An investigation of the behavior of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) as reflected in the poems of the contemporary Arab poets

Since the first days of the rise of Islam, a great number of religious, political and literary figures have been fascinated by the praise worthy character and the behavior of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him). Each one of the afore-mentioned figures has attempted to praise and describe Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) on the basis of his own understanding and appreciation of the character of this great Imam. This paper attempts to display the descriptions and the verbal portraits provided by the contemporary Arab poets of the character and behavior of Imam Ali (peace be Upon Him). It can be said that a few notions common to these poets are: the explicit admission of their incompetence to describe the Imam and the fact that he is a very great and unique person, the expression of his honesty, his benevolence and his bravery, self-esteem, greatness and his leadership which is explained and emphasized by these poets. The views of other non-Shiite poets such and the Christian and Sunni poets are also presented and explored in this study. It can be concluded from this study, that the contemporary Arab poets have also dealt with religious topics and issues, and have treated these ideological matters in their poetry, although to a lesser extent and with less elaboration.