Ibn Ishaq said: One of the elegies recited for those who participated in Mu'ta is this poem by Hassan:
"A difficult night has come upon me again in Yathrib.
And when people sleep, a sorrow that prevents sleep
has come.
The remembrance of a beloved has stirred my copious tears. The cause of weeping is remembrance.
Yes, the loss of the beloved is a great calamity. There are many noble persons who fall into calamity, and then endure with sabr (patient endurance).
I have seen the best of the believers, one after another, going to death.
Those who come after them, however, are delayed.
May Allah not distance from His mercy those who were slain in succession at Mu'ta; among them is Ja'far of the two wings.
And again, when they all together followed one after another, there were Zayd and Abdullah as well. The causes of death were plotting their stratagems.
On a morning when they marched with the believers, a happy and blessed effort and striving was drawing them to death.
White, as bright as the light of the full moon, of the Hashimite lineage, firm of back, and when subjected to oppression, courageous and bold.
He fought and, without a cushion, lay down on the battlefield, with a broken spear fragment upon him.
Thus he was among those who fell as martyrs, whose reward, recompense, and gardens are intricate, verdant Paradises.
In Ja'far we saw a firm loyalty to Muhammad and, when he commanded, a solid and steadfast trust in his command.
Thus, among the Hashimite lineage, the pillars of honor and sources of pride in Islam have continued and will continue without deficiency.
They are the mountain of Islam. As for people, they are stones piled more rightly around them. With them, they rise and prevail.
They are men of white faces and nobility. Among them are Ja'far and his maternal cousin Ali. The chosen Ahmad is also among them.
Hamza and Abbas are also among them. Among them is Aqil as well. The sap of the tree emerges when it is pressed.
In every dark and narrow time, when the way out is constricted for people, hardship and difficulty are opened and removed through them.
They are the awliyāʾ (friends of God); upon them He has sent down His command, and this pure Book is with them."
Ka'b b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) also said the following about those who participated in the Battle of Mu'ta:
"Eyes sleep, but the tears of your eyes flow, being drawn out. Just like water flowing between the stitches of a water skin sewn with thongs.
On such a night, the sorrows and griefs of that night came upon me.
Sometimes I moan, sometimes I turn from side to side in bed.
Sorrow has become a habit for me. I spent the night as if I had been tasked with watching the pole star and the sky.
And as if, from the attacks that come to me between my ribs and my inner organs, a light from fire has penetrated and entered.
I grieve for those who went one after another at Mu'ta on a certain day. They were not taken away, but raised up.
May Allah have mercy on those brave men. And may the rainy cloud water their bones.
They restrained themselves at Mu'ta for Allah's sake, out of fear of perishing and out of fear of turning back from the enemy.
Thus they marched at the front of the Muslims. It is as if they were male camels with iron armor whose ends dragged on the ground.
They were following Ja'far and his banner at the head. What a beautiful head that is.
Then the ranks parted. Ja'far was met lying on the ground when the ranks had joined and mingled.
Upon his loss, the illuminating face of the moon changed and the sun was eclipsed. It was almost lost.
My master, his edifice is loftier than Hashim. In loftiness, he possesses the highest honor.
No people can reach them in exalted rank.
May God protect His servants, for the revealed Book was sent down upon them.
They surpassed all communities in excellence and nobility, and their schools covered the ignorance of the ignorant.
Their remaining for honor does not cast them into jāhiliyya (the age of ignorance).
Their orator speaks the truth, distinguishing truth from falsehood.
Their faces are white. In times of severe famine, when they offer excuses, the palms of their hands display their generosity.
Through their guidance, God is pleased with His people, and through their striving and effort, the Prophet sent from Allah attains victory."