Ghadir; A Message as Important as Prophet’s Mission
That message, whose core was about the Wilayat (leadership) of Imam Ali (AS), was conveyed to people in an area known as Ghadir Khumm.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) performed his last Hajj, known as Hajjat-ul-Wida or Farewell Hajj, in 632. In this pilgrimage, he was accompanied by some 120,000 Muslims.
Upon returning to Medina, he and those accompanying him arrived in Ghadir Khumm on Thursday, 18th of Dhul Hajja. As soon as they arrived there, a verse was revealed by God to the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) heart:
“O Messenger, deliver what is sent down to you from your Lord; if you do not, you will not have conveyed His Message. Allah protects you from the people. Allah does not guide the unbelievers.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 67)
If we pay attention to the content of this verse, we will realize how important it is. It says all the efforts the Holy Prophet (PBUH) made over 23 years since the start of revelation are completed with a special message. Without it, all the messages conveyed so far would be incomplete.
Upon God’s command, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) ordered that the batch of 120,000 Muslims stop and gather there.
Given the large number of Muslims who gathered in Ghadir Khumm on that day, the message has been recorded precisely and Quran interpreters, narrators of Hadiths, and historians have related it to the Event of Ghadir with certainty.
Great scholar and author of the 11-volume Al-Ghadir Allameh Amini (1902-1970) has narrated this event from 30 Sunni Hadith and Quran interpretation sources.
But what was Ghadir message?
After all the people gathered there, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) led the noon prayers and then ordered for camel saddles to be piled up as a makeshift pulpit upon a small elevated sandy mound. The Messenger of God (PBUH) went there and delivered a sermon: “God, the Merciful and All-Knower informed me that I will be called (to Him) soon and I will submit to (His call)… I will come to the pond of Kawthar before you do and you come to me beside it; so beware about how you treat Thiqlayn (two great things); al-Thiql al-Akbar, the greater one is the Book of God and the other is my household.”
He then raised Ali’s (AS) hand so that people could see him and then said, “O people! Am I not more deserved to your guardianship than you yourselves?” and people answered, “Yes, O Prophet!” Then, the Prophet (PBUH) said, "God is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers and I am more deserved for your guardianship than you for yourselves. Therefore, anyone whose guardian is me, then this Ali is his guardian.” The Prophet (PBUH) repeated this sentence three times and said, "O God! Befriend and be the guardian of whom befriends Ali and considers me his guardian and be the enemy of those who are his enemy. Help anyone who helps him and leave anyone who abandons him.” Then, he addressed people and said, “Those who are here ought to deliver this message to those who are absent.”
Soon, before the crowd would scatter, the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) came down again and verse 3 of Surah Al-Ma’idah was revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH):
“…This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor to you. I have approved Islam to be your religion…”
