[^9] But after the end of the first century AH when the...

[^9] But after the end of the first century AH when the repression of the Umayyad rulers diminished because of their confrontation with the ‘Abbasid movement and other revolts and were finally defeated by the ‘Abbasids, the pure Imams ( ‘a ) revived the recitation of elegies for Imam al-Husayn ( ‘a ) and great poets such as Kumayt al-Asadi, Sayyid Humayri, Sufyan ibn Mus‘ab ‘Abdi, Mansur Namri, and Da‘bal al-Khaza‘i used to recite poetry in their presence for the tribulation of Imam al-Husayn ( ‘a ).

As Sufyan ibn Mus‘ab ‘Abdi narrates: I visited Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) and the Imam said to his attendant, “Tell Umm Farwah to come and listen to what happened to his (great) grandfather.” Umm Farwah came and sat behind a curtain. Then, Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) said to me: “You recite.” I started reciting an elegy which commences with this couplet: فرو جودي بدمعك المسكوب O Umm Farwah! Render tears to your eyes.

At this point, Umm Farwah and other ladies burst into tears.[^10] Abu’l-Faraj al-Isfahani also narrates from Isma‘il at-Tamimi, thus: I was with Imam as-Sadiq ( ‘a ) when Sayyid Hamayri asked for permission and entered. The Imam asked the members of his household to sit behind a curtain. He then…