The Shi‘ah Poets and the Station of Poetry

By: Ghulam-Husayn Muharrami
During the past periods, poetry occupied a special station, and in addition to its literary and aesthetic dimensions, it had been considered the most important instrument of propaganda, playing the role of today’s mass media such as printed matters, radio and television.
During the pre-Islamic period of ignorance {yawm al-jahiliyyah}, this fact was conspicuously prevalent among the Arabs because they used to give ample importance to eloquence, fluency and beauty of speech. For this reason, one of the significant forms of the miracle of the Qur’an is its eloquence and fluency; hence, poetry occupied a special place among the Arabs.
As Ya‘qubi says in this regard: The Arab people used to regard poetry as equal to knowledge and wisdom. If in a certain tribe a sagacious and ingenious poet emerged, his presence at the annual trade fairs and the Hajj ceremony and its assemblies would be provided so as for him to recite his poetry and be heard by other tribes and clans, and thus, his tribe would be proud of his poetry.
The Arab tribes used to refer to poetry in all their works. They would also express enmity through poetry; give example through poetry; give honor to one another through poetry; find fault with one another through poetry; and extol and eulogize one another through it.[1][653]
After the event of Saqifah and the overt formation of Shi‘ism, Arabic poetry maintained its station and the Shi‘ah made use of it in propagating their viewpoint regarding Imamate and guardianship {wilayah}. Poets who were upholding the wilayah on the rightfulness of the Shi‘ah school whose foundation was the rightfulness of the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali (‘a) over the caliphate recited poems and had pivotal role in the spread and propagation of Shi‘ism. Notwithstanding his anti-Shi‘ah tendency, Zubayr ibn Bakkar has mentioned some of these poems. Among these were the poems of ‘Utbah ibn Abi Lahab which run as follows:
ما كنت احسب أن الأمر منصرف عن هاشم ثم منها عن أبي حسن!
أليس اولى من صلى لقبلتكم و أعلم الناس بالقرآن و السنن؟
و أقرب الناس عهداً بالنبي ومن جبريل عون له في الغسل و الكفن؟
ما فيه و ما فيهم لا يمترون به و ليس في القوم ما فيه من الحسن
ماذا الذي ردهم عنه فنعلمه ها ان ذاغبنا من اعظم الغبن
I did not imagine that they would take away the matter of caliphate from the Banu Hashim and among whom from Abu’l-Hasan (‘Ali)!
Is he not the first person to pray toward your qiblah and the most learned of people about the Qur’an and the Sunnah?
Was he not the last person to see the Prophet? And has he not been assistant of Jibra’il in bathing (for the dead) and enshrouding the Prophet?
Why do you not think about the difference between you and ‘Ali? Among the people, no one possesses his good qualities.
What has been the reason behind their deviation from him? Make him aware of this fact as this loss is the greatest of losses.[2][654]
The pure Imams (‘a), who were also aware of the utility and influence of poetry, used to satisfactorily appreciate and honor Shi‘ah poets. One day, Kumayt Asadi came to Imam al-Baqir (‘a) and recited his elegy until he reached this couplet:
و قتيل بالطف غودر منهم بين غوعاء أمّةٍ و طغام
And the killed one among them in the land of Taf has been abjectly and miserably abandoned by people.
Imam al-Baqir (‘a) wept and said: “O Kumayt! If we only had wealth we shall give it to you. Yet, I will tell you whatever the Messenger of Allah (‘a) said to Hassan ibn Thabit: ‘So long as you defend us Ahl al-Bayt, you are confirmed by the Holy Spirit {ruh al-qudus}’.”[3][655]
Similarly, Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) used to say: “O assembly of the Shi‘ah! Teach the poems of ‘Abdi[4][656] to your children as he is with the religion of God.”[5][657]
For this reason, the truth-speaking Shi‘ah poets were held in high esteem and regard by the Shi‘ah and devotees of the Prophet’s (S) descendants. As Ibn al-Mu‘tazil has narrated, “The people of Qum used to make it incumbent upon themselves to allocate fifty thousand dirhams for Da‘bal Khaza‘i, a Shi‘ah poet.”[6][658]
As such, the Shi‘ah poets were always subjected to persecution and harassment by the Umayyad and ‘Abbasid rulers. Due to the poems he has recited in praise of Banu Hashim and the pains experienced by the progeny of the Prophet (S), Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi fell prey to the bigotry of the Umayyads and was imprisoned.[7][659] Because of poems he had recited in acknowledging Muhammad Nafs az-Zakiyyah,[8][660] Sadif ibn Maymun[9][661] earned the tirade of the ‘Abbasid caliph Mansur and by the caliph’s order, ‘Abd as-Samad ibn ‘Ali, the then governor of Medina, buried Sadif alive.[10][662]
Ibrahim ibn Hurmah was also one of the silver-tongued Shi‘ah poets who composed beautiful poems in praise of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). When he entered the court of the ‘Abbasid caliph Mansur, Mansur spoke to him harshly and said: “After this, if you would recite poems which we do not accept, I will kill you.”[11][663]
Nonetheless, the self-sacrificing poets such as Du‘bal paid less attention to these threats. Du‘bal used to say, “For fifty years, I have been carrying a gallows but I cannot find anyone who would hang me in it.”[12][664]

The Shi‘ah Poets Till the End of Minor Occultation {ghaybah as-sughra}
As indicated earlier, from the very first few days after the event of Saqifah, there were those among the truth-speaking poets who defended the school of Shi‘ism through their eloquent tongues.
During the rule of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) and at the Battle of Jamal and the Battle of Siffin, apart from the poets of Iraq who were among the followers of ‘Ali (‘a), many of the companions of the Prophet (S) such as ‘Ammar ibn Yasir, Khuzaymah ibn Thabit, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, ‘Abd Allah ibn al-‘Abbas, and others recited poetry in defending the right of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a).
During the Umayyad period, some poets had also kept their attachment to the progeny of the Prophet (S). During the Umayyad period compared to the ‘Abbasid period, however, there were fewer poets who were present on the scene because during that period an extreme atmosphere of strangulation was prevalent in the Shi‘ah community.
As Abu’l-Faraj al-Isfahani says, “The preceding poets of the Umayyad period recited fewer poems in lamentation for Imam al-Husayn (‘a).”[13][665] When Kumayt al-Asadi recited the poetry in praise of Banu Hashim {hashimiyyat}, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mu‘awiyah who was one of the descendants of Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib at-Tayyar addressed the Banu Hashim, saying: “O Banu Hashim! At the time when the people refrained from expressing your superiority, this Kumayt recited poetry for you and risked his live vis-à-vis the Umayyads.” The same poetry was the cause of the trouble that Kumayt endured.[14][666]
Prior to him, Farazdaq was also sent to the Umayyad prison because of his eulogy to Imam as-Sajjad (‘a).[15][667]
During the ‘Abbasid period, sensitivity toward the truth-speaking poets was also strong, but since the Shi‘ah community had expanded then, less control was exerted against them compared to that of the Umayyad period. When the ‘Abbasids gradually became weak, more poets were present on the scene for defending the school of Shi‘ism. As Dr. Shawki Ḍayf says, “During the second ‘Abbasid period, more Shi‘ah poems were recited, and the Shi‘ah poets during that period were of two groups: ‘Alawi poets and non-‘Alawi poets.”[16][668]
Meanwhile, scholars and notables such as Ibn Shahr Ashub, ‘Ali Khan Shirazi and the late ‘Allamah Amini have written about the numbers of Shi‘ah poets. Yet, the most comprehensive work in this regard is by Sayyid Muhsin Amin who has counted the number of Shi‘ah poets according to their year of death up to 329 AH, i.e. the end of the minor occultation {ghaybah as-sughra}.[17][669]

The Leading Shi‘ah Poets
In every period, some renowned and famous Shi‘ah poets were the vanguards of Shi‘ah poetry and thawed themselves in the guardianship {wilayah} of and love for the progeny of the Prophet (S). Among these poets were Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi, Kuthayyir ‘Azzah, Farazdaq and Sayyid Humayri during the Umayyad period. As Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih says, “Kumayt and Kuthayyir were among the staunch and extreme Shi‘ah.”[18][670]
The son of Kumayt, Mustahil, says: “At the time of death, the last time that he opened his eyes, Kumayt said three times, ‘Allahumma al Muhammad’.”[19][671] Ibn Mu‘taz has said: “Sayyid Humayri expressed in poetry all the famous virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (‘a).”[20][672]
Abu’l-Faraj al-Isfahani also says, “The poems of Sayyid Humayri are mostly in praise of Banu Hashim and reproach to their enemies. Two thousand three hundred odes in praise of Banu Hashim have been reported from him.”[21][673] For this reason, Sayyid Humayri occupied a lofty station among the Shi‘ah and there was a special seat for him in Masjid al-Kufah.[22][674]
During the first ‘Abbasid period, the two great silver-tongued and eloquent Shi‘ah poets were Mansur Namri and Da‘bal al-Khaza‘i. Harun ar-Rashid issued Namri’s execution order but he was not found when still alive.[23][675]
Dr. Mustafa Shak‘ah says regarding Da‘bal: Da‘bal used to praise the Household of the Prophet (S) describing them in his poems in such a manner that as if they were part of his family. He used to harass the Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids, and if they would intimidate him, he would say, “For fifty years, I have been carrying a gallows but I cannot find anyone who would hang me in it.”[24][676]
Concerning this, Dr. Shawqi Ḍayf thus says: During the second ‘Abbasid period,[25][677] Shi‘ah poems had been much recited some of which had been recited by ‘Alawi poets while others had been recited by other Shi‘ah poets. Among the most prominent ‘Alawi poets during that period were Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Alawi al-Hummani and Muhammad ibn ‘Ali from among the descendants of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Ali. During the reign of Mutawakkil, this Muhammad ibn ‘Ali used to take pride in his forefathers and reflect the Shi‘ah views in his poems.[26][678]

Summary
Poetry in the past occupied a special place and apart from its literary dimension, it had been considered the most significant means of propaganda.
After the event in Saqifah, the Shi‘ah made use of poetry in spreading their viewpoint concerning the Imamate, and the poets played a key role in strengthening and spreading Shi‘ism.
The pure Imams (‘a) who were completely aware of the use and influence of poetry appreciated and acknowledged the Shi‘ah poets satisfactorily. Meanwhile, on account of the impact of their words, the Shi‘ah poets had always been subjected to persecution and harassment by the hostile Umayyad and ‘Abbasid rulers.
During the rule of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) and in the Battle of Jamal and the Battle of Siffin, apart from Iraqis, many of the companions of the Prophet (S) had also recited poems in defense of the right of ‘Ali (‘a). On account of the intense atmosphere of strangulation during the Umayyad period, however, less number of poets had kept on expressing their attachment to the progeny of the Prophet (S).
During the first ‘Abbasid period, the same condition was prevalent, but during the second period, more Shi‘ah poets were present on the scene due to the weakening of the caliphate. The most comprehensive work on the number of the Shi‘ah poets has been done by the late Sayyid Muhsin Amin.