Essays On Ghadir

2- Ghadir in Quran

Ten years after the migration, the Messenger of Allah ordered to his close followers to call all the people in different places to join him in his last pilgrimage. On this pilgrimage he taught them how to perform the Hajj ceremony in a correct form.

This was the first time that the Muslims, with this magnitude, gathered in one place in the presence of their leader, the Messenger of Allah. On his way to Mecca, more than seventy thousand people followed Prophet (p.b.u.h). Hazrat Ali (p.b.u.h.) who was in Yemen was asked to complete his work and join the prophet in Mecca.

The prophet reached Mecca on Sunday, the 4th of zilhajj 10 A.H with more than one hundred thousands of Muslims. Soon after his arrival, Ali, who hastened back from Yemen, ahead of his men, joined the prophet. Revelation of Verse 5:67

On the 18th of Zil-Hajjah, after completing his last pilgrimage (Hajjatul- Wida), Prophet was leaving Mecca toward Medina, where he and the crowd of people reached to a place called Ghadir Khum (which is close to today's Juhfah). It was a place where people from different provinces should say Good bye to each other and take different routes for their home. In this place, the following verse was revealed:

"O Apostle! Deliver what has been revealed to you/rom your God; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you/rom the people on " (Quran 5:67).

Some of Sunni references confirm that the revelation of the above verse of Quran was right before the speech of Prophet in Ghadir Khum:

(1) Tafsir Kabir, by Fakhr -e-Razi, under commentary of verse 5:67, vol: 12, pp 49-50, narrated on the authorities of Ibn Abbas, al-Bara Ibn Azib, and Mohammad Ibn Ali.

(2) Asbab al-Nuzool, by Wahidi, p50, narrated on the authorities of Atiyyah and Abu Sa'id Khudri.

(3) Nuzul al-Quran, by Hafiz Abu Nu'aym narrated on the authorities Abu Sa'id Khudri and Abu Rafi)

The last sentence in the above verse indicates that the Prophet was mindful of the reaction of his people in delivering that message, but, Allah informs him to not worry, since He will protect His Messenger from people.

The Speech

Upon receiving the verse, the Prophet stopped on that place (the pond of Khum) which was extremely hot. Then he asked all people who have been ahead in the way, to come back. He also waited until all pilgrims who were behind, arrived and gathered. He ordered Salman (RA) to use rocks and camel toolings to make a pulpit (minbar), so that he could make his announcement. It was around noon time, and due to the extreme heat in that valley, people were wrapping their robes around their feet and legs, and were sitting around the pulpit, on the hot rocks.

On this day the Messenger of Allah spent approximately five hours in this place; three hours of which he was on the pulpit. He recited nearly one hundred verses from The Glorious Quran, and for seventy three times reminded and warned people of their deeds and future. Then he gave them a long speech which has been widely narrated by the Sunni traditions.

In part of the speech the Messenger of Allah referred to a verse of the holy Quran, and said: "Do not I have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" People cried and answered: "Yes, 0' Messenger of God." Then Prophet held up the hand of Ali and said: "Whoever I am his leader (Mawla), Ali is his leader (Mawla). 0' God, love those who love him, and be enemy to those who are enemy to him."

Some of the Sunni references:

(1) Sahih Tirmidhi, vol: 2, p.298, vol: 5, p.63 (2) Sunan Ibn Maja, vol: 1, pp 12, 43 (3) Khasa'is, by Nisa'i, pp 4, 21 Revelation of Verse 5:3

Soon after the Prophet finished his speech, the following verse of Holy was revealed:

"Today I have perfected your religion, and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3) Some of Sunni references which mentioned the revelation of the above verse of Quran in Ghadir Khum after the speech of the Prophet are:

(1) AI-Durr al-Manthur, by Hafiz Jalaluddin Suyuti, vol: 3, p19 . (2) Tarikh, by Khatib al-Baghdadi, vol: 8, pp 290,596 (3) Manaqeb, by Ibn Maghazali, p 19

The above verse clearly indicates that Islam without clearing up matter of leadership after Prophet was not complete, and completion of religion was due to announcement of Prophet's immediate successor.

Allegiance of People with Imam Ali (a.s) in Ghadir Celebration

After announcing the leadership of Ali (a.s), Prophet descended from the platform, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, stood still for a moment, and commanded the Muslims to , "Make allegiance to my brother and successor; congratulate him on his Divine appointment. He is Imam and Amir-ulMumineen"

Omar Ibn Khatab was the first to congratulate Ali (p.b.u.h.) and to acknowledge him as Master of all Believers'.

Saying: "Bakhin bakhin laka ibne Abi Talib Asbahta Mawlayee Wa Mawla Kulla Momineen wa Mominaatin"

"Greetings be to you 0 son of Abu' Talib! You have dawned as my Leader and the Leader of all faithful men and women. "

After the men, all the women came to congratulate Ali. At the conclusion of this appointment ceremony, the Holy Prophet asked the congregation, 'Have I not truly and faithfully delivered to you the Message?"

And they answered, "Yes, verily Yes." Then the Prophet said, "Go now, and those who have been present here today should repeat, and convey to those who are absent all that they have seen and heard."

The Number of People in Ghadir Khum

It was Allah's will that a huge population associated with this tradition via the tongues of narrators and over the times, so that there is a standing proof for the guiding Imam. Allah ordered His Prophet to notify people at a time of crowded populous, so that all become the narrators of the tradition, while they exceeded one hundred thousand people.

Narrated by Zaid Ibn Arqam, Abu al- Tufail said: "1 heard it from the Messenger of Allah, and there was no one (there) unless he saw the prophet with his eyes and heard him with his ears."

Sunni reference:

(I) al-Khasa'is, by Nisa'i, p21; It is also narrated that:

“The Messenger of Allah called at the loudest of his voice.” Sunni reference: Manaqib al-Kharizmi, by al-Kharizmi, p94. "There were with the Messenger, the companions, Arabs, residents around Mecca and Medina one hundred and twenty thousand (120,000) and they are those who were present in the Farewell Pilgrimage and heard this speech." Sunni reference: Manaqib, by Ibn al-Jawzi Revelation of Verse 70:1-3

Some Sunni commentators further claim that the first three verse of the chapter of Ma'arij (70:1-3) was revealed when a dispute arose after Prophet Speech. It is recorded that on the day of Ghadir the Messenger of Allah summoned the people toward Ali and said: "Ali is the MA WLA of whom I am MA WLA." The news spread quickly all over urban and rural areas.

When Harith Ibn Nu'man alFahri (or Nadhr Ibn Harith according to another tradition) came to know of it, he came to the Messenger of Allah and said to him: "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to perform the prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Mecca and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin, by your hand, and appointed him upon us as our master by saying" Ali is the MA WLA of whom I am MA WLA.' Is this imposition from Allah or from You?" The Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only deity! This is from Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious. "

Upon hearing this, Harith turned back and proceeded towards his camel saying: "O Allah! If what Muhammad said is correct then fling on me a stone from the sky, and subject me to severe pain and torture." He had not reached his camel when Allah, who is above all defects, flung at him a stone which struck him on his head, penetrated his body and passed out through his lower body and left him dead. It was on this occasion that Allah, the exalted, caused to descend the following verses:

"A questioner questioned about the punishment to fall. For the disbelievers there is nothing to avert it, from Allah the God of the Ascent." (Quran 70:1-3) Sunni references:

(1) Tafsir Tha'labi, by Is'haq Tha'labi, commentary of verse 70:1-3 from two chains of narrators.

(2) Noor al-Absar, by Shablanji, P. 4

(3) AI-Fosoul al-Muhimmah, by Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki al-Makki, P. 25 Hina Lakhani (D .A.E.)