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Sawda al-Hamdani
Full NameSawda bt. 'Umara b. Ashtar
Companion ofImam Ali (a)
Epithetal-Hamdani, al-Yamani
Well Known AsPoet, Muhaddith
Religious AffiliationShia
LineageHamdan tribe
Place(s) of ResidenceKufa • Medina
Demise1st/7th century
ProfessorsImam Ali (a)
StudentsMuhammad b. 'Ubayd Allah • 'Amir al-Sha'bi


Not to be confused with Sawda bt. Zam'a b. Qays

Sawda al-Hamdānī was a distinguished Shia poet and one of the companions of Imam Ali (a). She accompanied the Imam during the Battle of Siffin, where she composed poetry to champion his cause and rally his troops. Following the Martyrdom of Imam Ali (a), she confronted Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan to grieve the injustices of Busr b. Artat, an Umayyad official. During this audience, she recited further verses extolling the virtues of Imam Ali (a).

Scholars regard Sawda's open expression of devotion to the Imam during her encounter with Mu'awiya as a testament to her virtue, moral perfection, and steadfast commitment to the guardianship (wilaya) of Imam Ali (a).

Introduction

Sawda al-Hamdani (died 1st/7th century)[1] was a prominent Shia figure and a companion of Imam Ali (a).[2] She is identified as a notable woman among the Tabi'un (successors) of the Hamdan tribe.[3] Historical accounts variously record her father's name as 'Umara b. Ashtar,[4] 'Umara b. al-Ask,[5] or 'Umara b. Asad.[6] In addition to the nisba "al-Hamdani,"[7] she is occasionally referred to as "al-Yamani."[8] The exact dates of her birth and death are not recorded in historical sources.[9]

Sawda al-Hamdani is characterized as a poet,[10] a muhaddith (narrator of hadith), and a woman of letters.[11] She is considered one of the most eloquent Arab poets of her time, noted for her rhetorical capability.[12] According to Nahla Gharawi Na'ini in Muhaddithat al-Shi'a, Sawda transmitted hadiths from Imam Ali (a), and her narrations were subsequently reported by figures such as Muhammad b. 'Ubayd Allah and 'Amir al-Sha'bi.[13]

Poetry in Support of Imam Ali (a) at Siffin

Sawda was among a group of Kufan women—including Jirwa bt. Murra b. Ghalib al-Tamimi, Umm Sinan bt. Khaythama, Zarqa' bt. 'Adi al-Hamdani, and Umm al-Khayr—who were present at the Battle of Siffin to support Imam Ali (a).[14] During the engagement, she composed verses championing the Imam's cause.[15] These compositions are regarded by some scholars as famous works of the period.[16] In her poetry, she not only defended Imam Ali (a)[17] but also highlighted the virtues of the Imam and incited his army against the Syrian forces.[18] Consequently, she is celebrated as a courageous woman[19] and a "jihadist of the tongue" (one who struggles for the cause through speech).[20] Her verses frequently call for aid to Imam Ali (a), identifying him as the brother of Prophet Muhammad (s) and the standard-bearer of guidance.

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The Dismissal of an Official through Sawda's Testimony

Sawda recounts an incident in which she approached Imam Ali (a) to complain about an official charged with collecting alms (sadaqat). The Imam was rising to perform prayer, yet upon seeing her, he suspended his worship to approach her with compassion, asking, "Do you have a need?" When she replied in the affirmative and explained the situation, the Imam wept and exclaimed: "O God! You are a witness over me and them! I did not order them to oppress Your servants or violate Your right." He then inscribed a message on a piece of leather, beginning with a verse from Qur'an 7:85 ("A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. So give full measure and weight and do not deprive people of their properties and do not cause corruption in the earth after its reformation. That is better for you if you are believers"). The letter concluded with the order: "When you read this letter of mine, keep what is with you of our properties until the one who is commissioned to receive it comes to you." Sawda delivered the letter to the official, leading to his dismissal.[21]

Confrontation with Mu'awiya

Historical sources record that Sawda later met with Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan to register a complaint against Busr b. Artat, one of Mu'awiya's officials.[22] During this audience, Mu'awiya confronted her regarding the poetry she had composed against him and the Syrian army during the Battle of Siffin,[23] rebuking her for inciting Imam Ali's (a) troops. Sawda unhesitatingly attributed her actions to her love for Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and her adherence to the truth.[24]

Sawda proceeded to enumerate Busr's crimes against the populace, demanding his dismissal and the restoration of their rights. When Mu'awiya initially refused and threatened her, Sawda recited a poem mourning Imam Ali (a), recalling the justice with which the Imam had dismissed his own official upon her complaint. Following further exchange, Mu'awiya acknowledged that her boldness stemmed from the courage Ali (a) had instilled in his companions, and he subsequently ordered the restitution of property to her and her tribe.[25]

The elegy Sawda recited in the presence of Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan became famous among the Shias of Kufa during the 2nd/8th century.[26]

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The narrative of Sawda's meeting with Mu'awiya is cited as evidence of her virtue and perfection,[27] as well as an indication of her merit and steadfastness in the guardianship (wilaya) of Imam Ali (a).[28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Markaz-i Mudīriyyat-i Ḥawzahā-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Khwāharān, Bānūvān-i ʿĀlima wa Āthār-i Ānhā, 1379 Sh, p. 25.
  2. ↑ Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520; Shabustarī, al-Tabyīn fī Aṣḥāb al-Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1430 AH, vol. 1, p. 541.
  3. ↑ Maliklū, "Sawda Hamdānī", 1397 Sh, p. 108.
  4. ↑ Amīnī, Aṣḥāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1412 AH, vol. 2, p. 670; Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520.
  5. ↑ Shūshtarī, Qāmūs al-Rijāl, 1410 AH, vol. 12, p. 284; Amīn, Aʿyān al-Shīʿa, 1403 AH, vol. 7, p. 324.
  6. ↑ Maḥallātī, Rayāḥīn al-Sharīʿa, vol. 4, p. 354.
  7. ↑ Amīnī, Aṣḥāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1412 AH, vol. 2, p. 670; Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520.
  8. ↑ Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587.
  9. ↑ For example, see: Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587; Ibn Aʿtham, al-Futūḥ, 1411 AH, vol. 3, pp. 59-61.
  10. ↑ Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587.
  11. ↑ Markaz-i Mudīriyyat-i Ḥawzahā-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Khwāharān, Bānūvān-i ʿĀlima wa Āthār-i Ānhā, 1379 Sh, p. 25.
  12. ↑ Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520; Amīnī, Aṣḥāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1412 AH, vol. 2, p. 670.
  13. ↑ Gharawī Nāʾīnī, Muḥaddithāt al-Shīʿa, 1375 Sh, p. 222.
  14. ↑ al-ʿIqd al-Farīd, vol. 1, p. 347.
  15. ↑ Āyīnih-vand, Adabiyyāt-i Siyāsī-yi Tashayyuʿ, 1387 Sh, p. 50.
  16. ↑ Qummī, Tārīkh-i Qum, 1385 Sh, p. 474 (footnote).
  17. ↑ Āyīnih-vand, Adabiyyāt-i Siyāsī-yi Tashayyuʿ, 1387 Sh, p. 50.
  18. ↑ Amīnī, Aṣḥāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1412 AH, vol. 2, p. 670; Shabustarī, al-Tabyīn fī Aṣḥāb al-Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1430 AH, vol. 1, p. 541; Āyīnih-vand, Adabiyyāt-i Siyāsī-yi Tashayyuʿ, 1387 Sh, p. 50.
  19. ↑ Gharawī Nāʾīnī, Muḥaddithāt al-Shīʿa, 1375 Sh, p. 220; Arfaʿ, "Ḥāmiyān-i Wilāyat", p. 12.
  20. ↑ Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520.
  21. ↑ Irbilī, Kashf al-Ghumma, 1381 AH, vol. 1, p. 174; Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-Nisāʾ, p. 49.
  22. ↑ Ibn Aʿtham, al-Futūḥ, 1411 AH, vol. 3, pp. 59-61; Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587.
  23. ↑ The fact that these poems became battle cries for the Hamdan tribe during the Battle of Siffin is cited as one of the reasons the poetry remained in Mu'awiya's memory. (Maliklū, "Sawda Hamdānī", p. 108.)
  24. ↑ Ibn Aʿtham, al-Futūḥ, vol. 3, p. 60; Ḍabbī, Akhbār al-Wāfidāt, 1403 AH, pp. 67-70; Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-Nisāʾ, pp. 47-49; Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587; Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520.
  25. ↑ Ibn Aʿtham, al-Futūḥ, vol. 3, p. 60; Ḍabbī, Akhbār al-Wāfidāt, 1403 AH, pp. 67-70; Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-Nisāʾ, pp. 47-49; Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 42, p. 587; Ḥassūn, Aʿlām al-Nisāʾ al-Muʾmināt, 1421 AH, p. 520.
  26. ↑ Maliklū, "Sawda Hamdānī", 1397 Sh, p. 108.
  27. ↑ Namāzī Shāhrūdī, Mustadrakāt ʿilm rijāl al-ḥadīth, 1414 AH, vol. 8, p. 582.
  28. ↑ Maḥallātī, Rayāḥīn al-Sharīʿa, vol. 4, p. 354; Gharawī Nāʾīnī, Muḥaddithāt al-Shīʿa, 1375 Sh, p. 220.

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