Eid al-Ghadeer
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Eid al-Ghadeer is the anniversary of the Event of Ghadeer, an Islamic event on the 18th of the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon.
Contents |
[edit] Background
When Muhammed Declared Imam Ali as the next Caliph (Islamic leader).
[edit] Location of Ghadeer Khum
Map : - http://www.ezsoftech.com/islamic/images/ghadir.jpg
The map shown is the map of Arabia. Ghadir is on the way from Mecca to Madina. While returning from Mecca to Madina, after the last hajj, along with his companions, Muhammed broke the journey at a lake, 3 miles away from Al-Johfa. He halted at midday in a wayside tract of barren land with no shade other than that provided by a few acacia trees. A small lake is called as Ghadeer in Arabic, so this place is known as Ghadir-e-Khumm. The name Ghadeer is no longer in use.
[edit] Preparing for the Final Sermon
The following Ayat (verse of the Qur'an was revelead to Muhammed:
"O Messenger! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message (at all), and Allah will protect you from the people; (5:67)"
Upon receiving the verse, Muhammed stopped at Ghadeer (the pond of Khum) which was extremely hot. Then he sent for all people who went ahead, to come back and waited until all pilgrims who fell behind, arrived and gathered. He ordered Salman the Persian to use rocks and camel hoods to make a pulpit (minbar) so he could make his announcement. It was around noon time in the first of the Fall, and due to the extreme heat in that valley, people were wrapping their robes around their feet and legs, and were sitting around the pulpit, on the hot rocks.
On this day Muhammed spent approximately five hours in this place; three hours of which he was on the pulpit. He recited nearly one hundred verses from the Qur'an, and for seventy three times reminded and warned people of their deeds and future. Then he gave them a long speech:
[edit] The Final Sermon
'The Shia Concept' "O my people! I am going to be recalled shortly and I must comply. I shall be interrogated and you also shall be interrogated. What will you say then?"
The entire audience answered: "We shall bear witness that you did convey to us the message of Allah, and tried your best to guide us on the right path and always gave us good console. May Allah bless you with a good reward."
Muhammed proceeded: "Why do you not bear witness that - there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, - and that Paradise is true, - Hell is true, - Death is true, - Resurrection after death is true, - that the Day of Judgment will doubtlessly come and that Allah will raise to life the dead from their graves?"
They said: "O Yes! We bear witness to all this."
Then he said: "O Allah! You also may witness." Then he said: 'O my people! Allah is my Mawla and I am mawla of the faithful and I have superior right on and control over their lives. And this Ali is the mawla of all those of whom I am mawla. O Allah! Love him who loves him and hate him who hates him."
He further said: "O my people! I will precede you and you also shall arrive at the pool of Kawthar, the pool wider than the distance between Basrah and San'a', and there are on the pool as many goblets of silver as stars. When you shall reach me I shall interrogate you about your behavior towards the two in-valuable assets after my death.
The major asset is the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, one end of which is in the hand of Allah, the Exalted, and the other end of which in your hands. Grasp it tightly and do not go astray and do not change or amend it. The other asset is my Progeny, who are my Ahl al-Bayt. Allah the Gracious and Omniscient has informed me that the two will not part from each other before they reach me at the pool.
Immediately after Muhammed finished his speech, the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed:
"Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Qur'an 5:3)
[edit] Oath of Allegiance
After his speech, Muhammed asked every body to give the oath of allegiance to Ali and congratulate him. Among those who gave him the oath were Umar, Abu Bakr, and Uthman. It is narrated that Umar and Abu Bakr said:
"Well done Ibn Abi Talib! Today you became the leader (Mawla) of all believing men and women."
The news spread quickly all over urban and rural areas. When Harith Ibn Nu'man al- Fahri (or Nadhr Ibn Harith according to another tradition) came to know of it, he rode his camel and came to Medina and went to Muhammed and said to him: "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to perform the prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Mecca and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin by your hand and imposed him upon us as our master by saying `Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla. 'Is this imposition from Allah or from You?" Muhammed said : "By Allah who is the only deity! This is from Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious."
On hearing this Harith turned back and proceeded towards his she-camel saying: "O Allah! If what Muhammad said is correct then fling on us a stone from the sky and subject us to severe pain and torture."
He had not reached his she-camel when Allah, who is above all defects flung at him a stone which struck him on his head, penetrated his body and passed out through his lower body and left him dead. It was on this occasion that Muhammed detailed:
"A questioner questioned about the punishment to fall. For the disbelievers there is nothing to avert it, from Allah the Lord of the Ascent." (70:1-3)
[edit] Detailed Version of Sermon at Ghadir e Khum
A more detailed speech of Muhammed at the Pond of Khum
"Praise belongs to Allah. We ask Him for help, and we believe in Him, and to Him we trust. We seek refuge to Him from the evil of our souls and the sins of our deeds. Verily there is no guide for the one whom Allah leaves in stray, and there is non who leads astray the one whom Allah has guided."
"O People! Know that Gabriel came down to me several times bringing me an order from the Lord, the Merciful, that I should stop at this place and inform you. Behold! It is as if the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call."
"O Folk! Don't you witness that there is no deity but Allah, Muhammad is His servant and His Apostle, Paradise is truth, Hell is truth, death is truth, resurrection is truth, and that the Hour shall certainly arrive, and Allah shall raise people from the graves?"
People replied: "Yes, we believe in them."
He continued: "O People! Do you hear my voice (clearly)?" They said: "Yes". Muhammed said: "Behold! I am leaving among you two precious and weighty Symbols that if you adhere to both of them, you shall never go astray after me. Each of these two surpasses the other in its grandeur."
A person asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what are those two precious things?"
Muhammed replied: "One of them is the Book of Allah and the other one is my select progeny (Itrat), that is family (Ahlul-Bayt). Beware of how you behave them when I am gone from amongst you, for Allah, the Merciful, has informed me that these two (i.e., Qur'an and Ahlul-Bayt) shall never separate from each other until they reach me in Heaven at the Pool (of al-Kawthar). I remind you, in the name of Allah, about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you, in the name of Allah, about my Ahlul-Bayt. Once more! I remind you, in the name of Allah, about my Ahlul-Bayt."
"Behold! I am your predecessor at the Pool (of Paradise) and I shall be a witness against you. Thus be careful how you treat these two precious things after me. Do not precede these two for you will perish, and do not stay away from them for you will perish."
"O People! Don't you know that I have more authority upon you than yourself?" People cried and said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." Then prophet repeated: "O Folk! Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" People said again "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." Then Prophet said: "O People! Surely God is my Master, and I am the master of all believers." Then he grasped the hand of Ali and raised it and said:
"Of whomsoever I am his master, this Ali is also his master (repeating three times). O God! Love those who love him. Be hostile to those who are hostile to him. Help those who help him. Forsake those who forsake him. And keep the truth with him wherever he turns (i.e., make him the axis of the truth)."
"Ali, the son of Abu Talib, is my brother, my executor (Wasi), and my successor (Caliph), and the leader (Imam) after me. His position to me is the same as the position of Haroon (Aaron) to Moses, except that there shall be no prophet after me. He is your master after Allah and His Messenger."
"O Folk! Verily Allah has appointed him to be your Imam and ruler. Obedience of him is obligatory for all Immigrants (Muhajirin) and Helpers (Ansar) and those who follow them in virtue, and on the dwellers of the cities and the nomads, the Arabs and the non-Arabs, the freeman and the slave, the young and the old, the great and the small, the white and the black."
"His commands should be obeyed, and his word is binding and his order is obligatory on everyone who believes in one God. Cursed is the man who disobeys him, and blessed is the one who follows him, and he who believes in him is a true believer. His wilayah (belief in his mastery) has been made obligatory by Allah, the Powerful, the Exalted."
"O Folk! Study the Qur'an. Reflect on its clear verses and do not presume the meaning of the ambiguous verses. For, by Allah, nobody can properly explain them to you its warnings and its meanings except me and this man (i.e., Ali) whose hand I am lifting up in front of myself. "
"O People! This is the last time that I shall stand in this assembly. Therefore listen to me and obey and submit to the command of Lord. Verily Allah, He is your Lord and God. After Him, His prophet, Muhammad who is addressing you, is your master. Then after me, this Ali is your master and your leader (Imam) according to Allah's command. Then after him leadership will continue through some selected individuals in my descendants till the day you meet Allah and His Prophet."
"Behold! Certainly you shall meet your Lord and He will ask you about your deeds. Beware! Do not become infidels after me by striking the necks of one another. Lo! It is incumbent upon those who are present to inform what I said to those who are absent for perhaps the informed one might comprehend it (understand it) better than some of the present audience. Behold! Haven't I conveyed the Message of Allah to you? Behold! Haven't I conveyed the Message of Allah to you?" People replied: "Yes." The Prophet said: "O God! Bear witness."
[edit] THE SHIA CONCEPT
SHIA's do not say that Hazrat Ali should have been the first caliph. They say no such thing, they only follow what Muhammed told them before he left this world <man kuntu mawlaah fa Ali mawlaah>. If you say that "mawla" does not mean caliph. Fair enough! It does not but it says a whole lot more than anything else. Caliphate is political anyway. We have leaders today so we had leaders in the past. Ali is not a leader he is an Iman, and that is the BIG difference, that no one wants to understand. If Muhammed said <man kuntu mawlaah fa Ali mawlaah> about Ali, it is a big deal because he didn't say that about Abu Bakar, Umar or Uthman. Is there anywhere in history that the prophet has said "After me, Abu Bakar will be the Caliph?' The answer is 'NO'. Did he say: <man kuntu mawlaah fa Abu Bakar/Umar/Uthman mawlaah>? The answer is 'No'. Shia's don;t care whether Ali is a caliph or not because that is something he is surely not, he is an Iman. The prophet only said/did what Allah wanted him to and that is what Shias follow, the world of Allah, nothing more, nothing less. Please do not belittle your prophet o people. Open your eyes and speak the truth, and if you cannot do that then do not say anything. The day is not far when Allah will show you what you have done to Allah's religion
[edit] THE SUNNI CONCEPT
As you know that the Shi`a say that Ali (rah) is the one who should have been the first khalifa and not Abu Bakr (rah) (or Umar (rah) or Uthman (rah)). They bring some evidences from the Sunni books (Bukhari, Muslim,..) and one of them is the hadeeth of Ghadeer Khumm. Before we start, we should Say that Ali (rah) is the husband of the daughter of the prophet (peace be upon him), Fatima (rah, the best woman of the people of the Jannah), he is the cousin of the prophet (peace be upon him), and he is the fourth of the rightly-guided khalifahs and his qualities are all well known to us. However, we are not talking about the qualities of Ali (rah), because we all know it. We are discussing whether or not the hadeeth of Ghadeer Khumm is evidence that Ali should have been the first khalifa.
Mosnad of Ahmed:
Ibn Namir told us that Abd Al-Malik (Ibn Abi-Sulayman) told us according to Attia Al-`ufi who said: I asked Zayd Ibn Arqam and I told him that some people told me a hadeeth according to you about Ali (rah) in the day of Ghadeer Khumm and I want to hear it from you. So Zayd said: You people of Iraq, you have what you have. I told him: Do not worry about me. He said: Yes we were in Al-Juhfa and the prophet (peace be upon him) came to us holding the hands of Ali (rah) and said: O people don't you know that I am <awla> with the believers from their selves. They said: Yes. He said: <man kuntu mawlaah fa Ali mawlaah>. [Attia] said: Did he say: <Allahumma waali man waalah wa `ad man `adaah> (O Allah: Befriend whosoever befriends him and be the enemy of whosoever is hostile to him). [Zayd] said: I told you as I heard it.
The saying "man kuntu mawlah fa Ali mawlah" is correct and strong.
The addition <allahummu wali man walaah wa `adi man `adaah>, "O Allah: Befriend whosoever befriends him and be the enemy of whosoever is hostile to him" is also correct, albeit weaker.
However, the scholars of hadeeth classify any extra additions as <mawdoo`> and hence we will not talk about. We will only talk about the authentic versions shown above.
This hadeeth is used to prove that Ali is the khalifa. The Shia says that "mawla" means "wali" (leader) and hence this incident means that the prophet is telling the Muslims that Ali is the next khalifa.
This is their point regarding this hadeeth. The difference, then, is the meaning of "man kuntu mawlah, fa Ali mawlah". The shi`ah says that it means "man kuntu waleeh, fa Ali waleeh". The Sunnah says that it means love and close relation. Muwalat is the opposite of Mu`adat. The proof comes from the first addition: "oh Allah waali man walaah wa `adi man `adaah". (O Allah befriend whosover befriends him and be the enemy of whosoever is hostile to him). So we are talking about muwalah and mu`adat (love and enmity). It is about the love of the people to Ali (rah).
Before we talk about that, let us talk about why the prophet said so. The Shi`ah claim that the prophet ( peace be upon him ) stopped people in this place in the hot weather and they say that their number was more than 100 thousand and that this was the place where all the people of Hajj were gathered and the main reason is that the prophet ( peace be upon him ) wanted to tell the people "man kuntu mawlah fa Ali mawlah" in addition to their additions.
The reason for this hadeeth is as follows:
Read this hadeeth from Bukhari volume 5, Book 59 Number 637:
Narrated Buraida: Muhammed sent 'Ali to Khalid to bring the Khumus (of the booty) and I hated Ali, and 'Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual act with a slave-girl from the Khumus). I said to Khalid, "Don't you see this (i.e. Ali)?" When we reached Muhammed I mentioned that to him. He said, "O Buraida! Do you hate Ali?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do you hate him, for he deserves more than that from the Khumlus."
In other narrations (al-tirmithi and ahmed), in addition to the above, the prophet said: "O buraida man kuntu mawlah fa Ali mawlah"
So Ali took one of the slaves named Waseefa as his slave and then after having sexual act with her, he was taking a bath. Buraida became angry. He thought why would Ali take one of the slaves for himself. So he mentioned this to Muhammed.
Al-bayhaqi narrates from Abu sa'eed that Ali prevented them from riding the camels of the sadaqa that they acquired. He then made a person to be their leader and went to Muhammed. When Ali came back, he found that their leader gave them permission to ride the camels. When Ali saw that, he became angry and he blamed the leader. (In another narration, it mentions that they were new clothes that Ali prevented them from wearing but they wear them despite his orders). Abu sa'eed said that when we went back to madina, we mentioned to Muhammed the harshness that we have seen from Ali. He said: Stop O saad ibn Malik: O By Allah I have known that he is done good for the sake of Allah. (Ibn Katheer says that this hadeeth is <jayed> on the conditions of Al-Nasaie)
Ibn Katheer said that the people in the army started to talk about Ali (rah) because he prevented them from riding the camels and took back the new clothes that they acquired. Because of that, after the prophet ( peace be upon him ) was done with the Hajj and while returning back to Madina, he stopped to explain to the people how some of the qualities of Ali and stress the closeness of Ali to him and the importance of loving Ali. He did so to remove what was in many of the hearts of some of the people against Ali.
That's why the prophet ( peace be upon him ) delayed talking about this topic until they were close to Madina and he didn't talk about it in Makkah during the Hajj. On the day of Arafa, Muhammed spoke to the people and and he never mentioned this topic at all. After he finished his sermon, he said "Did I convey the message" and the people said "Yes" then he said "O Allah be my witness".
Why did he delay the topic till after Hajj? Because this topic is only of concern to the people of Madina because those who talked about Ali were from Madina as they were the ones who went with Ali to the battle. He talked about it in a place called ghadeer khumm in a place called Ju’fa, which is about 250 km from Makkah.
People gather for Hajj at Makkah and leave the Hajj at Makkah. The Hajeej don't leave from a place 250 km from Makkah. After Hajj, the people of Makkah stay at Makkah. The people of Al-Taif go to Al-Taif. The people of Yemen go to Yemen. The people of al-kufa go to al-kufa and so on. All the tribes go back to their homes. The people that went with Muhammed were the people of Madinah and those who are using the road of Madina to go to their dwellings. These are the ones that Muhammed talked to when he said: "man ..".
Also the speech was not only about Ali despite the fact that Ali deserves the speech and more. But in the speech, Muhammed reminded the people with the Quran and its importance. He also reminded the people of the love of his household and then he mentioned Ali. So there were more than one topic that Muhammed talked about.
The meaning of ( Mawla )
Ibn Al-Atheer says that the word (mawal) in the Arabic language could only mean:
rabb = Lord
malik = owner
mun`im = benefactor
mu'tiq = liberator
naser = helper
muheb = lover
haleef = ally
aabd = slave (for example: Zaid ibn haretha was the mawla of the Islamic prophet
sihr = brother-in-law
ibn al `am = cousin
The Arabs would use the word mawlah to mean all of the above. But what did Muhammed mean by his word?
First the hadeeth has no evidences for the imamah (leadership) because if Muhammed wanted to mean khilafah or imamah, he wouldn't have used a word that can have all these meanings. He would have said something like: Ali is your khalifa (or imam) after me, or when I die, listen and obey to Ali ibn Abi Talib. But the prophet didn't use any of these clear words. He said: "man kuntu ...".
However, this is incorrect because Muhammed uses his status to portray the status of Ali. Whoever I was 'mawla', Ali is his 'mawla'. He also brought people who were ahead and waiting for long hours in hot sun just to tell people that Ali is his cousin? And why was this of importance that without it, it is as if the prophet hasn't delivered the message at all. [islam: the message of allah]. Mawla by other people could mean leader, and Sunni people use Ibn Al-Atheer's (a sunni scholar) translation to prove a point. The Prophet of Islam also put his household with the importance of the quran.
Imam Shafi'i says that this is the walaa of Al-islam because Allah(swt) says in the Quran (Surat Muhammad, verse 11:
That is because Allah is the Protector (mawala) of those who believe, and because the unbelievers shall have no protector for them (47:11)
In the Quran (Surat Al-hadid (The Iron), verse 15), Allah (swt) says:
So today ransom shall not be accepted from you nor from those who disbelieved; your abode is the fire; it is your friend (mawlakum) and evil is the resort.
He called the hell fire "mawla" for the extreme closeness to it by the kuffar.
Note also that the word mawlah is different than the word waly.
The waly comes from walayah which is the leadership. Whereas mawlah comes from wilayah which is love and nusrah (help and aid).
Allah (swt) says in the Quran (Surat At-tahrim, verse 4):
Then surely Allah it is Who is his Guardian (mawlah), and Jibreel and -the believers that do good, and the angels after that are the aiders.
It means love, nusrah and help.
The prophet ( peace be upon him ) used the word mawla not only to describe Ali but to others as well. The following hadeeth is narrated in Bukhari Volume 4, Book 56, Number 715 & and others.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Muhammed said, "The tribes of Quraish, Al-Ansar, Juhaina, Muzaina, Aslam, Ghifar and Ashja' are my helpers (mawaalii),, and they have no protector (i.e. Master) except Allah and His Apostle."
