On the 18th of Dhul Hijjah, Shia Muslims across the world observe Eid-e Ghadir, celebrating the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, as the Prophet’s successor.
According to Shia belief, tradition, and interpretation of history, this occasion commemorates the pivotal gathering at Ghadir Khumm, when Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) — based on a divine command from Allah — designated Hazrat Ali as his successor and the first in the continuing line of hereditary Imams.
When and where?
The event of Ghadeer is named after the place in which it took place, beside the pond (ghadir) in the area of Khumm which is located in the modern-day city of Al-Juhfah in Saudi Arabia.
On the 18th of Dhul Hijjah, the 10th year after Hijrah, after the first and last Hajj carried out by the Holy Prophet (SAWW), our beloved Prophet addressed the people in what is widely regarded as the last time in which he spoke to a large congregation.
On the way back to Medina from Mecca, Prophet Muhammed (SAWW) ordered his companions and friends to stop at Ghadir Khumm. In this place, it is believed that the following Quranic verse was revealed and became the basis of the sermon which came thereafter:
Oh Messenger! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people.” [Surah Maedeh: Verse 67]
The sermon
Numerous reliable hadith sources — both Shia and Sunni — record this event, which took place in the year 632 CE. Upon receiving this revelation, the Holy Prophet stopped at an oasis known as Ghadir Khumm, and addressed a large gathering of Muslims who had accompanied him.
It is said that The Prophet proclaimed: “Man kuntu mawlahu fa aliyyun mawlahu” meaning: “For whosoever I am Master (Maula), Ali is his/her Master (Maula). O Allah, love those who love him and be hostile to those who are hostile to him.”
According to Shia belief, by declaring Hazrat Ali as Mawla after him, the Prophet transferred his own spiritual authority bestowed upon him by Allah to Hazrat Ali, making him — and all the Imams that follow — the Amirul Mu’minin, or Master of the Believers.
On instruction from Prophet Muhammad (SAWW), Hazrat Ali received baiyat (the oath of allegiance), from the Muslims assembled there. According to Shia traditions and sources, following the proclamation, the final verse of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet:
“On this day, I have perfected for you your religion, completed my favours upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” This marks the end of the period of Prophethood, and the historical beginning of the Institution of Imamat.
