessings be upon him), then he (peace and blessings be upon him) became silent and I also became silent.