For instance...

For instance, while reciting poetry Fadhl ibn al-‘Abbas has thus said: الا ان خير الناس بعد محمد وصي النبي المصطفى عند ذي الذكر و اول من صلّی و صنونبيه و اول من اردى الغواة لدى بدر Be aware that the best of people after Muhammad in the sight of God is the successor of Prophet al-Mustafa (S). He is the first performer of prayer, the brother of the Prophet, and the first person to drive away the tyrants in (the Battle of) Badr.

[^3] Mughayrah ibn Nawfal ibn Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib addressed the supporters of the Commander of the Faithful ( ‘a ) during the Battle of Siffin and poetically said: فيكم وصي رسول الله قائدكم و صهره و كتاب الله قد نشرا Among you is the successor of the Messenger of Allah (S)—your commander—and his son-in-law, and the Book of Allah is scattered. [^4] Fadhl ibn al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Utbah ibn Abi Lahab has been one of the famous poets at the end of the first century AH.

Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih has narrated: “When Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik was circumambulating { tawaf } the Ka‘bah , Fadhl ibn al-‘Abbas was reciting this poem while getting water from the well of Zamzam: يأيها السائل عن عليّ تسأل عن بدرٍ لنا بدريٍّ مُرَدَّدٍ في المجد ابطحي سائلةٍ غرّه مضيٍّ O he who is asking from ‘Ali! You are asking from the moon of Banu Hashim and the one present at the Battle of Badr. Are you doubtful in praising the greatness of the ‘abtahi’ man, or asking about his precedence in Islam?

[^5] Among the first persons to have recited poetry in defending the right of the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali ( ‘a ) was a woman named Umm Mastah ibn Athathah.

Historians have narrated, thus: After Abu Bakr and ‘Umar treated ‘Ali harshly to acquire his allegiance by force, Umm Mastah came to the mosque, stood in front of the grave of the Prophet and recited this poem: قد كان بعدك انباء هنبثةً لو كنت شاهدها لم تكثر الخطب انا فقدناك فقد الأرض و ابلها فاختل قومك فاشهدهم و لا تغب After you, an event and differences have occurred that would never happen if you were present. We lost you just as the soil would lose water. Your community is going astray.

Be witness and neglect not. [^6] Among the poets who used to engage in argumentation and defend the right of ‘Ali ( ‘a ) was the great Arab poet and man of letter, Abu’l-Aswad Daw’ili who lived in Basrah at the place of the tribe of Banu Qashir that were sympathetic to ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan. None of them could surpass Abu’l-Aswad in speech. So, they instead persecuted and harassed him, throwing stones at his house every night.