What is the secret of the immortal poems of the late Haj Hamza al-Saghir and the late Haj Kazim al-Mandur al- Karbalai? And why should every reciter learn from them and follow in their footsteps?
In the history of the Husseini literature, many distinguished reciters and poets emerged. They produced masterpieces that became ingrained in the conscience of our nation. These great poems are still the favourite for many people, even after the departure of these elites from this world, leaving a beautiful imprint in the history of Husseini recitations that are almost impossible to replicate. One of these great reciters is Haj Hamza al-Saghir who delivered many Husseini poems that contain a lot of historical, religious and social morals, with influential melodies that made them very dear to the hearts of the believers.
Haj Hamza al-Saghir used to obtain the poems that he narrated from a number of writers. He took a large amount of poems from Haj Kazim al-Mandur al- Karbalai, to the point that they became a ‘Husseini duo’ in the eyes of the people. Thus, it is important to recognise them and learn about their personality to discover the secret of their immortal intellectual production and its magnificence.
Haj Hamza al-Saghir was born in Karbala in Iraq, in 1921 AD 1339 AH. He was the only child in the family, his father died shortly after his birth and he became an orphan. He learned to read the Qur’an and he studied literature since he was young, and he started reciting Husseini poetry at an early age. His original name was Hamza ibn Abboud al-Saadi, but after he started reciting Husseini poems, he was called Hamza al-Saghir as a distinction from another reciter named Hamza al-Salami, who was older than him. Al-Saghir was known for high morals, kindness, asceticism, piety, and tolerance. He was self-employed; he worked in various jobs, including selling pots, selling food and spices, making shoes, and finally ironing clothes.
Haj Hamza al-Saghir became famous from the 1950s until the mid-1970s, where he abundantly narrated Husseini poems in the shrines of both al-Abbas and al-Hussein (as). People were eager to listen to his recitation and they strived to attend his majalis. Al-Saghir died from cancer in 1976 AD 1395 AH at the age of 55.
Regarding Haj Kazim al-Karbalai, his full name is Kazim bin Hassun bin abd Aoun al-Shammari, also born in Karbala in 1891 AD 1309 AH. He lived with his father until the age of seven years when his father died. His elder brother and uncle took then took the responsibility of his upbringing. He began attending many Husseini gatherings at an early age, and he was memorising poetry and literature, even though he was not taught how to read or write. He also memorised the holy Qur’an starting with the last chapter, until he completed memorising the whole Qur’an at the age twenty-five. Al-Mandur was also attending classes of Qur’an interpretation at the Husseini shrine by one of the scholars at that time; Sheikh Hassan Astrabadi, which increased his knowledge immensely.
The involvement of Haj Kazim al-Karbalai with Qur’anic studies at an early age earned him a unique talent in poetry and literature techniques that distinguished him from his peers. His poems are still narrated until today because of their richness and their great impact on the hearts of people. Haj Kazim died in 1974 AD, 1394 AH at the age of 83 and he was buried in Karbala.
From this brief outlining of the biography of Haj Hamza al-Saghir and Haj Kazim al-Mandur al- Karbalai, we notice that reading, memorisation and studying the Qur’an at an early age influenced their personality and contributed to their high level of conscious thinking and understanding. People used to hear poems that often contain detailed descriptions of the tragedy of Karbala, but Haj Kazim al-Mandur was able to come up with a revolutionary new poetic style that stems from the core of the Islamic faith and demonstrates its high principles. He was able to introduce new vocabulary in his poetry, including the concepts of the world of spirits, the grave, the Day of Judgement and intercession. Hamza al-Saghir adopted these poems, adding appropriate rhymes that made them exceptional.
Both of these great personalities were orphans, which made their lives full of struggle. Sometimes struggle and difficulties become the catalyst for greatness, since one must embody a great deal of strength to overcome these difficulties. Moreover, although both of them were far from wealthy, they refrained from taking money for their efforts in writing and narrating. They purely donated their hard work, for the love of Allah (swt), aiming to gain His pleasure. This is important since it removes the complexities of attaining monetary gain from an act which should be done purely for the sake of Allah (swt) and prevents recitation from becoming a business. Haj Kazim al-Mandur never asked for money for his poems. Nor did Haj Hamza al-Saghir use the pulpit as a means of material collection or to get a specific position. He responded to everyone who was asking him to recite poems at their house, regardless if they were rich or poor. His humble livelihood was earned from the simple fare obtained from ironing. In addition to being a place of work, al-Saghir transformed his ironing shop to be a meeting place for poets and writers, where they exchange poems and read and discuss different writings. So this small shop was like an educational cultural complex.
We learn from the examination of the characteristics of these great personalities that the secret in their immortality lies in their deep faith in Allah (swt), their intelligence, high morals and their exclusive sincerity to Allah (swt). They were not eager to pursue worldly interests. In addition, their awareness of the political and social conditions at that time urged them to produce literature that can raise people’s awareness, improve their intellectual and ideological level and direct them to be on the side of truth. If we want to summarise their secret in one word; it should be sincerity. When your faith is strong and your intention is sincere to please Allah (swt), your work will be unique, pure and original. Indeed, sincerity is a high level in personality development, since it requires precluding the ego and all personal desires. That’s why only few righteous people can reach this level, and Haj Hamza al-Saghir and Haj Kazim al-Mandur al- Karbalai are certainly among them.
By Dr Iman Al-Attar
Click here to listen to Hamza al-Saghir’s recitations (Arabic)
Click here to read Kazim al-Mandur al-Karbalai’s poetry (Arabic)
