The Poetry of Al-Sayyid Al-Hamiri: A Study in Epistolary Rhetoric

Abstract

The poetry of Al-Sayyid Al-Hamiri serves as a clear example of the employment of the concept of rhetoric, particularly epistolary rhetoric, which is based on hierarchical rhetorical foundations through which the poet aims to achieve his desired objective. Al-Hamiri's poetry is not merely traditional in its praise of the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and their noble qualities such as courage, generosity, forbearance, and wisdom, as well as the glory and honor they have attained. Instead, Al-Hamiri's goal is to present the arguments he perceives regarding the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), particularly Imam Ali (peace be upon him), emphasizing their greatness, nobility, and divine right to the caliphate of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). He seeks to refute the foundations upon which the Umayyads and Abbasids based their claims of being more entitled to the caliphate than others. Al-Hamiri offers successive hierarchical arguments to counter the views of his opponents, relying on religious, historical, and poetic evidence to achieve persuasion and sway others to the truth of his claims, which highlight the superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) over other Muslims. Thus, the researcher has chosen Al-Sayyid Al-Hamiri's poetry for study according to the concept of epistolary rhetoric, which is part of the rhetoric theory that has become prevalent in modern literary studies.