2. Another Qasida in praise of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.)
1. The day of Ghadeer is the most excellent day and having an exalted
rank in Islam. 2. It is the day, on which God made our Imam caretaker of
religion, my implication is successor of Prophet and leader of every Imam. 3.
On Ghadeer day, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said holding the hand of Ali (a.s.): 4.
Of whomsoever I am the master, this is his master. According to revelation
of the Most Powerful. 5. This Ali is my vizier on you during my lifetime, and
when I pass away, he would be my successor. 6. O God, love those, who
believe in his Mastership (Wilayat) and give death of unrightfulness to one,
who is inimical to him. 7. Then hands of people stretched out to pay the oath
of fealty one after another.
This poet has also written other Ghadeer Qasidas.
Introduction to the poet
Abul Hasan Ali bin Hammad bin Ubaidullah bin Hammad Adawi Abdi1 Basri.
His father was Hammad, a poet loyal to Ahle Bayt (a.s.), as our poet, his
son, Ali, mentions him in his Qasida:
“Indeed, Ali bin Hammad is your slave as Hammad was your littérateur.
Before me, my father composed poems in your praise and advised me not to
discontinue this practice.”
Ibne Hammad was a prominent Shia personality and a great scholar and
topmost poets of the first period and a tradition scholar contemporary to Shaykh
Saduq.
Najjashi had met him and he wrote in his Rijal:2 I have met him, but Abu
Ahmad Jaludi Basri (d. 332 A.H.) has narrated on the authority of Shaykh Abu
Abdullah Husain bin Ubaidullah Ghazairi (d. 411 A.H.). From this aspect Ali bin
Hammad was a teacher of these gentlemen, who are mentioned as authorities in
his chains and all of them were established scholars of traditions; and this proves
his reliability and expertise in science of traditions.
However with regard to poetry, no one has any doubt that he is its standard
bearer and the maker of it rules. One, who arranged its verses, and among those,
who are at the forefront, who urges the riders and who gathers the scattered forces. In collections,3
his name is mentioned as Ziyad and couplets are commonly present in books and collections.
He composed excessive and beautiful verses in favor of Ahle Bayt (a.s.). He
praised and extolled them to a great extent and did that openly, in such a way that
Ibne Shahr Ashob has included him among poets who praised Ahle Bayt (a.s.)
openly.
Allamah Samawi has compiled his poems in his collection of poems in
praise about Ahle Bayt (a.s.) comprising 2200 couplets. His couplets are far from
imaginative forms, on the contrary, his couplets are expressive evidences and
stable proofs based on Shiite faith.
Birth and death
We have not discovered the dates of his birth and death. We only know: that
Najjashi has met, but he has not narrated from him. He was born in Safar 372
A.H. and his teacher, Jaludi Basri, from whom our poet has quoted, died in 17
Zilhajj 332 A.H. It can be concluded from these two dates that our poet was born
in the beginning of the fourth century and passed away at the end of it.
He has said in praise of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.):
1. For us the reliable Shaykh Muhammad Jarir has narrated from Sadaqah 2. A report, whose context and conclusion has no contradiction from Anas from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) 3. I saw him on Mt. Hira that he was Ali, the owner of intellect 4. He plucked from the air something like grapes. 5. So both of them ate till they were satiated. 6. And I saw that the cloud rose up and my amazement increased. 7. It was food from Paradise, which God had sent. 8. It was one of the choicest gifts for the chosen man.
In these verses, the poet has hinted at the report, which Muhammad bin Jarir
Tabari has narrated through his chains from Anas.
Anas says: One day. the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) mounted his beast
and went towards Mt. Kada4 and said:
“O Anas, go with this mount to such and such place. You will find Ali
sitting there on pebbles and reciting divine praise. Convey my greetings to him
and mount him on the beast and bring him here.”
Anas says: When I went there, I found Ali as I was told and I said: “The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) has summoned you,” and when he came to the
Prophet, he said: “Take a seat, this is the place, where seventy messenger
prophets have sat; and no prophet has sat here, but that I am better than him. With
every prophet a brother has also sat and no brother has sat here, but that you are
better than him.”
Anas says: So I saw a white cloud shading them and they began to eat
grapes from it and the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “Brother, eat it, as it is a gift from
Almighty Allah for me and then for you.”
Then they drank water and then the cloud rose up. Then he said: “O Anas,
by the one, who creates whatever He likes, three hundred and thirteen prophets
and three hundred and thirteen successors have eaten from this cloud and among
them there was no prophet better than me and no successor better than Ali.”