Day of Wilayah
In the year 10AH, the
Prophet proceeded on his journey to Mecca to perform pilgrimage. A
pilgrimage which was later to be called the ‘farewell pilgrimage’ (hujjat
al-wada’a). Named so because it was the last pilgrimage the Prophet was
to perform before being called to Allah.
As news spread that
the Prophet would be performing pilgrimage, many people came and joined.
Some sources put the number that accompanied the Prophet from Mecca to
Madina at 120,000. Although, the total number of pilgrims far
outnumbered that. This count is not surprising since this was the first
pilgrimage since migrating to Madina, so many wanted to join the Prophet
and be a part of the auspicious occasion.
Soon after the
completion of all the Hajj rituals, the Prophet turned home to Madina.
On the 18th Dhul Hujja he reached a place called Ghadeer Khum. This
place is the point at which the different nationalities disperse. The
Yemenis, Egyptians and others, all change routes to return to their
homelands. At this strategic point revelation descended upon the
Prophet. Archangel Gabriel came to the Prophet with this verse,
“O’Apostle! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord and if
you do not then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will
protect you from the people, surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving
people”. (5:67)
The Prophet was
ordered to make a declaration (bal’ligh), and if that communiqué was
neglected by the Prophet, it would amount to the Lord’s message, which
was delivered over a period of 23 years, being incomplete. As Allah say,
“and if you do not deliver then you have not delivered His Message”.
The message to be
conveyed, that was to perfect and complete the Lord’s Message (risalah),
was the public appointment of Imam Ali as his vicegerent (wali).
This was an important
issue, so much so, that the prophet ordered the people to halt in the
searing heat of the desert. Anyone who had moved on was ordered back,
and those lagging behind were awaited.
After praying the
midday prayers, the Prophet had a pulpit erected. He ascended it and
after praising the Al-Mighty Allah he said, “I have been summoned and it
is the moment for me to answer, and I have a responsibility and so do
you. So what do you say?” The large gathering all replied, “We bear
witness that you have delivered, parted advice and struggled, so may
Allah graciously reward you”.
The Prophet then
said, “Do you not bear witness that there is no God save Allah and that
Mohammed is his Messenger, and that His heaven is reality and His hell
is reality. And that death is reality, and that the hour will come no
doubt about it (judgment day), and that Allah will raise the dead from
their graves. They all said, “yes we bear witness to that”. The prophet
then said, “O’Allah bear witness”. He then continued, “O’people do you
hear?” They said, “Yes O’Prophet of Allah”.
The Prophet then
said, “I am preceding you to the Pool (pool of kauthar in heaven), and
you shall be following me to the Pool, which has a breadth likened to
that between Sana’a (Yemen’s capital city now), and Basraa (place in
Damascus). As many as there are stars in the skies, there will be
drinking goblets made of silver at the Pool. So be weary of how you
succeed me in faring with the two Weighty Things (thaqalayn) after my
departure”. A man from amongst the people asked, “And what are the two
weighty things O’Prophet of Allah?” The prophet said, “The greater one,
is the Book of Allah (Quran), a rope extending from heaven to earth,
hold fast to it and you will never go astray and the smaller Weighty
Thing is My Progeny (ahlul bayt). The Sublime and Omniscient has
informed me that they will never separate until they reach me at the
Pool (kauthar). Do not proceed them else you will perish, nor should you
lag behind them else you should perish”.
The Prophet then took
the hand of Imam Ali, whom he had lifted onto the pulpit beside him, and
raised it so high ‘that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen’,
making sure the whole congregation witnessed this action. He then said,
“O’people who is closer to the believers than their ownselves?” They
replied, “Allah and his prophet are more knowledgeable”. He said, “Allah
is my Master and I am the master of the believers and I am closer to
them than their ownselves. So Whosoever I am his master, Ali is his
master too.
He repeated this
statement three times. He then continued, saying, “O’Allah, Befriend him
whosoever befriends Ali, Oppose him whosoever opposes Ali, Love him
whosoever loves Ali, Hate him whosoever hates Ali, Support him whosoever
supports Ali, and desert him whosoever deserts Ali, and make the truth
turn with him every which way he turns. O’people let those present
inform those who are absent”.
At that moment, upon
the completion of his speech, the Archangel Gabriel again descended upon
the prophet with the final revelation, “Today I have perfected your
religion for you and completed my favour unto you, and have chosen for
you as religion al-Islam” (5:3)
The Prophet then
said, “God is Great (allahu Akbar), for the perfection of the religion,
the completion of the favour, the acceptance of the lord my deliverance
of the Message and for making Ali the vicegerent (wali) after me”.
The event of Ghadeer
should alone be sufficient proof of the Imamate of Imam Ali. This event
is not peculiar only to Shiites, but is in fact narrated in over sixty
Sunni books. It is narrated by some of the most prominent Sunni
scholars. The likes of Ar-Razi, Tha’labi, Suyuti, Nishapuri, Tabari,
Ahmad bin Hanbal and Bukhari.
Day of Ghadeer was
the final seal in the appointment of Imam Ali as caliph and Imam of the
Muslim State. But during the 23 years of his mission, the Prophet, was
promoting him to the people. The Prophet continuously praised the high
virtues of Ali. In fact the first open declaration of prophethood was
also the first declaration of Ali’s caliphate.
The al-Mighty Allah
sent revelation, “And warn your nearest of kinfolk” (26:214). The
Prophet was ordered to invite his clan of Bani Hashem to the righteous
religion of Islam. The event is recorded in the history books as, ‘feast
of the clan’.
After feasting on the
food, the Prophet addressed his family members saying, “O’sons of Abdul
Muttalib! I have brought for you the good of this world and next, and I
have been appointed by my Lord to call you unto him. Therefore, who
amongst you will administer this cause for me and be my brother, my
successor and my caliph?”
No one of those
present responded to the Prophets’ request except Imam Ali who was only
but a boy of ten. The Prophet repeated his request three times and on
every occasion none but Ali would stand and say, “I, O’prophet of
Allah”. The prophet then said, “O’People! This Ali is my brother, my
successor and my caliph amongst you, listen to him and obey him”.
So if anyone wishes
to live and die a true believer in Mohammed and the message he came
with, it is pertinent upon him to observe the commands of the Prophet
pertaining to the appointment of Ali as caliph. The requirement was to
take him and his chosen progeny as leaders, and follow in their path and
adhere to their teachings as they were the very same teachings of the
Prophet. The Prophet said, “whoever wishes to live my life and die my
death, and inhabit the Perpetual Garden promised to me by my lord let
him take Ali and his progeny after him as masters, for they shall never
take you out of the guidance, nor let you stray”.
Imam Ali and his
progeny are the ark of salvation (safinat al-najaat), so embark it
because it is the only ark that will stay afloat when the high seas turn
rough. It is the ark chosen by Allah to lead and keep mankind afloat and
steady on the righteous path. In that ark the Prophet’s message
continues unaltered. The Prophet said, “the similitude of my household
among you is that of the ark of Noah. Whoever embarks upon it is saved
and whoever lags behind it is drowned”. |