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"40 Ahadith on Ghadir"
By Mahmud Sharifi
# Introduction
In the tenth year after the migration to Madinah, the year which later became known as Hajjatul Wida' [The (year of the) farewell Hajj], the Muslims who had accompanied the Noble Prophet to Makkah were finishing their Hajj rites. Once the Hajj was complete, the Prophet and those with him were making their way back to Madinah and the other cities from which they had come.
When they reached Rabigh - a spot three miles from Juhfah, one of the miqat for the Hujjaj - the order came from Allah to halt the entire caravan.
At this point, the Truthful conveyor of the revelation, Jibra'il came to the Prophet who was stationed in the valley known as Ghadir Khumm and revealed the following verse of the Qur'an to him:
“O’ Messenger! Convey that which has been revealed to you from your Lord and if you do not do so, it is as if you have not conveyed His message at all, and Allah will protect you from the people…” (Surah Maidah,5:67)
Since this verse commanded the Prophet to stop right where he was, he himself and those with him, halted in the
It was noontime, and as can be expected, the weather was extremely hot. The Noble Prophet performed Salatul Zuhr in congregation, and then with multitudes of people around him, ascended to a small platform built from camel saddles and other things that the Muslims had with them.
In a loud voice, he gave a long speech and said to the people: “O’ people! Know that shortly I shall answer the call of The Truth (Allah) and will no longer be among you – I have a responsibility (to Allah) and you too have a responsibility (towards Him).”
The Prophet then mentioned something very important to the people and stated: “I am leaving behind two weighty things to you as a trust – one of them is the Book of Allah, and the other is my family, the Ahlul Bait. These two shall never separate from one another. O’ people! Do not attempt to supersede the Qur'an and my family, and do not be negligent in your actions towards these two, because if you do so, you shall be destroyed.”
After stating this, he took the hand of Ali, raised it up and introduced him to the multitudes of people and asked: “Who has more of a right over the believers than their own selves?” Everyone present proclaimed: “Allah and His Prophet know better.”
The Noble Prophet then said: “Allah is my master and I am the master of all the believers and I have more right and authority over the believers than they have over their own selves.”
Then he continued:
“Whomsoever I am his master, this Ali is also his master. O’ Allah! Befriend he who befriends him (Ali) and oppose he who opposes him.”
The Angel of Revelation, Jibrail once again descended by the order of Allah and this time, revealed the following verse of the Qur'an:
“On this day have I completed your religion for you and perfected My bounties upon you and am pleased with Islam as being your religion.”
Therefore, this day was marked in history as a momentous and grand day. The day of Ghadir was a day of epic proportions in history. It was a day which would become known as the Day of Wilayat (Mastership); the Day of Imamate (Leadership); the Day of Wisayat (Successorship); the Day of Brotherhood; the Day of Valour; the Day of Courage, Bravery and Protection (of the faith); the Day of Pleasure for the Believers; and they Day of Candidness.
It was a Day of:
(Divine) blessings;
Showing thanks to the Almighty;
Conveyance of the message;
Congratulations and felicitations;
Happiness, delight and gift giving;
The pact and promise and renewal of the Pledge of Allegiance;
Completion of the religion;
Expression of the truth;
Grief of Shaitan;
Introducing the leader and the (true) path;
Testing (the faith) of the Muslims;
Despair for the enemies;
Hope for the (true) friends.
In summary, it was the Day of Islam, Qur'an, and the Ahlul Bait. It was the day which the followers of the true teachings of the faith of Islam mark with great esteem and a day when they congratulate one another.
It can be understood from the Ahadith that the A'immah took this day as one of celebration and used to hold special programs to celebrate this event. It has been narrated from Fayyadh ibn Muhammad at-Tusi that, “I was in the presence of the 8th Imam on the day of Ghadir (18th of Dhul Hijjah).
I saw a particular group of people serving the Imam and the Imam was (intentionally) keeping them in his house until the time of sunset came so that he may give them food to eat (and thus enable them to break their fast). The Imam ordered that food, new clothes, shoes, rings, and other gifts be sent for their families. In the house, I noticed that the state of all of those present was something completely different than normal, and it was from those people that I learned the greatness and magnitude of this day.” (Biharul Anwar, v.97, p.112, h.8)
In another Hadith it has been mentioned that one day during the days of the “open caliphate” of Imam Ali, the day of Jumu'ah and Eid Ghadir fell together. On this day, the Imam delivered a long speech and said, “This gathering shall soon come to an end and all of you will go back to your homes and families – may Allah shower His mercy upon all of you.
On this day, you should be kind to your families and do good deeds to your brothers. You should thank Allah for the blessings which He has granted you. You must also be sure to unite with one another so that through this, Allah may assist you.
Do good to others so that Allah makes your friendship firm and immovable. From the blessings which Allah has given you, give gifts to one another. On this day, Allah will give rewards (to you) in multiple folds compared to other days of celebration (Eid). This form of reward cannot be attained except through this day (Ghadir). Doing good to others and giving away much wealth to others increases the life span. Being a host to others results in the mercy and love of Allah descending upon you.
On this day, as much as you are able to, give your brothers and family a portion of the wealth which Allah has granted you. Always be smiling and in a happy mood when you meet one another; and be sure to thank Allah for the blessings which He has showered upon you. Go towards those people whose hope may lie in you and do good to them. In regards to your food and drink (on this day), ensure that between you and those who are under your care and supervision, there is equality. This equality and equity must be displayed to the extent of your ability (and you should know that) the reward of giving one dirham of charity on this day is equivalent to giving 100,000 dirhams of charity (on any other day) and the Divine bounty of this is in Allah’s hands alone.
Allah has also made it highly recommended to fast on this day and has promised a great reward for one who observes it. If a person was to look after the needs and necessities of his brothers, even before his own wishes and desires (were expressed to Allah), and if one was to look after their requests in the best possible way, then one would be granted such a reward that it would be equivalent to fasting the entire day and spending the entire night in worship until the morning hours.
A person who feeds another fasting person on this day will be equal to that person who went person by person and fed all of the fasting people (with his own hands). You must convey all that you have just heard to those who are not here. The strong and able people must go out in search of the weak people; the powerful must go in search of the oppressed, as these are all things which the Prophet has commanded me to do.”
Imam Ali then read the Khutbah for Jumu'ah and performed the Salat al-Jumu'ah (since there is no special Salat for this Eid). He then went with his children and Shi'a to the house of Imam Husain, where food was ready, and he distributed gifts to the Shi'a – both the needy and the free from need - who had accompanied him, and then instructed them to go home to their families.” [ba]
Insha-Allah, we hope that one day all Muslims of the world will mark the day of Eidul Ghadir in such a great and magnanimous way and celebrate it as it deserves to be celebrated.
# The Status of Eidul Ghadir
Tradition 1: The Eid of the Khilafat and Wilayat
It has been narrated from Ziyad ibn Muhammad that he said, “I went to see Imam Jafar and said to him, “Do the Muslims have an Eid other than the day of Jumu'ah and al-Fitr and al-Adhha?” The Imam replied to me, “Yes, the day which the Holy Prophet appointed Ali [as the leader of the Ummah after him].” [mm]
Tradition 2: The Best Eid of the Ummah
The Holy Prophet has said: “The day of Ghadir Khumm is the best Eid of my nation. It is the day on which Allah, the High, ordered me to mention the appointment of my brother, Ali ibn Abi Talib as the flag and standard of my nation. People shall be guided by him after me and this is the day in which Allah completed the religion and perfected the bounties upon my nation and on which He was pleased with Islam as their religion.” [amali]
Tradition 3: The Great Eid of Allah
Imam Jafar said, “This is the greatest Eid of Allah, and every Prophet appointed by Allah celebrated this day as an Eid, and knew the sanctity of this day. The name of this day in the heavens is the Day of the Allegiance and Well-Known Pact, and on the Earth this Day is known as the Day of the Promise which is taken and the Day of the Gathering of those who witnessed (the event).” [ws]
Tradition 4: The Eid of Wilayat
“It was said to Imam Jafar “Do the true believers have an Eid other than the two Eid (of al-Adhha and al-Fitr) and the Jumu'ah?” The Imam replied, “Yes, they have one which is even greater than these ones and that is the day when Amirul Mo'minin was designated by the Holy Prophet with the Wilayah (at Ghadir Khumm) which rests on the necks of all the men and women.” [ws]
Tradition 5: The Day of Renewal of the Oath of Allegiance
It has been narrated from 'Ammar ibn Hariz that he said, “I went to see Imam Jafar on the 18th of Dhul Hijjah and found him fasting. He said to me, ‘This is a great day. Allah has magnified the sacredness of this day for the true believers and perfected the religion for them and completed upon them the bounties and renewed the pledge which He had taken from them (previously).” [mm]
Tradition 6: The Eid of the Heavens
Imam Ali Reza has said, “My father related to me from his father (peace be upon them) that, ‘The Day of Ghadir is more well known in the heavens than it is on the Earth.’” [mm]
Tradition 7: An Incomparable Eid
Imam Ali has said, “Surely this is a highly recognized day, on it the succor was brought, and the station (of the one who was worthy of it) was elevated, and the proofs (of Allah) were made manifest. This is the day when from a pure station, words were clearly and straightforwardly stated, and this is the day of the completion of the religion and the (day) when the promise and pact were taken…” [ba]
Tradition 8: A Very Beneficial Eid
Imam Jafar has said, “I swear by Allah that if people knew the true greatness of this day, the Angels would shake hands with them ten times every day … and Allah would grant a person who recognizes (the greatness of this day) what can not be enumerated.” [mm]
Tradition 9: A Luminous Eid
Imam Jafar has said, “The Day of Ghadir, in comparison to the (Eids of) al-Fitr, al-Adhha and the day of Jumu'ah, is like the moon in relation to the rest of the planets.”
Tradition 10: One of the Four Divinely Appointed Eids
Imam Jafar has said, “When the Day of Judgement comes about, four days shall hasten towards Allah, the Noble and Grand, just as a bride hastens towards her bridal chamber: the day of al-Fitr, the day of al-Adhha, the day of al-Jumu'ah, and the day of Ghadir Khumm.”
# The Worthy and Deserving Day of Ghadir
Tradition 11: The Day of the Message and the Wilayat
The Holy Prophet has said, “O’ assembly of Muslims – those who are present must convey the following to those who are not, “I advise the person who believes in me and has confirmed me (as being the final Prophet) to accept the Wilayat (mastership of Ali). Now surely the mastership of Ali is my mastership, and my mastership is the mastership of my Lord. This is a pledge from my Lord which He commanded me to convey to all of you.” [ba]
Tradition 12: The Day of Feeding Others
Imam Jafar has said, “…and surely this is the day when the Holy Prophet appointed Ali as the flag for the people and made known his greatness and successorship; and he fasted on this day as a sign of thanks to Allah, the Glorious and Noble. This day should be taken as one of fasting, feeding others, establishing ties with brothers (in faith), and on this day is the pleasure of the Most Merciful (al-Rahman) and the rubbing in the dust (humiliation) of the face of Shaitan.” [ws]
Tradition 13: The Day of Gifts
It has been narrated from Amirul Mo’minin [Ali ibn Abi Talib] that he said, “…when you meet each other (on the Day of Eid Ghadir), shake hands with one another with greetings (of peace) and exchange gifts on this day and let those who are present convey this to those who are not, and let the rich person give something to the poor, and the powerful one to the weak, as the Holy Prophet commanded me to (also) do this.” [ws]
Tradition 14: The Day of Protection
Imam Ali said, “…how shall the state of that person be who has taken the responsibility upon himself for a number of the believing men and believing women (on the Day of Ghadir) since I personally have guaranteed that person protection from disbelief and poverty, in the presence of Allah, the Most High.” [ws]
Tradition 15: The Day of Thanks and Happiness
Imam Jafar has said: “…this is the day (18th of Dhul Hijjah) of worship and prayers and thanks to Allah and His praise, and is a day of happiness due to the obligation which Allah has laid upon all of you in regards to our (the Ahlul Bait’s) Wilayat, and surely I love to see you fast on this day.” [ws]
Tradition 16: The Day of Doing Good to Others.
Imam Jafar said, “…giving one dirham to a brother in faith and who has cognizance (of the greatness and importance of the day of Ghadir) is equal to giving 1,000 dirham (at any other time). Therefore on this day, give to your brothers and make all of the believing men and believing women happy and delighted.” [mm]
Tradition 17: The Day of Joy and Happiness
Imam Jafar said: “Surely this day [18th of Dhul Hijjah] is a day of festivity, joy and happiness and it is a day of fasting as a sign of thanks to Allah, the Most High.” [ws]
Tradition 18: The Day of Congratulations and Felicitations
Imam Ali said: “When your assembly adjourns, may Allah have mercy on you, then show generosity towards your dependants, kindness to your brethren, and gratitude to Allah for what He has bestowed upon you. Come together that Allah may unite you, do good to one another that Allah may increase your mutual love; and congratulate one another for Allah’s favour as He has given you the good tidings of a reward many times greater than previous or future Eids, except an Eid like it [when Eid falls on a Friday].” [ba]
Tradition 19: A Day of Greeting and Disavowal
Hasan ibn Rashid asked, “May I be sacrificed for you! Do the Muslims have a festivity other than the two Eid celebrations?” The Imam Jafar replied, “Yes O’ Hasan! (There is one) greater than these two and much worthier than them.” The companion replied, “And what day is that?” The Imam said, “The day upon which Ali was appointed as the flag (of guidance) for the people.” The companion then asked, “May I be sacrificed for you! And what should we do (on this day)?” The Imam replied, “You should fast on it, O’ Hasan, and recite many prayers upon Muhammad and his family and disavow yourself towards Allah from all of those who oppressed them; surely the Prophets (of the past) also commanded their successors to consider the day of their appointment a day of celebration and Eid.” [mm]
Tradition 20: The Eid of the Successors
Imam Jafar he said, “…(on the day of Eid Ghadir) you should remember Allah, the Noble, on this day through fasting and worship and through remembering Muhammad and the family of Muhammad since surely the Holy Prophet had advised Amirul Mo’minin to take this day as a day of Eid, and this is the same thing which the (previous) Prophets also did; they too advised their successors who took this day as a day of Eid.” [ws]
Tradition 21: The Day of Dedication and Prayers
Imam Jafar said, “The worth of (good) actions performed on this day (18th of Dhul Hijjah) is equivalent to 80 months (of good deeds) and one is advised to frequently remember Allah, the Noble and Grand, and send prayers upon the Prophet and that a man be generous to his family (by presenting them with gifts).” [ws]
Tradition 22: The Day of Seeing the Leader
The tenth Imam Al Hadi said to Abi Ishaq: “The Day of Ghadir is the day when the Prophet appointed his brother Ali as the flag (of guidance) for the people and the Imam after him.” Abu Ishaq said, “You have spoken the truth, may I be sacrificed for you. It is for this reason (alone) that I came to see you. I bear witness that truly you are the proof of Allah over all of His creations.” [ws]
Tradition 23: The Day of Praising Allah
Imam Ali Reza said, “Allah will grant a person who visits a true believer on it (the Day of Eidul Ghadir) seventy types of Divine Light in his grave and will expand his grave. Every day, 70,000 Angels will visit him in the grave and they will grant him the glad tidings of
Tradition 24: The Day of Visiting and Doing Good
Imam Jafar said, “It is advisable for you (on the day of Ghadir) to become close to Allah, the Most High, through good deeds, fasting, prayers, establishing (and maintaining) family ties and establishing ties between (your) brothers. The Prophets (peace be upon all of them) did the same thing when they appointed their successors, and also advised them to act similarly.” [mm]
Tradition 25: Salat in Masjid al-Ghadir
Imam Jafar said: “Surely it is recommended to pray inside Masjid al-Ghadir since verily the Prophet introduced the Commander of the Faithful [as the Imam] to the people here and this is the spot in which Allah, the Noble and Grand, made known The Truth.” [ws]
Tradition 26: Salat on the Day of Ghadir
Imam Jafar said: “A person who performs a two Rak'at Salat any time he wishes (during the Day of 18th of Dhul Hijjah), though it is best that this (Salat) be performed as close to the time of Zawwal (mid-day when the sun begins its decline; this is when the time for Salatul Zuhr beings) as possible because this is the time at which Amirul Mo'minin was appointed at Ghadir Khumm as the flag of the people and … (the reward for this Salat) is as if the person had been present on the Day (of Ghadir Khumm)…” [ws]
Tradition 27: Fasting on the Day of Ghadir
Imam Jafar said: “Fasting on the Day of Ghadir is equivalent to fasting the time span of the (existence of the) entire world – meaning that if a person were to live a life of the entire existence of the world and were to fast this whole time, the reward for this fasting would be equivalent to fasting (this one day of Ghadir).” [ws]
Tradition 28: The Day of Congratulations and Smiling
Imam Ali Reza said: “…and this is a day of congratulations and felicitations in which you should greet and congratulate one another. When a believer meets another, one should say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah who has made us amongst those who hold firm to the Wilayat of the Commander of the Faithful and the A’immah (prayers be upon all of them); and this is a day of smiling at other people and those of true faith.”
# Wilayat in Ghadir
Tradition 29: The Prophet and the Wilayat of Ali
It has been narrated from Abi Sa'id that: “When the day of Ghadir Khumm came, the Holy Prophet commanded the caller to call out, ‘Gather for the Salat. Then he took Ali by the hand and said, ‘O’ Allah! Whomsoever I am his master, this Ali is also his master. O’ Allah! Be a friend to that person who is a friend to him, and be an enemy to that person who is an enemy to him.’” [ba]
Tradition 30: Living the Life of a Prophet
The Holy Prophet has said: “A person who wishes to live the life that I lived and wishes to die the way I die, and wants to reside in the perpetual Paradise which has been promised to me by my Lord should accept the Wilayat of Ali ibn Abi Talib, because he will never drag you away from the path of true guidance and he will never misguide you.”
Tradition 31: The Prophet and the Imamate of Ali
It has been narrated from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al-Ansari that: “I heard the Holy Prophet say to Ali ibn Abi Talib: ‘O’ Ali! You are my brother and my successor and my executor and my caliph over my nation both during my life and also after my death. Those who love you, love me; and those who hate you, hate me; and your enemy is my enemy.” [amali]
Tradition 32: The Pillars of Islam
Imam Baqir said that: “Islam is built on five foundations: Salat, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj and Wilayat – and there was no call to any of these resembling that which the people were called towards in order to accept the Wilayah on the Day of Ghadir.” [ba]
Tradition 33: The Perpetual Wilayat
Imam Ali Reza said: “The Wilayat of Ali has been written in all of the books of the (previous) Prophets and Allah did not appoint a single Messenger except with a (pledge to the) Prophethood of Muhammad and the successorship of Ali.” [sb]
Tradition 34: Wilayat and Tawhid
The Holy Prophet has said, “The Wilayat of Ali ibn Abi Talib is the Wilayat of Allah; love for him (Ali) is worship of Allah; following him (Ali) is an obligatory act from Allah; his friends are the friends of Allah and his enemies are the enemies of Allah; fighting with him is (like) fighting against Allah; and making peace with him is (like) making peace with Allah, the Noble and Grand.” [amali]
Tradition 35: The Day of the Cry of Despair of Shaitan
Imam Baqir said: “Iblis, the enemy of Allah, cried out (in hopelessness) four times: The day when he was cursed (by Allah); the day when he was sent down to the Earth; the day when the Prophet was officially appointed (to convey the message on Earth); and on the Day of Ghadir.”
Tradition 36: The Wilayat of Ali is the Fortress of Tawhid
Prophet said: “Allah, the Glorious and High, has said, “The Wilayat of Ali ibn Abi Talib is My fortress, so whoever enters into My fortress will be protected from My fire.”
Tradition 37: The Successor of the Prophet
The Holy Prophet has said, “O’ Ali! I am the city of knowledge and you are its gate and no one can enter into the city except by going through its gate … You are the Imam of my nation and you are my successor. Blessed is the person who obeys you and depraved is the person who disobeys you. One who follows you will succeed, while the one who turns away from you will be in a loss.”
Tradition 38: Islam in the Shadow of Wilayat
Imam Jafar said: “The fundamental pillars of Islam are three: Salat, Zakat and Wilayat. No one of these will be valid unless accompanied by the other two.”
Tradition 39: A Thousand Witnesses
Imam Jafar said, “O’ Hafsa! I am surprised at what happened to Ali ibn Abi Talib!! Despite having tens of thousands of witnesses he could not claim his right when in reality a person needs only two witnesses to claim what is rightfully his!” [ba]
Tradition 40: Ali , The Commentator of the Qur'an
From the Prophet, in his address on the Day of Ghadir: “Ali is the exegesis (Tafsir) of the book of Allah and the one who calls others to it. Verily, that which is permitted and forbidden is more than what I can explain to you; what I command you as permitted and forbid you as prohibited, is all from one position. I was commanded to take your allegiance and your pledge to accept what I brought from Allah, the Exalted, regarding Ali, the commander of the believers, and the Imams after him. O’ People! Ponder and understand the verses (of the Qur'an), observe those that are clear and do not follow those that are unclear; for by Allah no one can explain to you its limitations or clarify its meanings except the one whose hand I am holding (meaning Imam Ali).” [ws]
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