Essays On Ghadir

11- Argumentation and References Made To Ghadir Day

The consecutive repor of the Ghadir tradition is necessitated by the natural laws which Allah has created. It is like the great historical steps undertaken by the most important man of a nation who announces, in the presence of thousands of his nationals, the undertaking of a major step, so that they may convey the news to various nations, especially if such an undertaking enjoys the concern of his own family and their supporters in all generations to come, so that such an announcement might receive the widest possible publicity. Can such an announcement, as significant as it is, be transmitted by, say, just one single person? Certainly not. Its news would spread.as widely as morning sun rays, encompassing the plains as well as the oceans; "And you shall never find any alteration to Allah's order (Qur'an, 33:62). "

The AI-Ghadir tradition has won the divine concern of Allah, Who inspired to His Messenger, (peace be upon him and his progeny), including it in His Qur'an which is recited by muslims even during the late hours of the night or the early hours of the day, in public and in private, in their supplications and ceremonial prayers, from the top of their pulpits and the heights of their minarets, stating:

"0 Messenger! Proclaim the Message that has been sent down to you from your Creator & Nurture. And if you did not, then you would not have fulfilled your duty as Allah's Messanger. {Know that) Allah will protect you from {the mischievous) people. Verily, Allah does not guide the disbelievers." (Qur'an, 5:67)16

When he, conveyed the divine Message (implied in this verse), appointing"

Ali as the Imam and entrusting him as the caliph, Allah Almighty, revealed the 16 We do not urge its revelation in "Ali's wiliiyat on Ghadir Khurn Day, from the sources of the purified progeny of the Prophet. Suffices you for reference to its narration by others. On page 150 of the book Asbabul Nuzul it is narrated from two respected sources: 'Atiyyah and Abu Sa'id Khudri say that the verse was revealed on Ghadir Khum Day about 'Ali ibn Abu Talib." The same is narrated by Hafiz Abu Na'im who interprets it in his book Nuzul al-Quran relying on two sources. One is Abu Sa'id, and the other is Abu Rafi'. It is also narrated by Imam Ibrahim ibn Mohammad al-Shafi'i in his book Al-F awaid, from various sources ending with Abu Hurayrah. It is quoted by Imam Abu Ishaq al Tha'labi while explaining the meaning of this verse in his Taftir al-Kabir from two respected sources. What testifies its reference to Ali is the fact that prayers had already been established, zakat was enforced; fasting was legislated, the pilgrimage to the House (Mecca) was conducted. All the forbidden and permissible orders were already regulated. So, what else required Allah to place so much emphasis other than on the issue of Leadership.

following verse:

"Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as religion. " (Qur'an, 5:3) So, congratulations to Ali; this is Allah's favour; He grants it to whomsoever He pleases. Anyone who looks into these verses will be profoundly impressed by such divine favours.

The order of Allah, which there will be no change in His creation, necessitates the consecutive reporting of this hadith in spite of all obstacles in conveying it. Yet the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt follow their own wise methods of disseminating it and publicizing for it.

Now let us consider the measure taken by amir ulMomenin Ali (p.b.u.h.), in gathering people in the serious meeting place, the Radha plain. He said: "I ask in the' name of Allah, that every muslim who heard what the Messenger of Allah said on the Ghadir Day to stand and testify to what he heard. Nobody should stand except those who saw the Prophet with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears." Thirty Sahabis, 12 of them had particiated in the Battle of Badr, stood and testified that the Prophet took' Ali by the hand and asked people: "Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves?" They answered in the affirmative. He (p.b.u.h.) then said: "To 'whomsoever I have been mawla, this (Ali) is his mawla; 0 Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be enemy of whosoever is his enemy." You know that accusing 30 Sahabis of being liars is rejected by reason. Therefore, the achievement of consecutive report through their testimony is an irrefutable and undeniable proof.

The same hadith was transmitted from those 30 Sahabis, by all those crowds who were then present at the Rahba, and disseminated it after their dispersal throughout the land, thus providing it with extremely wide publicity. Obviously, the Rahba incident took place during the caliphate of Hazrat Ali (p.b.u.h.), who received the oath of allegiance in the year 35 A.H. The Ghadir event took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage, (10 A.H.). The space was 25 years, during which many events took place such as a devastating plague, wars, conquering of new countries, and the invasions contemporary to the three righteous caliphs. During this long period, 1 of a century, with wars and 4 invasions, in addition to a sweeping and devastating plague, many of those who had witnessed the Ghadir event, especially the old Sahabah as well as their youths who were eager to makejihad in the way of Allah died. Some of them were scattered throughout the land, and many of those were not present at the Rahba, except those who kept company with Imam Ali in Iraq, and they were only males. In spite of all these, 30 Sahabah, twelve of them were participants in the Battle of Badr, had heard hadith al-Ghadir from the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him and his progeny).

There may have been others who hated to testify, such as Anas ibn MaIik17 and others who received their due punishment in lieu of the pray of Ali (p.b.u.h.) to Allah, to punish those who hid the truth while knowing it. Had he been able to gather all Sahabis who were alive then, males and females, and address them in the same way which he employed at Rahha, several times that many would have testified; so, what if he had asked people in Hijaz before the passage of such a long time after the incident of the Ghadir? Contemplate upon this fact and you will find it a very strong proof testifying to the consecutive reporting ofhadith al-Ghadir.

The books' of tradition should suffice you in their documentation ofhadith al-Ghadir.

For example, 1mam Ahmed has quoted on page 370, Vol 4, of his "Musnad" from Abu Tufayl who said: "Ali gathered people at the Rahba.

Then he said to them: 'I adjure in the name of Allah every Muslim who heard what the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him and his progeny), had said on the Ghadir Day to state his testimony". Thirty persons stood up. Abu Na'im said: "Many stood up and testified how the Prophet took Ali by the hand, and asked people: "Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have?" They answered: "We do, 0 Messenger of Allah!" Then he said: "To whomsoever I have been a mowla, this Ali is his mowla. 0 Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be enemy of wl}.oever sets himself as his enemy". Abul- Tufail continues to say: "I left the place dismayed (disgusted with many people's ignorance of this hadith), and I met Zayd ibn Arqam, and said to him: "I have heard Ali say such and such". Zayd said: "Then do not deny what you have heard, since the Prophet said so about him."

Zayd's testimony stated above, and Ali's statement in this regard, may be added to the testimony of the 30 Sahabis, thus bringing the number of narrators of this hadith to thirty-two Sahabis. Imam Ahmed has recorded' Ali's hadith on page 119, V 01. 1, of his Musnad as transmitted by AbdulRahman ibn Abu Layla. The latter says: "I saw Ali at the Rahba abjuring people to testify, emphasizing that only those who had seen and heard the Prophet 17 Imam Ali (p.b.u.h.), said to him then: "Why don't you stand with other companions of the Messenger of Allah and testify to what you heard of him then?" He answered: "0 Commander of the Faithful! I have grown old, and I have forgotten it". Ali said: "If you are telling a lie, then may Allah strike you with a white [disease, Le. leprosy] which your turban cannot conceaL" He hardly left before his face was filled with the marks of leprosy; so, he used to say: "I have become the object of a curse invoked by the Righteous Servant" This incident is quite famous, and a testimony for its authenticity exists when Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal quotes it at the end of page 119, Vol. 1, of his Musnad, adding: "They all, except three men, rose to testify; and those three fell under the effect of his curse."

should stand and testify. Twelve participants in the Battle of Badr, whom I remember so well as if I am looking at them right now, did so." Abdul- Rahman quotes the latter testifying that they had heard the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him and his progeny), asking people on the Ghadir Day: "Do not I have more authority over the believers' lives than they themselves do?" The audience responded: "Yes, indeed, 0 Messenger of Allah!" Then he said, as Abdul-Rahman quotes, "Then whosoever takes me as his mowla must take Ali as his mawla; O, Mighty Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be enemy of whoever bears enmity towards him!"

Another narration is recorded by Imam Ahmed on the same page. It quotes the Prophet saying: "O Lord! Befriend whoever takes him as his wali, and be enemy of whoever antagonizes him; support whoever supports him, and abandon whoever abandons him." The narrative goes on to state that with the exception of three men, the witnesses stood to testify. Ali invoked Allah to curse those who hid the truth, and his invocation was heeded. If you add Ali and Zayd ibn Arqam to the afore-mentioned 12 participants in the Battle of Badr, then 14 is the number of witnesses. By tracing the traditions regarding the Rahba incident, Ali's wisdom in disseminating hadith al-Ghadir and publicizing it becomes clear.

The Master of Martyrs, Abu Abdullah al-Husain, (peace be upon him), has left us a legacy of a very memorable stand which he took during the reign of Mu'awiyah. It was then that truth became apparent. It was similar to the stand taken by Ali at the Rahba. During the pilgrimage season, Husain (p. b. u. h), surrounded by throngs of pilgrims, praised his grandfather, father, mother and brother, and delivered an unprecedented, wise and eloquent speech that attracted his audience, and won their hearts and minds. His sermon was inclusive, wherein he gave notice to the masses, traced and researched history, and paid the Ghadir incident its fair and just dues. His great stand, therefore, produced great results, and it became equivalent to hadith Ghadir in its fame and wide publicity.

His nine descendants, all sinless Imams, applied their own methods to publicize and propagate the same hadith. Their methods reflect their wisdoms, which are comprehended by all those who possess sound senses. They used the eighteenth of Zul-Hijjah as a special annual feast to congratulate and congratulate one another, merrily and humbly seeking nearness to Allah, through fasting, prayers and supplications. They go beyond limits in their deeds of goodness and acts of righteousness, thanking Allah for the blessings which He bestowed upon them, on that day, by virtue of the text that nominated Hazrat Ali as Caliph.

For this reason, the eighteenth of Zul-Hijjah of every year is celebrated as a feast by the Shi'as of all times and climes. It is then that they rush to their mosques to offer prayers, recite the Glorious Qur'an, and read the most celebrated supplications thanking Allah Almighty for perfecting His religion and completing His blessings upon them by nominating Ali as the Imam. On such a day, they visit and happily wish each other the best, seeking nearness to Allah through righteousness and goodness, and through pleasing their kin and neighbours. On that day, every year, they visit the holy shrine of Hazrat Ali, where more than one hundred thousand pilgrims come from far and wide. There, they worship Allah on that day, in the same way their purified Imams used to worship God: through fasting, prayers, and remembrance of Allah.

They seek nearness to Him through righteousness and payment of Sadaqat.

They do not leave there before addressing the sacred shrine with a highly commended address authored by some of their Imams. It includes testifying to the glorious stand taken by Hazrat Ali, honouring his struggle to lay the foundations of the principles of the faith, his sacrifices for the holy Prophet, his virtues and merits, among which was the honor he received front the Prophet on the Ghadir day. This is the custom of the Shia every year. Their orators have always been referring to hadith al-Ghadir, quoting its tradition or even without reference to them. Their poets compose poems in its commemoration in old, as well as, modem times?18 Therefore, there is no way to cast doubts about its report from the sources of Ahl- alBayt and their Shi'as. Their motives to memorize it by heart, their efforts to maintain its pristine text, safeguard its authenticity, publicize and disseminate it.., all have indeed resulted in the achievement of their most aspired objectives. Refer to the four major Shia Musnads, as well as other Shia references, containing welldocumented and supported traditions, and you will find them with the same meaning, and each tradition supporting the other. Whoever acquaints himself with these traditions, will find out that this hadith is mutawatir through their precious sources.

18AI-Kumait ibn Zayd has said:

On the day of the dawh., the Ghadir dawh day, Caliphate was made manifest for him: were they to obey...

Abu Tammam, in a poetic masterpiece which he includes in his diwa'n, says : On the Day of Ghadir, truth looked clear and bright; Redolently, with no curtains nor bars to hide; The Messenger of Allah stood there to invite Them to come close to what is just and right, Gesturing with his hands, introducing your wali And mawla; yet see what happened to you and me! He brings the news to people so eloquently, While they come with grudge and depart grudgingly, Yet he made the truth eloquently shine, While they usurped even your right and mine. You made its destiny the sharp blades of your sword:

And the grave for whoever wanted the truth to uphold...

There is no doubt about its being consecutively reported through Sunni sources, according to natural laws, as you have come to know; "Allah's creation suffers no alteration; this is the Right Guidance, but most people do not know. " (Qur'an, 30:30) The author of Al-Fatawa alHamidiyya, in spite of his stubbornness, admits the consecutive reporting of this hadith in his abridged dissertation titled Al-Salawat al-Fakhira fil Ahadith alMutawatira."

Sayyuti and other scholars of exegesis all admit the same. Refer to Mohammad Ibn Jarir Tabari, author of the famous works titled "Tafsir" and "Tarikh," Ahmed ibn Mohammad ibn Said ibn Aqdah, Mohammad ibn Ahmed ibn Uthman al- Thahbi, have all written critiques of the sources of this hadith. Every one of them has written an entire book on this subject. Ibn Jarir includes in his own book as many as one hundred and five sources for this hadith alone.19 AI- Thahbi, in spite of his fanaticism, has confirmed the truth of many of its sources. In chapter 16 of Ghayat al-Maraim, as many as eighty ahadith transmitted by Sunnis, testify the authenticity of the Ghadir hadith. Yet he did not quote Tirmithi, Nisai, Tabrani, Bazzar, Abu Ya'li, or quite a few other reporters, who transmit this hadith. Sayyuti quotes this hadith while discussing 'Ali in his book Tarikh al Khulafa transmitted by al- Tirmithi, adding, "This hadlth is also recorded by Ahmed as transmitted by Ali (a.s.), and also by Ayyub Ansari, Zayd ibn Arqam, 'mer [inb alKhattab], and Thu Murr. Abu Ya'li quotes it from Abu Hurayrah, al- Tabrani from Ibn 'Umer and from Ibn Abbas as transmitted by Malik ibn Huwayrith, Habshi ibn Janadah, and Jarir, and also by Ammarah and Buraydah." ,

A proof to the fame of this hadith is evident from the fact that Imam Ahmed records it in his Musnad from Riyah ibn Harish, as transmitted by two sources.

It states that a group of men once came to Ali (a.s.) and said: "Assalamu Alaikum, our mowla." Imam asked who they were, and they answered that they were his subjects. Imam asked them: "How can I be your mawla, while you are [stranger] bedouin Arabs?" They said: "We have heard from the Messenger of Allah, on the Ghadir day saying: 'Whoever I am his mowla, Ali is his mowla. ", Riyah says that when they left, he followed them and asked them who they were. They said to him: "We are a group of the Ansar (Medinite Supporters) in the company of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari." Another proof of its fame is what has been recorded by Abu Ishaq al- Tha'labi while explaining al-Ma'arij chapter in his book Tafsir alKabir, relying on two very highly respected sources, and stating the following: .

19 The author of Ghayat al-Maram says near the conc.lusion of Chapter 16, p. 89, of his book: "Ibn Jarir has quoted the Ghadir _adith from 95 sources in a book which he dedicated to this subject, calling it Al- Wilayat, and Ibn Aqdah has quoted it from one hundred and five sources written down in a book which he also dedicated solely for this subject. Imam Ahmed ibn Muhanunad ibn al-Siddiq al-Magharibi has stated that both al- Thahbi and Ibn 'Aqdah have dedicated a special book solely for this hadith;" so, refer to the sermon in his valuable book. The Messenger of Allah, ordered people on the Ghadir Day to assemble, then he took Ali's hand and said: "Whoever accepts me as his mawla, Ali is his mowla." The news of this announcement spread throughout the land, and Nu'man al-Fahri came to know about this hadith. Riding his camel, he came to meet the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.). Having alighted, he said the following to the Prophet: "Q Moharnmad! You ordered us to bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, and we obeyed;

then you ordered us to offer prayers five times a day, and we agreed; then you ordered us to pay zakat, and we agreed; then you ordered us to fast during the month of Ramadan and we agreed; then you ordered us to perform the pilgrimage and we agreed; It seems that all these are not sufficient. You favoured your cousin to all of us and said 'Whoever accepts me as his mowla, Ali is his mawla; is your own orders, or is it Allah's?" He (peace be upon him and his progeny), answered: "I swear by the One and only God, that this is the command of Allah, the Exalted, "whereupon Nu'man left heading towards his animal murmuring softly to himself: "0 Lord! If what Mohammad says is true, then let it rain stones, or let a severe torment descend upon us." He hardly reached his animal before Allah caused a stone to cleave his head, penetrate his body and come out of his anus, leaving him dead on the spot. With reference to that incident Allah, the Almighty revealed the following verse: "A demander demanded Allah to send a chastisement on him. For the disbelievers there is no repeller against the Divine Chastisement in this world and in the hereafter. Since it is from Allah the owner of the ways of ascent of His presence." (Quran 70:1-3)

This is how the tradition, concludes. Its authenticity is accepted by many Sunni scholars as a common fact, Wassalam.

Hamid Famagh (Iran)