The concluding section of a qasida by Nosrat b. Mohammad ʿAlavi Razi, a Shiʿi poet of the eighth century AH, is among the earliest known examples of the reflection of beliefs and rituals associated with the ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal in Persian poetry. Adopting an analytical approach, this study examines the ritual references to the ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal in the qasida by comparing its verses with hadith and historical texts, as well as sources on popular culture and customs, and investigates the antecedents and continuity of some of these beliefs and practices. The findings indicate that a number of the narrative and ritual elements associated with the ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal were known within Shiʿi society at least by the eighth century AH. The status of Abu Luʾluʾ, his description through epithets such as “brave” and “pious,” the mention of a “scythe” as his weapon, and the account of the killing of the second caliph at a mill are among the themes examined in this article. In addition, the words sūrat and changāl respectively point to the practice of image-making and to one of the ritual foods associated with this day. Comparison of the qasida with accounts from later periods demonstrates that some of these beliefs and cultural and ritual elements predated the Safavid era and continued in subsequent centuries. Accordingly, in addition to its literary and religious significance, Nosrat Razi’s qasida constitutes an important source for reconstructing an aspect of the social and cultural history of Shiʿism and for investigating the antecedents of the rituals associated with the ninth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal in Iran.