Hadith of the pond of Khumm

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Part of a series on the
Succession
to Muhammad
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Arabic
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Transliteration
Hadith-i ghadir
Translation
"Narration of the pond"
This is a sub-article to the Succession to Muhammad


Hadith of the pond of Khumm is a famous Hadith in Islam about a speech the final Islamic prophet Muhammad gave in the geographical location named Ghadir Khumm or Khur, or Khu'. During his speech, Muhammad declared that Ali is every Muslims Mawla. Narrations concerning this event differ vastly in text, but the occurrence of the event itself is considered to be Mutawatir.

It the main evidence presented by Shia in arguing in favour of Ali's right to the Succession to Muhammad. Sunni also view it as authentic, but give a different interpretation to it.

Contents

[edit] Intoduction

According to numerous Islamic scholars (both Sunni and Shi'a), the event at Ghadir Khumm is a credible one which has been narrated by about 110 companions of Muhammad, the single largest amount among all narration. The debate lies in what Muhammad meant in this specific speech when he used the term mawla. The Sunnis believe that it means beloved friend. While the Shi'as believe that it means master.

[edit] The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Farewell Sermon

[edit] Succession to Muhammad

[edit] Mawla

[edit] Ali

[edit] Narration

The Official Hadith-i Ghadir in Hadith Collections:

After Muhammad delivered his Farewell Sermon in his last pilgrimage in Mecca few months before he died, he departed Mecca to his home in Medina 200 miles to the north. In the fifth day in his trip back about the middle of the road between Mecca and Medina he reached a remote and tiny well in the arid land known of this area to this day. He met few people who were from Yemen and were seeking to talk to him about a petition that his new governor over newly converted Yemen, Ali was very hard in applying Islamic laws on them. The prophet felt upset and he said to them "Do you dispute that I be your ruler?" They surprised answered "No", He said " Whom considers me his ruler then Ali is his ruler", and he held Ali's hand and raised it for all to see. From the 'Sunni view there is no recommendation from the Prophet that [[Ali succeed the Prophet after his death. It was just a recommendation for Ali that his judgement is as reliable as of Muhammad's himself. A few days earlier in the Farewell sermon The Prophet delivered his famous last speech which was heard and seen by all the 10 thousand pilgrims, since he was standing on the top of Mount Arafat. Here the prophet exhorted the pilgrims and told them to report the speech to people who were not in attendance when they go back to their home towns. He indisputably said " I leave in you two pillars if you follow, you will never fail: ( The Qur'an, and my Sunnah (way)). The Qur'an was already revealed in full to the last verse few month before the Pilgimmage.

This well is near today's al-Juhfah of few inhabitants. It was one of the places on the Trade route between Yemen and Syria, where travellers could refresh their supplies of water.

According to Shia and a number of Sunni references, God revealed the following verse to Muhammad at Ghadir Khumm, while others believe this revelation was three months before the Pilgimmage:

"O Messenger, deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you do not do it, then you have not delivered His Message; and Allah will protect you from the people..." (The Holy Qur'ān, 5:67)

This verse teaches that whatever Muhammad was instructed by God to "deliver" at this point was clearly significant because God warned that if it were not to have been delivered, then it would have been as though Muhammad had delivered nothing at all; even after all his years of Prophethood and despite all his efforts up to this point to establish Islam. Furthermore, it teaches that God's words, "and Allah will protect you from the people..." was revealed, because Muhammad had anticipated that there would be objections to whatever was to be "delivered" to the people. Next is a Hadith reported to be said in numerous places, by various sources, and also in Gadir, by some sources:

"O people! I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family."

In Ghadir, according to all sources, the prophet said: "O' people, who, among people, has greater awla over the believers than themselves?" They said: "God and His Messenger are knowledgeable." He said: "Certainly, God is my mawla, and I am the mawla of the believers, and I have greater awla on the believers than themselves, so for whoever I am his mawla, Ali is his mawla."

According to numerous Islamic scholars (both Sunni and Shi'a), the event at Ghadir Khumm is a credible one which has been narrated by about 110 companions of Muhammad. The debate lies in the definition attributed by either side to the term mawla adopted in the Prophetic tradition which means ruler or nasi.

According to Shia sources, after the Farwell hajj, when people started to disperse on their way home, Muhammad ordered those that dispersed a head to come back and assemble in a place near an Oasis called Ghadir Khumm. When they where assembled, over 100 000 Muslims, ordered a high place to be built for him and went on top it and started to deliver a long sermon. At the end of it, he asked the people:

Does Allah have higher authority (awla) over a believer than themselves?

They affirmed his question. Then he asked:

"Am I the authority (awla) whom you obey?" [1]

They answered, "We obey your directions." he then took Ali's hand and said:

"For whomsoever i am the Mawla, this Ali is his Mawla too.
"Man kuntu Mawla, Fahaza Alion Mawla.
"O Allah! Love (wali ) those who love him (walaah) and be an enemy to those who are inimical to him.
allahummu wali man walaah wa `adi man `adaah
"(« من کنت مولاه فهذا علي مولاه اللهم وال من والاه و عاد من عاداه  »)

After that, People came in line and shaked Alis hand. Umar said:

"Congratulations, O Ali! You have become the mawla of every single believer."

Sunni resources counter by the fact that the Prophet could have assigned Ali in his Farewell sermon few days before the incident of Gadir, when all the Muslims attended the Hajj and listened to his final sermon.

[edit] Muslim view

It the main evidence presented by Shia in arguing in favour of Ali's right to the Succession to Muhammad. Sunni also view it as authentic, but give a different interpretation to it.

[edit] Sunni view

According to Muslim sources, after the Farwell hajj, prophet Muhammad left to his home in Medina with only few people, where he met, at a small well 100 miles away from Mecca, a group of people from Yemen. They complained to him that his appointed governor on Yemen, Ali, was harsh on them.

After completing the pilgrimage, Muhammad left Mecca for Medina, where he and his followers reached a place called Ghadir Khumm, which is near to today's al-Juhfah. It was a place where people from different provinces used to greet each other before taking different routes for their homes. Shi'ism teaches that God revealed the following verse to Muhammad at Ghadir Khumm:

Sunni resources counter by the fact that the Prophet could have assigned Ali in his Farewell sermon few days before the incident of Gadir, when all the Muslims attended the Hajj and listened to his final sermon. The Farewell sermon is undisputed in any details since it was heard by the majority of Muslims who saw the Prophet on top of mount Arafat speaking to them. In the sermon the prophet said "I leave in you two things if you follow them you will never fail, the Quran and my Sunna (my ways)" The Sunni resources dispute the details of Gadir Hadith such as exaggerated number of Muslims, and the huge distance of Gadir from Mecca in the most arid places in Arabia.

[edit] Shi'a view

According to Shia sources, after the Farwell hajj, when people started to disperse on their way home, Muhammad ordered those that dispersed ahead to come back and assemble in a place near an Oasis called Ghadir Khumm. As this was the final Haj of the prophet, it is natural to assume that contradictory to sunni claims, many had accompanied the prophet on this final Haj. When they were assembled, over 100,000 Muslims, the prophet ordered a high place to be built for him and he went on top of it and started to deliver a long sermon. According to both Shia and Sunni sources, this was supposedly noon, and very warm. The time of day and the persistence of the prophet for all the pilgrims to be present make it hard to agree with the Sunni claim that the prophet only wanted to silence complaints about Ali. According to Shia, the prophet was ordered by Allah to finish his duty, and therefore he gave the famous sermon. At the end of it, he asked the people to show their obedience to Ali, by saying loud, that they do agree that Ali is the leader of Muslims after him. At this point, the prophet was informed that he has completed his duty

[edit] Note

1) ↑ : The Qur'an 33:6 says:

Shakir Qur'an translation:

The Prophet has a greater claim (awla) on the faithful than they have on themselves, and his wives are (as) their mothers; and the possessors of relationship have the better claim in the ordinance of Allah to inheritance, one with respect to another, than (other) believers, and (than) those who have fled (their homes), except that you do some good to your friends; this is written in the Book.

Transliterated Arabic Qur'an:

Alnnabiyyu awla bialmu/mineena min anfusihim waazwajuhu ommahatuhum waoloo al-arhami baAAduhum awla bibaAAdin fee kitabi Allahi mina almu/mineena waalmuhajireena illa an tafAAaloo ila awliya-ikum maAAroofan kana thalika fee alkitabi mastooran

[edit] References

Shia al-Bahrani In his Ghâyat al-marâm wa-hujjat al-hisâm, p.79, cites eighty nine different chains of transmission for this hadith from Sunni sources and forty three from Shi'a sources.

  • Sunni The Beginning and the End by Ibn Kathir, vol. V. p. 208 and vol. VII, p. 346
  • Shia Dhakha'ir al-uqba. p.67
  • Shia al-Fusul al-muhimmah of Ibn Sabbagh. Najaf, 1950. vol.ll, p.23
  • Shia Khasa'is of Nasa'i Najaf 1369, p.31.

05. AUTHENTICITY

A). Consecutively naratted (Mutawatir) B). Numerous Sahih versions C). Dedicated treatisis by 26 authors (Most of them are sunnies) 06. NARRATORS

A). 110 companions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) B). 84 Successors (Tabiun) C). Over 360 scholars to the present day (Most of them are sunnies)

1: Abaqat al-Anwar a book written in Persian by Shia Allama Mir Hamid Husayn al-Musawi (d. 1304 AH) of India. Allama Mir Hamid Husayn has devoted two bulky volumes (consisting of about 1,080 pages) on the isnad, tawatur and meaning of the hadith of Ghadir.

2: Al-Ghadir in 11 volumes in Arabic by Shia Allama Abdul Husayn al-Amini where he gives with full references the names of 110 sahaba of the Prophet and also 84 tabi'un (disciples of the sahaba) who have narrated the hadith of Ghadir. He has also chronologically given the names of the historians, traditionists, exegesis's and poets who have mentioned the hadith of Ghadir from the first until the fourteenth Islamic century. [2]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Shi'a:

Sunni:

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