Religious Elegy in the Poetry of Abdul Muttalib Al-Hilli

The poet ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib al-Ḥillī explores various themes in his poetry, with religious elegy being the most prominent. He is regarded as a religious scholar, having been raised in an Iraqi family with Shiʿi doctrinal traits. These orientations are particularly reflected in his elegies for the Prophet’s household, especially Imam al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon him), portraying what befell him, his family, and companions in the land of Karbala—where heroism, sacrifice, and devotion unfolded, followed by anguish and suffering endured by his family. In shaping this elegiac vision, both religious and sectarian lamentation surface, alongside a contemplative depth through recounting grave events. These elements reveal his social and political views, especially through his religious positions, his affiliation with the Ottoman government, and his loyalty to revolutionary scholars. This form of literature also conveys emotional impulses and decisive stances. This article aims to analyze the poet’s religious positions using an analytical method, highlighting his noble conduct and zeal for Islamic causes and defense of the religion. Results indicate his deep concern in recounting the events of Imam al-Ḥusayn and his companions to support the truth and Islamic law. The poet also honored scholars who combined jurisprudential study with jihad, portraying vivid, painful scenes from the Day of Ṭaff as religious testimony throughout history.
Keywords: Religious lamentation, sacrifice, Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), sacred sites, Abd al-Mutalib Hilli.
Introduction
The purpose of elegy in literature refers to the affiliation of the writer or poet in clarifying their positions through the expression they employ to convey their intentions. When we study the poems of the poet Sayyid Abdul Muttalib al-Hilli, we find in his poetic texts a clear touch of religious elegy in mentioning the incidents and disasters that befell the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), especially the Karbala incident. This expression is charged with a rich and varied imagery. When we read his long poems, scenes and images filled with sadness and pain are drawn to our imaginations, reflecting religious, moral, and emotional values. With his unique and powerful poetic talent, his authentic eloquence, and his dazzling ability, the poet was able to stand out among the most prominent contemporary poets, especially in mourning and weeping for the Ahl al-Bayt and Imam Hussein (peace be upon them), even though he has been forgotten in the history of literature. However, he and examples of his poetry are mentioned in Shiite books such as Adab al-Taf, Poets of Hillah, and Al-Tali'ah of Shiite Poets. His elegies are full of fervent emotions, and it is worth noting that his elegies for Hussein (peace be upon him) are a perfect example that poets after him emulated in expressing the injustice suffered by the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and their tragedy at the killing of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him).
Materials & Methods
It can be acknowledged that in contemporary poetry, the lamentations of individuals had emotional value, and after death, they caused great sorrow to their loved ones and friends, which led to the writing of lamentation poems. This research was written using library information, articles, and internet resources. The lamentations were extracted from the poet's collection and examined as a statistical population. Then, the characteristics, goals, and literary styles used in them were examined using a descriptive-analytical method.
Discussion& result
Examining the religious lament in the poetry of Abdul Muttalib Al-Hilli The contemporary Iraqi poet, Sayyid Abd al-Muttalib Hilli, has several tendencies in his poems, the most important of which is the religious tendency, because he is considered a prominent religious figure and was raised in a religious family. Most of the poet's religious tendencies are manifested in his elegies of the family of the Prophet, Ahl al-Bayt (AS), especially the Great of the martyrs, Imam Hussein (AS), which depicted all kinds of sacrifices that took place in the land of Karbala. In the light of mourning, one can touch on the broad dimensions of religious tendencies and the thought-provoking dimension, especially in expressing scenes of campaign and sacrifice. Socio-political tendencies can also be understood through the poet's religious tendency. The poet was one of the religious figures who were very interested in the Ottoman government as well as the clergy of Sheikh Kazem Khorasani and the constitutional movement in Iran. In the light of such literature, the poet's fateful tendencies and stances are revealed. This article tries to use analytical-descriptive method, while confirming the poet's stances regarding the support of the family of prophecy and the religion of Islam, to examine and explain the poet's religious tendencies which he has expressed in his poems on various occasions. After researching and investigating the poems of the poet Abdul Muttalib Al-Hilli in order to uncover the religious trend in this poet's poems, we found that the poet, since he was born into a religious and sectarian Shiite family and lived and lived with religious scholars, had strong tendencies and affiliations regarding the Sharia and the Shiite sect. This enthusiasm appeared clearly in adopting his doctrinal positions in stating the virtues and merits of the Ahl al-Bayt and the religious men of his time, such as Sheikh Kazim al-Khorasani.Religious poetry occupied an important and broad position in Al-Hilli's poetry, and this appeared clearly through the predominance of religious terms such as faith and testimony, and redemption and sacrifice in order to revive the principles of religion and Sharia, and mentioning the incidents that befell the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace be upon them. Mr. Abdul Muttalib Al-Hilli composed poetry early, influenced by his uncle’s seminar or rather his (school) which was a destination for the writers of his time. After his uncle’s death, he turned to agriculture and committed himself to the princely lands. His financial management expanded and he obtained huge profits. However, the harsh circumstances returned to him, and all his enormous wealth was lost due to the deterioration that befell those lands and the lack of water that used to revive most of his lands. He remained proud of his dignity, manhood, and position in people’s hearts, and the sanctification of the leaders and chiefs for his person, who approached him and sought to woo him with all kinds of wooing to profit from his literature and the daughters of his ideas, which were more expensive than their likes. The religious trend of the poet appeared in his poetic purposes such as elegy, martyrdom, and the statement of the virtues of the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them) and the pure Imams (peace be upon them) and their religious and moral characteristics.The religious trend of the poet appeared through the use of his poems to love the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them), headed by Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and the awaited Imam (may Allah hasten his honorable reappearance), as well as mentioning the holy places, especially Karbala and Al-Taf, and the holy occasions such as the ten days of Muharram.This study revealed the depth of the poet's Islamic culture and his understanding of what is happening around him and his sense of the role assigned to society.This study also showed the poet's reliance on the traditional approach in his poetry, because it is direct and declarative, and he relied on taking ancient Arabic poetry as a supreme example in its introduction and splendor, and he built his poem on the same traditional style.
Conclusion
After researching and investigating the poems of the poet Abdul Mutalib al-Hilli to uncover religious lamentations in his poetry, we found that the poet, having been born into a religious and sectarian Shiite family and having lived and lived among religious scholars, had strong inclinations and affiliations regarding Sharia and the Shiite sect. This fervor was clearly evident in his doctrinal positions, declaring the virtues and merits of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the religious figures of his time, such as Sheikh Kazim al-Khorasani.Religious poetry occupied a significant and prominent place in al-Hilli's poetry. This was clearly evident in the predominance of religious terms such as faith, martyrdom, sacrifice, and self-sacrifice for the sake of reviving the principles of religion and Sharia, as well as in his mention of the events that befell the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). The poet's religious stances appeared in his poetic themes, such as elegy, martyrdom, and the expression of the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt and the pure Imams (peace be upon them), as well as their religious and moral characteristics.The poet's religious elegy appeared through his use of poems to express his love for the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Imam Hussein (peace be upon them), and the awaited Imam (may God Almighty hasten his reappearance), as well as his mention of holy sites, especially Karbala and al-Taff, and sacred occasions such as the ten days of Muharram.This study revealed the poet's deep Islamic culture, his understanding of what was happening around him, and his sense of the role assigned to him toward society.This study also demonstrated the poet's reliance on the traditional approach in his poetry, as it was direct and declarative, adopting classical Arabic poetry as a prime example in its introduction and elegance. He built his poems on the same traditional style.