Why 'Id al-Ghadir?
II. Reasons for the Denial of the Event
III. Conclusion
A‘udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim,
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.
Al-hamdulillah. Al-hamdulillahil-ladhi arsala rasulahu bil-huda wa dinil-haqq, liyudh hirahu ‘alad-dini kulli wa law karihal mushrikun. Was-salatu was-salamu ‘ala khatamin-nabiyyin Sayyidina Muhammad al-Mustafa wa ‘ala alihit-tayyibinat-tahirin wa ‘ala as-habihil-muntajibin.
Now, before I begin my talk, let me quote two verses from the Glorious Qur’an, i.e. in Surah al-Ma’ida verse 67 and verse 3:
Ya ayyuhar-Rasul! Balligh ma unzila ilayka mir-Rabbik,
Was illam taf‘al fama ballaghta risalatahu wallahu
Ya’simuka minan-nas. Innallaha la yahdil-kawmal-kafirin.
Elsewhere, it says:
Al-yawma akmaltu lakum dinakum wa atmamtu
‘alaykum ni‘mati wa raditu lakumul-islama dina.
Concerning the subject under discussion, allow me to pose these series of questions: What is Ghadir Khum? What had happened in that place? Has the alleged event any basis from both authentic historical and traditional sources? What is the significance of the event? And, why the event is commemorated as a day of festivity and thanksgiving?
Guided by these questions, we will embark on the subject matter by first making a brief historical survey of the event, along with the circumstances surrounding its occurrence, then, in a bid to remove any doubt or misgiving about the event, we will endeavor to critically scrutinize the different arguments presented by those who, wittingly or unwittingly, deny the wilayah of the Ma‘sumin (‘a). Thereafter, we will try to arrive at a definite conclusion basing on our analysis of the event.
I. Brief Historical Survey [Go to Top]
We have been told by historical accounts that in the 8 AH the Holy Prophet (s), together with the early Muslims, succeeded in their bloodless conquest of Mecca which marked the drastic end of Abu Sufyan-led Quraishite open hostility to Islam. This triumphant return to Mecca brought under the fold of Islam not only the Meccans but also the various Bedouin tribes in Arabia so much so that the following year, i.e. 9 AH was known as the Year of Deputation. In 10 AH when the Prophet decided to perform the Farewell Pilgrimage [Hajj al-Wida], 124,000 Muslims or even more, had willingly responded and joined him in such grand religious rites. When the ceremonies of hajj were over and the hujjaj [hajj pilgrims] directly learnt the religious acts connected with it from the Prophet himself, the Prophet then decided to leave Mecca for Medina. So, orders for departure were given. When the caravan was en route in between Mecca and Medina, Angel Gabriel (‘a) descended at a place called Ghadir Khum from which the paths of the people of Medina, Egypt, Basra, and Kufah (both in Iraq) were separated. Then the Archangel communicated the following verse, thus:
O Messenger! Convey what is revealed to you from your Lord, for if you do not, it would be as though you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will protect you from the people. Verily, Allah will never guide the unbelieving people.
Surah al-Ma’idah 5:67
As you may have noticed, esteemed sisters and brothers, the tone of the injunction shows that the All-Knowing Being entrusted a very important task to the Prophet (s). In this regard, I’m asking: Is there any task more important than that he would appoint ‘Ali as his caliph before the very eyes of hundreds of thousands of people? Of course, none. Hence, orders were given to all the persons to halt. People who had gone forward ceased to move further and those who were left behind joined them. Since it was noon time and the weather was very hot, the people covered their heads with a part of their cloaks and placed the other part under their feet. A shade was arranged for the Prophet by means of a cloak which was thrown on two nearby acacia trees. He offered the noon prayers in congregation. Thereafter, while the people were encircling him, he took his place on a platform which had been prepared with saddles of the camels, and delivered a historically instructive sermon in a loud voice.
After extolling eulogy to the Lord of the worlds, the Messenger (s) of God said: “O people! I may soon accept the Divine invitation and may depart from among you. I am responsible and you too are responsible. So, what is your opinion about me?” At this stage those present said loudly: “We testify that you have carried out your mission and made efforts in this behalf. May Allah reward you for this!” The Prophet said: “Do you testify that the Lord of the worlds is One and Muhammad is His servant and messenger and that there is no doubt about life in the other world?” all of them said: “It is correct and we testify to it.”
At this moment, he held the hand of ‘Ali (‘a) and
raised it so high that the whiteness of the
armpits of both of hem became visible to the people. After introducing the
Imam to all the people present, he then said: “Who enjoys more rights over
the believers than themselves?” All of them said in unison: “Allah and His
Prophet know better.” Then the Prophet said: “Allah is my mawla
[master] and I am the mawla of the believers and I am more
deserving and enjoy more rights over them than they themselves.
Then he finally disclosed, “O people! Of whomsoever I am the mawla this ‘Ali is also his mawla.”
He concluded by praying: “O Allah! Love those who love ‘Ali and be inimical to those who are inimical towards ‘Ali. O Allah! Help ‘Ali’s friends; humiliate his enemies and make him the pivot of truth!”
In the meanwhile, the Archangel Gabriel came and brought this verse:
This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.
Surah al-Ma’idah 5:3
As such, the perfection of Islam came to light with the announcement of Imam ‘Ali’s succession to the Prophet. Then the Prophet stepped down from the platform and ordered the chiefs and distinguished personalities among the people to congratulate and shake hands with ‘Ali. And I would like to point out that Abubakr and ‘Umar were among those who congratulated ‘Ali before all others and called him as their mawla.
II. Reasons for the Denial of the Event [Go to Top]
Now, after giving you the synopsis of the grandiose event, let us proceed on taking into account, and then scrutinizing, the reasons for the denial, or at least the doubts on the authenticity of the same.
Firstly, the narrations as recorded in various hadith compilations and historical chronicles are allegedly not consecutively and continuously transmitted, meaning, it is not mutawatir. In reply to this, I would like to highlight the following revealing facts:
* From among the ‘ulama of the Ahl as-Sunnah alone, 353 have quoted it in their books and the number of authorities they rely upon reaches up to 110 Companions [Sahabahs];
* Twenty-six ‘ulama ad-din [religious scholars] have written separate books about the authorities and channels [sanad] of the narration;
* The famous Sunni historian Abu Ja‘far Muhammad at-Tabari has collected the authorities and asnad [sanads] in two big volumes, Kitab al-Wilayah;
* About 25 long years (i.e. one quarter of a century) after the event, in front of a mammoth assembly of Muslims in the plain of Rahbah in Kufah, the Commander of the Faithful requested to stand up who among them have personally witnessed the event, and he further emphasized that only those who have seen with their own eyes and have heard with their own ears the proclamation, should stand up. In response to this, 30 persons stood up, and out of them, 12 were pioneer Muslims who were privileged to participate in the Campaign of Badr in 2 AH. Now, if we will include Zayd ibn Arqam, one of the narrators, and Imam ‘Ali himself, then we have 32 firsthand testifiers, among them were 14 Badri Sahabah. Further, in the parlance of Islamic law, four ‘adil [just] Muslim witnesses are enough to prove a point before any Islamic court of justice. How much more for 30 witnesses as such? Here is another thing to be reckoned with: Is there anyone more reliable than the ever-triumphant Lion of God al-Murtada (‘a) whom they considered as among the Khulafah ar-Rashidin [Rightly Guided Caliphs]? Furthermore, is there anyone more truthful to testify than he on whom no less than the Nabi al-Karim [Noble Messenger] publicly declared: “‘Ali is with the truth and the truth is with ‘Ali”? Of course, none unless one says that the Prophet told a lie!
Secondly, the word mawla in the context of the Prophet’s statement only means, as alleged, ‘friend’ and ‘helper’. In response to such argument, let us ponder over these points: Why the urgency of the Prophet’s compliance to the Qur’anic injunction in the first place? Why not consider the strategic position and location of the place, the scorching heat of the midday sun in the barren desert of Arabia? And why the congratulations after all? Is our reasoning ready to accept the fact that Abubakr, ‘Umar and the different tribal chiefs congratulated Imam ‘Ali for just being their helper and friend? Was he not already a friend and helper to them beforehand? Is it not more vivid and understandable if the Prophet said instead that ‘Ali is near to him so much so that he is his cousin, son-in-law and the father of his grandchildren? Viewed from another perspective, is it possible for the Prophet to talk anything irrational or, even a gross violation and betrayal to common sense? The All-Knowing One shed light in this when He says:
He does not speak of (his own) desire; it is nothing but an inspiration sent down to him; he is taught by the One Mighty in Power.
Surah al-Waqi‘ah 53:3-5
Therefore, basing on the above analysis, our logical reasoning will help us to realize that the word mawla would only be meaningful in the context referred to if it denotes mastership.
Let us proceed on dealing with the third and last reason for the denial of the event in Ghadir Khum. The narration is blatantly labeled as fictitious on the simple ground that if it is really true then the majority of the Sahabah [Companions] and by extension, the Muslims, would have unconditionally accepted and believed in it. In order to refute that argument presented, I think it would be better for me to cite some analogical deductions. If we ought to deny the said event since majority of the Muslims both in the past and in the present did or do so, then in like manner we ought to accept the Christian doctrines since the world Christian population is larger than the Muslim’s. We also ought to side with the Trinitarian Christians since they are far greater in number than those non-Trinitarians. Besides, if we will elevate the level of refutation to the science of probability, it is a commonly accepted fact that ‘majorityness’ is not synonymous with inerrancy or immunity from falsehood. As a matter of fact, record of the past is replete with instances wherein it was the majority who enlisted themselves in the party of Satan. For example, it was the majority who refused to embark on the Ark of Noah; it was the majority who sided with Nimrod against Prophet Abraham (‘a); it was the majority among the community of Moses (‘a) who worshipped the golden calf which was a gross violation of the first among the Ten Commandments; it was the majority among the Israelites who did not only pay heed to the gospel of Christ, Jesus, the son of Mary, but who even attempted to crucify him. In a nutshell, it is indeed an undeniable reality one mankind’s historical trend that only a few were and are the people of devotion.
Further, to say that the event in Ghadir Khum is not true since majority claimed it to be such, is tantamount to committing the fallacy of petitio principi (begging the question) because the claim is utilized as the proof while at the same time the proof is advance as the claim. It is like saying that I profess the Christian faith since both my parents are Christians!
III. Conclusion [Go to Top]
So, as we found out from the preceding discussion, we may rightly say that the momentous event in Ghadir Khum was no other than the general announcement of Hadrat ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (‘a) as the divinely sanctioned Prophet’s rightful successor [khalifah], executor of his will [wasiy], leader [imam], and master [mawla] over the mundane and spiritual affairs of the whole Muslim ummah. Thus, ensuring for all times and climes to come the existence of the repository of divine guidance through the noble chains of Imamate.
Concerning the significance of this day, it is suffice to say, respected sisters and brothers, that it is the very date when Allah ‘Azza wa Jal perfected the religion of Islam and completed His favor upon all Muslim, nay the entire creation. Henceforth, it goes without saying that it is a day of festivity and thanksgiving, an august moment for sharing good-will and extending felicitations to one another.
At this juncture, perhaps one of us may still entertain in his or her mind one remaining skepticism: If this day is really an ‘Id or Islamic festival, why was it not known or reported to have been practiced by Prophet Muhammad (s)? In other words, is it not a bid‘ah [religious innovation]?
To answer this point of perplexity, let me throw the following three arguments:
First, it is worthy to point out that the event in question happened on the 18th of Dhu’l-Hijjah 10 AH and Rasulullah (s) passed away on the 28 th of Safar 11 AH. It shows that form 18th Dhu’l-Hijjah to 28th Safar, he lived for only 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days. In other words, destiny compelled him not to personally exemplify to us the commemoration of that significant event in the history of Islam. However, if he only lived longer, say one year, then I believe and firmly believe that every sensible man or woman would not have any qualm in agreeing with me that our Nabi al-Karim (s) will definitely stress the importance of its commemoration.
Second argument: Since ‘Id al-Ghadir [Feast of Ghadir] has been uninterruptedly celebrated by the immaculate posterity of our Master Muhammad (s) throughout the ages, we the followers of the Din of Muhammad are duty-bound to abide with them since they are the rightful and competent authority in the understanding, interpretation and implementation of the Noble Qur’an’s passages. To this effect, the Prophet of Islam is reported, among other riwayat [narrations], to have stated unequivocally, thus:
Verily, I am leaving you two weighty things after me. If you firmly hold on these, you will never go astray. One is the Book of Allah which is like a rope extending from the heaven to the earth. The other one is my progeny [itrat], the members of my household. They will not be separated from each other until they meet me at the fountain of kawthar. So, be mindful of your duty towards them.
Third and final blow: If we are celebrating ‘Id al-Fitr for the completion of our fasting which is only one rukn [pillar or article] of Islam, it logically follows that we are more enjoined to celebrate for the perfection of Islam and for the completion of God’s favor on us all. If we are commemorating ‘Id al-Adha in connection with the culmination of hajj which is again only a single rukn of the din [religion], it is therefore more proper and befitting for us to commemorate the inauguration of the wilayah [mastership] and divine office of Imamate. Lastly, if we can afford spending a considerable amount of money as a gesture of gratitude and happiness for the graduation in elementary, or even in nursery, of our son or daughter, how much more for the appointment of our beloved mawla and Imam?
In closing, let us all fervently pray that while we are remembering at this point in time the general public investiture of the first post-prophetic hujjatullah fi’l-ard [Proof of Allah on earth], may we all feel and internalize the exalted presence of the Last among them, Muhammad al-Mahdi (may Allah expedite his advent).
Bi-haqqi Muhammadin wa alihit-tahirin.
Was-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
a garden of knowledge
“Of whomsoever I am the mawla this ‘Ali is also his mawla.”
Prophet Muhammad (s)
© 1998-2004 Shajaratun Muntazirah
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