KHUTAB XI: 2. GHADĪR (THE POND OF) KHUMM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE (1)
2. GHADĪR (THE
POND OF) KHUMM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE (1)
The pool (ghadīr) in the valley
of Khumm known as “Ghadīr Khumm” (غَدِيْرخُمّ) is situated about 5 kms from al-Jaḥfah (al-Juḥfah) between
Makkah and Medinah. In this place on the 18 of Dhul-Hijjah 10 AH (16 March 632
CE) the Prophet was said to have given his well-known sermon which, according
to the Shī‘ah interpretation, he appointed ‘Ali as his successor. This event is
the strongest evidence of the appointment of Ali as his successor, so that the
appointment of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman by Muslims as his successors is
considered the usurpation of Allah’s divine decree and disobedience of the
Prophet’s command.
To commemorate this important event the
Shi’is have a yearly celebration called “Eid al-Ghadir” which is considered by
them “is one of the most important days of rejoicing for Shia Muslims around
the world as that was the day our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)
declared Hazrat ‘Ali’s vicegerency at Ghadir e Khumm on his return from
his last pilgrimage…”[1]
According to the Shī‘ah tradition the
Prophet after completing his pilgrimage he and the crowd of people reached the valley of Khumm (غَدِيْرخُمّ). In this place people coming from different provinces greeted
each other then took different routes for their homes. Here the Prophet said:
"It seems
the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer
that call. I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to them
both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my
Progeny, which is my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each
other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
In a ḥadīth
narrated by al-Barrā’ ibn ‘Āzib that he and other people were travelling with
the Prophet where they stopped at Ghadīr Khumm and prayed combined
prayer. Then he said:
أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى
بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ
أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى
بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ ؟ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ فَأَخَذَ
بِيَدِ عَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ
فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ اللَّهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ وَعَادِ
مَنْ عَادَاهُ. قَالَ فَلَقِيَهُ عُمَرُ
بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ هَنِيئًا يَا ابْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ
أَصْبَحْتَ وَأَمْسَيْتَ مَوْلَى كُلِّ
مُؤْمِنٍ وَمُؤْمِنَةٍ (رواه أحمد(
“Don’t you know that I have more right (awlá) over
the believers
than what they have over themselves?"[2]
"Yes,
O Messenger of Allah," they replied. Then he
held up
the hand of Ali, and said: “He of whomever
I am
the Mawlá (Master), Ali is his Mawlá
(Master).
O
Allah, love those who love him, and be hostile to
those
who are hostile to him.” Then al-Barrā’
said
that
‘Umar met him later and said to him:
“Congratulation,
O Ibn Abī Ṭālib! Today you
have
become the mawlá (leader) of all
believing
men and women."
(Reported
by Aḥmad)
In Shī‘ah
tradition the Prophet said that he was leaving among them two things, that if
they adhere to both of them, they would never go astray after him: the Book of
Allah and his select progeny, namely his family (ahl al-bayt).[3]
It is also mentioned that the Prophet told them to treat both of them
carefully, and they would perish if they stay away from them. He also said that
Ali was his brother, his waṣī (executor, commissioner), his successor,
and the imām (leader) after him. Ali’s position to him was like that of
Hārūn (Aaron) to Moses, except that no prophet came after him, and that Ali was
their master after Allah and His Messenger.
The Prophet also told them to obey
Ali as their imam, his word was binding, his order was obligatory, and his
command should be obeyed, and curse would be the man who disobeyed him.
These ḥadīths according to the Shi’is clearly indicate that the
Prophet had appointed Ali to be is successor in leading the Muslim community.
They say that the Prophet had been ordered by Allah to announce his succession
when He revealed to him in this place, Ghadir Khumm, the following
verse:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ
مِن رَّبِّكَ , وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ
وَاللَّـهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ , إِنَّ اللَّـهَ
لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ (المائدة:67(
O Messenger! proclaim the
(message) which hath been
sent to
thee from thy Lord. If thou didst not, thou wouldst
not
have fulfilled and proclaimed His mission. And Allah
will
defend thee from men (who mean mischief). For
Allah
guideth not those who reject Faith. (5:67 (
The last sentence in the above verse indicates that the Prophet s.a.w.
was mindful of the reaction of his people in delivering that message, but Allah
informed him not to worry, for He will protect His Messenger from people.
They
claim that the intended message was the proclamation of the appointment of Ali
as his successor. Moreover, immediately after doing it, Allah revealed to him
this verse:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ
عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ
لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ...(المائدة:3)
"Today I have
perfected your religion and completed
my
favour upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam
be your religion." (Qur'an 5:3)
This means, in their view, after proclaiming Ali to be his immediate
successor in leading the Muslim community, Islam becomes perfect. When the
Prophet was still in ‘Arafah, Islam was not yet complete, because the Prophet
had not announced Ali his immediate successor there.
It is also mentioned in the Shī‘ah
tradition that on the day of Ghadir the Prophet summoned people toward 'Ali and
said: "’Ali is the mawlá of whom I am mawlá." The news
spread quickly and reached Ḥārith Ibn Nu‘mān al-Fahrī (or Nadhr Ibn Ḥārith
according to another tradition). He rode
his camel and came to Madinah and went to the Prophet s.a.w. and said to
him: "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and
that you are the Messenger of Allah, and 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 Makkah 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 mawlá of whom I am mawlá.' Is this
imposition from Allah or from you?"
The Prophet s.a.w. 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 Allah, the exalted, caused to descend
the following verses:
سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ . لِلْكَافِرِينَ
لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ .
مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ (الْمَعَارِجِ:1-3)
"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)
Although the existence
of the above ḥadīths and many similar ones are acknowledged by some and
not all Sunnī scholars, such as Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal in his Musnad, they say
that they are only indicating the Prophet’s urging the audience to hold his
cousin Ali in high esteem and affection.
Among the Sunni arguments are as follows:
1. The term mawlá
(مَوْلى) or walī (وَلِي) has many meanings, such as:
master, lord, client, patron, friend, partner, ally, associate, helper,
benefactor, sponsor, close associate, relative, protector, legal guardian,
tutor, etc. It is said that the term mawlá itself has 27 different
meanings. Therefore, the meaning intended in the ḥadīths mentioned above
is ambiguous. Had the Prophet meant it a successor in leading the Muslim
community immediately after him, he would have used the clear term, such as: īmām
(leader), amīr (emir), khalīfah (caliph), sulṭān (sultan),
and ulī’l-amr (rulers) rather than mawlá and walīi which
have many meanings.
2. According to
Sunnī Qur’ān commentators, the injunction to convey and proclaim the message
which has been revealed to him by Allah in the above verse (Q. 5:67) is in
general term, namely, the whole message, not specified with the proclamation of
Ali as his successor claimed by the Shi‘is. Not conveying a single message
would mean that he had not conveyed the whole message. Allah promised to
protect him from his enemy the non-believers who always wanted to harm him.
Before this verse was revealed the Prophet was being guarded. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
recorded that one night the Prophet said to his wife ‘Ā’ishah:
“Would that a pious man from my companions
guard me tonight.”
When she heard the clatter of arms, the Prophet asked:
“What is that?”
“I am Sa‘d ibn
Mālik (Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ),” answered
the man.
“What brought you
here?,” asked the Prophet.
“I have come to guard
you, O Messenger of Allah!” answered the man.
When the verse “And Allah will defend thee
from men (who mean mischief)” was revealed to him he told his companions to
stop guarding him, as Allah had promised to protect him. Among those who used
to guard him at night were his uncle al-‘Abbās, and ‘Iṣmah ibn Mālik al-Khaẓmī.
The verse was revealed when the Prophet arrived Madinah when he needed
protection from non-Muslims in it, not in Ghadīr Khumm when he needed
protection from his followers in proclaiming his cousin Ali as his immediate
successor. Further Sunnī arguments will
be dealt with in the next khuṭbah, in shā Allāh.
(CIVIC, 30 September,
2016)
المكتبة الشاملة:
تفسير الطبري )ت. 310 هـ (
تفسير القرطبى )ت. 671 هـ (
تفسير ابن كثير )ت. 774 هـ(
htps://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/incident.htm
htps://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/incident.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith_of_the_pond_of_Khumm
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-
9780195390155/obo-97801953
http://www.dd-sunnah.net/forum/showthread.php?p =553768#post55376
https://gift2shias.com/2013/10/24/hadith-of-ghadir-khumm-a-sunni-perspective/
http://www.amaana.org/gadhir/gadhir1.htm.
[2]This is an echo of the following Qur’anic verse: النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ
أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ... (الأحزاب:6)
“The Prophet is closer (awlá) to the believers than their own selves,
and his wives are their (believers’) mothers (as rregards respect and
marriage…” (Q. 33:6)
[3] Similar ḥadīth was also reported by Aḥmad, but
instead of ‘itratī (“my selected progeny”) the Prophet mentioned his sunnah,
namely, the ḥadīths of the Prophet,
in Sunni traditions
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