Sasa’ah bin Sauhan Abdi was a great companion of the Commander of the
Faithful. The Imam was very fond of him. He was a well-known orator
whose speeches were effective. Jahiz has praised his powerful oratory and
way of reasoning in his book, Al-Bayan wa al-Tibbiyyin in the following
words: “Sasa’ah was such a nice orator that at times, Imam Ali (a.s.)
used to invite him to speak in public and he used to speak in the Imam’s
presence.”1
Sasa’ah had spoken briefly about the Imam on the first day of his
caliphate. He spoke about him for the second time when Imam Ali (a.s.)
was struck by Ibne Muljim’s sword. After that, he talked in detail about
the Imam after his burial.
The First Day of Ali’s (a.s.) Caliphate
On the first day of Imam Ali’s (a.s.) caliphate, Sasa’ah turned towards
the Imam and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! You have decorated
caliphate and caliphate has not decorated you. The respect of caliphate
has increased after you became the caliph and caliphate has not increased
your respect. The Caliphate needs you and you do not need caliphate.”Al-Sawarim al-Muhriqa, Pg. 6;
After Imam Ali (a.s.) was wounded
Sasa’ah talked about him for the second time after the Commander of
the Faithful was injured. The blow had severe impact on him like other
special companions of Imam Ali (a.s.). In fact, Sasa’ah had come to visit
Imam (a.s.) however he did not get a chance to meet him. Eventually
he conveyed two verses through the person who was allowed to enter
the room where the Imam was kept. Sasa’ah expressed his sorrow by
conveying his salutation to Imam and by reciting the following two
verses: “May Allah’s mercy be with you in your life and death, O
Commander of the Faithful! You consider God the greatest and you have
divine recognition of the Unique Being.”3
When Imam Ali (a.s.) received the message, he replied to Sasa’ah saying:
“May Allah’s mercy be upon you too, O Sasa’ah! You are our best friend
and helper. You did not expect much, gave least trouble and spent less.
You were also hard working; you served much and gave many sacrifices.”
Biharul Anwar, Vol. 42, Pg. 234
After Ali’s (a.s.) burial
The third poem recited by Sasa’ah was after the burial of Imam Ali (a.s.).
Sasa’ah was one of the special companions of the Imam present at the time
of his burial. After Imam’s burial, Sasa’ah kept one of his hands on his
chest and took a handful of mud from the grave and kept it on his head.
Then he said: “May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Commander of
the Faithful! O Abul Hasan! May you find pleasing all the honors and
successes you gained through this martyrdom and the rank you obtained
near Allah.”
Then he said: “Surely, the place of your birth is pure, your patience is
strong and your Jihad is great. You made a profitable trade and reached
your Lord. I pray to Allah that He grants us the good sense to follow
your footsteps. Yoy reached a place none can reach. You have gained that
honor, which could not be gained by anyone.’’ He again said: “O Abul
Hasan! I am happy for you. Allah has made your rank more honorable.
May Allah not keep us away from the great reward, which we seek through
you. May Allah not let us get misguided after you. By Allah, your holy life
was the key to goodness and a lock for mischief.5 If people had obeyed
you and sought your recognition, heaven would have rained mercy and
earth would have thrown up its treasures. Alas, they did not care about
you. This temporal world misled them.”6 Saying this, Sasa’ah began crying
excessively and all the people gathered there were full of remorse. They
began to weep aloud in extreme grief