Summary Article: Mahdism in the Poetry of the Umayyad and Abbasyd Eras: A Comparative Textual Study
Ahmad Hayawi Al-Sa’ad, Ph.D
Translated by: Mujtaba Al-Helu
Mahdism is considered among the most fundamental cornerstones of the Islamic theology, especially of the Shia thought. The Shias consider Imamate one of the five pillars of the Islamic belief, unlike other Islamic schools. The current study, accordingly, sheds light on this belief, that of Mahdism in the poetry of the Umayyad and Abbasyd eras, and the way the poets of the time considered and encountered this idea in their poetry, chiefly the Shia poets. It is historically acknowledged that such poets have contributed much to the shaping of this belief in the attitudes of the people. The historical context of the time was under powerful political poles, making the task of the poets extremely difficult, though they successfully stabilized Mahdism in people’s mind.
