The Sermon of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) At Ghadir Khumm

Transmitting the Sermon Through Modern Ways

As the Prophet (PBUH&HF) ordered, every Muslim who receives his message should transmit it to other members of his community, especially the youth and children.

Transmitting the sermon is the greatest manifestation of enjoining what is right (Amr bil ma’ruf)1.

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) mentioned that the most important example of enjoining the right is conveying what he said in this sermon to truth-seeking individuals who have not heard its details, urging them to follow it as an order from Allah and His Prophet (PBUH&HF), and advising them against violating it.

Introducing the position and virtues of Imam Ali (PBUH) to the people is the best possible deed, because it makes known to people the authentic source of inquiry for all righteous deeds.

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) stated in the sermon that without recognizing Imam Ali (PBUH), there is 1 The word al-Ma’ruf means what is recognized. It refers to the deeds that Allah has recognized as good. On the other hand, the word al- Munkar means what is rejected. It refers to what Allah did not recognize as righteous deeds, and thus, people should avoid them. neither any value nor any effect in enjoining other righteous deeds.

Therefore, it is the duty of all believing men and women to inform other Muslims, who are prepared to hear the truth, about the content of this sermon without screening it according to personal opinion.

What follow are some suggestions to make the text as well as the meanings of this sermon popular in our community: 1- Holding frequent special meetings for reciting the Arabic text of the sermon, its translation, and its explanation.

Seeking nearness to Allah by reminding about the Prophet’s statements on the day of Ghadir, and making such spiritual gatherings as the medium of one’s requests before Allah.

2- Reciting a part of the sermon, even a small amount, in any general gathering, and reminding about one’s obligation towards it.

3- Holding classes of memorizing the text of the sermon for the youth, organizing competitions, quizzes, and offering prizes for learning the contents of the sermon.

4- Presenting the books containing the full text of the Prophet’s (PBUH&HF) sermon at Ghadir Khum as gifts to the family and friends.

5- Making decorative objects, goods, and greeting cards, etc., on which the key phrases of the sermon are written or carved.

6- Developing extracurricular programs in schools for teaching the text of the sermon to the students.

7- Translating the sermon into different languages and publishing them in papers and on the Internet.

Keeping alive the event and observing its anniversary There are many traditions on the importance of observing the anniversary of the event of Ghadir Khum. To be brief, only three traditions are partially quoted below. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said:

“The day of Ghadir Khum is the greatest religious festival (Eid) of my nation. It was the day that Allah, exalted is His rememberance, commanded me to appoint my brother, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, as the guiding banner for my nation, by whom they will be rightly guided after me. It was the day in which Allah finalized religion and fulfilled His blessings on my nation and was pleased that Islam be their faith.”1

Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said to one of his companions: 1 al-Amali, al-Saduq, p. 125, Hadith 8, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 94, p. 110, Hadith 2.

“Fasting on the day of Ghadir is equivalent to fasting throughout the entire age of the world… It is the greatest festival of Allah. Allah has not sent any prophet but that he celebrated this day as Eid and was aware of its sanctity. It is known in the heavens as ‘The Day of the Famous Covenant’… You might think that Allah, the mighty and the majestic, has created a day more sacred than that.

No, by Allah! No, by Allah! No, by Allah!”1 Imam Ridha (PBUH) said:

“Certainly, the day of Ghadir is more famous in the heavens than in the earth… and by Allah, had people truly known the superiority of this day, the 1 Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 3, p. 143, Hadith 1; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 95, p. 302, Hadith 2.

angels would have been shaking hands with them ten times a day.”1

Thanking Allah for this greatest blessing Being grateful to the benefactor for his favors is a matter of rational necessity. The wiser the servant, the more gratitude he expresses in words and actions to his master. Allah states in the Holy Quran:

“We indeed bestowed wisdom upon Luqman: ‘Be grateful to Allah.’ Certainly, whoever is grateful does so to the profit of his own soul, but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants and is abundantly praised.”2

In addition, the greater the favor, the more appreciation that is due. Divine guardianship (al-Walaya) is the greatest favor that Allah has bestowed upon His creation. The more gratitude that someone expresses to Allah by adhering to it, the more benefit he receives from it. On the other hand, the more someone rejects Allah’s mercy, the more he is 1 Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 6, p. 24, Hadith 9, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 94, p. 118, Hadith 9.

2 Chapter 31, Verse 12 of the Holy Quran.

entitled to His curse, which lies in the absence of His mercy and protection. Allah states:

“If you are grateful, I will increase your (benefits from My favor); but if you show ingratitude, truly My torment is intense indeed.”1 On the anniversary of the event of Ghadir Khum, Imam al- Sadiq (PBUH) praised and thanked Allah, saying:

1 Chapter 14, Verse 7 of the Holy Quran.

“O Allah! We listened, obeyed, and answered the caller from You due to Your favor. Thus, praise belongs to You. We seek Your forgiveness, our Lord, and towards Your (reward or punishment) is the eventual turn.

1 We believed in Allah, who is Unique and has no partner, believed in His Messenger, Muhammad, answered the caller of Allah and followed the Messenger in adhering to our master, the commander and the guardian of the believers, Ali Ibn Ali Talib.

He is the servant of Allah, the brother of His Prophet, the most truthful, His exhaustive argument against His creation, the supporter of His Prophet, and His true and clear religion. He is a flag of the religion of Allah, the treasurer of His (issued) knowledge, the chest of what is hidden by Allah, the place of His secrets, and the trustee of Allah and His witness over His creation.

O Allah! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to faith, ‘Believe in Your Lord,’ thus we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our evil deeds, and take our souls in the company of the righteous. Our Lord! Grant us what You promised to us through Your 1 cf., Chapter 2, Verse 285 of the Holy Quran.

messengers, and disgrace us not on the Day of Judgement, for You never break Your promise.1 Surely it was by Your favor and Your grace that we acknowledged the Prophet and the Commander of the Believers (Ali), and disbelieved in al-Jibt and al-Taghut.2 Thus, keep us attached to what we have adhered to.

Resurrect us with our Imams, for we believe in them, have confidence in their (authorities and virtues), and are submissive before them …”3

Some statistics about the text of the sermon Here are some statistical facts about the sermon:

  • The Prophet (PBUH&HF) explicitly mentioned the name of Imam Ali (PBUH) in his sermon about forty times besides many more instances that he (PBUH&HF) referred to him by pronoun.

1 Chapter 3, Verses 193-194 of the Holy Quran. 2 These two terms refer to the idols that are obeyed against Allah, which, in reality, implies they are worshipped instead of Him.

According to the traditions, they refer to the two foremost enemies of the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Both terms have also been used in Chapter 4, Verses 51 of the Quran. However, the latter term, al- Taghut, has been used in seven more places in the Holy Quran. See for instance: Chapter 2, Verses 256-257, and Chapter 4, Verses 60 and 76.

Iqbal al-A'amal, p. 473, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 95, p. 299, Hadith #1. - He (PBUH&HF) repeatedly used the following titles for Imam Ali (PBUH) in this sermon:

  • Wali and Mawla (guardian) fifteen times.

  • Imam (leader) twelve times.

  • Amir (commander) seven times.

  • Wasi (executor of the will and deputy of the affairs) seven times.

  • Akh (brother) four times.

  • Khalifa (successor) three times.

  • Hadi (guide) three times.

  • The Prophet explicitly mentioned the word A’imma (Imams), referring to the eleven Imams after Imam Ali (PBUH), nine times in his sermon.

  • The sermon also refers to over one hundred verses of the Holy Quran concerning Imam Ali (PBUH) and his authority, his followers, and their enemies.

  • The number of sentences categorized by some important subjects of the sermon is as follows:

  • Over fifty sentences on the Walaya of Imam Ali (PBUH).

  • Twenty sentences about his virtues, yet stressing that it is impossible to enumerate all his virtues in the sermon.

  • Twenty-five sentences about the followers (Shia) of Imam Ali (PBUH) and their enemies.

  • Ten sentences on the Walaya of the Imams (PBUT) after him.

  • Twenty sentences specifically about Imam Mahdi (PBUH), the last divinely appointed Imam who will establish the divine government on earth at the end of time.

  • Twelve sentences about the importance of the Quran, and introducing Imam Ali (PBUH) and his children as its exclusive authorized interpreters.

  • Ten sentences on urging people to pledge their fealty to Imam Ali (PBUH) and the Imams after him from his offspring.