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al-Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi (Arabic: الكميت بن زيد الأسدي) (679/680 – 743 CE) was a renowned Arabian poet from Kufa and a devout supporter of al-Baqir. His Hashimiyyat, in praise of the Ahl al-Bayt, is considered among the earliest evidence for the doctrine of imamate.[1] Likely to avoid the persecution by the Umayyads, he also wrote in praise of the caliphs.[2] He used the language of the Bedouins to write poems in praise of Muhammad, as well as 'Ali and his family.[citation needed] He was a schoolteacher at a local mosque until he was encouraged to write poetry instead. He wrote several series of poems including: his Mudhahhaba, his Malhama, and, arguably his most famous series, the Hāshimīyyāt. al-Kumayt was imprisoned by the caliph for his writings and escaped through the help of his wife.[3] He later received a pardon from the caliph and was allowed to return to Kufa. While going to recite a poem, al-Kumayt was attacked by his Yemeni guards and killed.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2013) |
His poems, the Hāshimīyyāt, have been edited by J. Horovitz (Leiden, 1904). An account of him is contained in the Kitab ul-Aghani, xv.113-130.[3]
al-Kumayt's poetry has been the subject of critical analysis by his contemporaries and modern scholars. Below are some of things that have been said of his poetry:
- Abu 'Ikrima has said: "But for the poetry of al-Kumayt [Ibn Zayd] Language would have no interpreter, nor Eloquence a tongue".[4]
- Al-Farazdaq said: "Al-Kumayt was the poet of the first and the last" ("The Great Revolutionary…”)
- An article by van Gelder suggests that al-Kumayt's poetry lacks "concreteness" and "vivid description".[5]
- al-Mufaddal, said: "Recite to me any of his motifs that you find extraordinary, and I shall give you the same from [real] Arab [i.e. bedouin] poems!”.[5]
- al-Hari-ri said: "al- Kumayt was one of those who made artificial poetry and to whom it does not come naturally".[6]
There is controversy surrounding al-Kumayt and if his sympathies lay with 'Ali and his family or the Umayyads. An article by W. F. Madelung suggests that al-Kumayt was not praising the family of the Prophet specifically, but rather the Banu Hashim as a whole. He believes that al-Kumayt wanted the caliphate to be given to the Banu Hashim, but not necessarily the family of the Prophet. He says that, "The Hashimite imam for whose advent [al-Kumayt] was praying need not be a descendant of 'Ali” (Madelung 9).
On the other hand, Horovitz in the Encyclopedia of Islam suggests that al-Kumayt is clearly praising 'Ali and his family. He says, "he came under the influence of the S̲h̲īʿi tendencies of his native town and these had a decisive effect on the direction that his career was to take, inspiring him with violently pro-ʿAlid opinions".
Later, Horovitz sums up his belief that al-Kumayt had conflicting poetry by saying, "[al-Kumayt] was capable of composing eulogies simultaneously to the 'Alids and the Umayyads.”
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