A Criticism of the Fourth Hashemieh Komeit

The present article is an attempt to provide a criticism and review of Komeit’s “Fourth Hashemieh”. Hashemiat are a collection of odes (Qasida) composed to encourage people to stand against the cruel ruling of the Umayyads. This encouragement to revolt is presented cleverly in the form of eulogy for the Holy Prophet and his family. The “Fourth Hashemieh” has a number of key points: firstly, it provokes people to think about the existing adverse conditions, which is the result of the imprudence of the rulers whose highest point of corruption is evident in their killing of Muslims and especially in murdering the Holy Prophet’s grandson. In Komeit’s view, these acts necessitate the revolt against this corrupt system. Secondly, it eulogizes the Bani Hashim, contrasts their ruling with the Bani Umayyah’s, and attempts to encourage the establishment of the former ruling with strong and persuasive arguments. Thirdly, it dedicates the ode to the eulogized, i.e. Bani Hashim. In this ode, the poet addresses a variety of topics in different ways which provides a suitable situation to motivate and provoke two revolutions, namely sociopolitical and literary.