Recalling Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the Symbolic Functions of this in the Poems of Nazzar Ghabbani

Using religious symbols and teachings in poetry leads to increasing the content quality and authenticity of literary texts. This was anciently the focus of the attention of poets. Nazzar Ghabbani, the contemporary Syrian poet is no exception. He used new techniques in his poetry to express his thoughts and views. One of the most obvious techniques of his was mentioning Ahl al-Bayt (p-b-u-t.) because of the sacrifices and precious services they rendered to humanity in history; Ahl al-Bayt enjoyed specific holy status as noticeable paragons and symbols in poets’ and authors’ views since long time ago. Some examples of these services are the efforts of the holy Prophet in advancing the divine message and teaching the Quranic wisdom, justice and wisdom of Imam Ali and the impact of the sorrowful events of Karbala with the commandership of Imam Hussain.This article uses the descriptive method to indicate Ahl al-Bayt and the respective symbolic connotations in Nazzar Ghabbani’s poetry. In many poems, he used these themes to express his thoughts and to speak out his hostile attitudes to the tyranny in the political atmosphere of Arab countries.