A Glance over Arabic Ghadir Compositions

Ghadir event was one of the mainsprings which has inspired poets and literary writers throughout the history. A large number of poets have composed poems and verses about the event, each representing their devotion to Imam Ali (A). Arabic poems are no exception. The themes and contents of Arabic Ghadir compositions are so vast that they cannot be restricted to certain subjects or special poets. Given the high significance of the event and its reflection in Arabic poems, we attempted to analyze Arabic poems with regard to their related themes and styles. The findings of the study reveal that among the numerous existing themes, subjects like expressing devotion to Imam Ali (A), citing Guardianship (Vilayat) verse, pledging allegiance to the Imam, cursing the enemies, referring to caliphate of the Imam, and reproaching Saqifa are more frequent. Concerning the style, the common style of odes is brevity; though some poets have composed scattered and extensive poems. Although Ghadir poets have attempted to write persuasively and approvingly, they have not disregarded deploying aesthetics as well as attractive and innovative poetic imageries in their poetry.