Ashura Movement Reflected in Abdul-Mon em al-Fartosy's Epic Poetry

Ashura tragic event and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (as) are considered the greatest events in the history of Islam after Ghadir event because Imam (as) held the great epic in Ashura day and sacrificed himself and his family, near kin and his companions for the survival of Islam. This human event had influence on poets’ souls as they made an attempt to compose lyrics about Imam (as). Some of the poets’ lyrics serve transparent mirror to tell the truth about this event and have great impact on the population. In this paper, we study Ashura movement in contemporary epic poetry that is called taff poetry. Al-Fartosy is a person who has written beautifully and effectively about Imam Hussein (as) and made an attempt to tell Ashura event and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (as) in the third volume of his epic poems. In fact, he discussed and interpreted Ashura movement in his epic poems in his narrative style, just like what would be read in a book, and portrayed all events that happened on that day. Thus, this paper first examines the poet’s life and finally focuses on the third volume that is about Imam Hussein (as) and his movement. The most important results of this study include the image of freedom shouting Imam, his struggle against tyranny, against the oppressive and unjust rulers, and finally the self-sacrifice of Imam in the way of upholding Islamic values.