(With special thanks to www.duas.org)
Complete Khutba of Prophet Mohammad(sawaw)
on Eid-e-Ghadeer
PROPHET MUHAMMED NAMES HIS SUCCESSOR
(10 A.H./632 A.D.)
Non-Muslims who like to attack Islam accuse the Prophet of Islam of
having neglected to name his successor, not knowing that he actually
did exactly so in accordance with the Divine order which he had received
on Thul-Hijja 17, 10 A.H./March 18, 632 A.D., announcing the name of
his successor the very next day, and here are the details:
In 10 A.H./632 A.D., immediately following Hijjatul-Wada' (the Farewell
Pilgrimage, the last pilgrimage performed by Prophet Mohammed), a divine
order was revealed to the Prophet to convey the remaining Islamic tenets:
the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and the Imamate of the Twelve Infallible
Imams. The Prophet called upon the faithful to accompany him on his
last pilgrimage; he knew that it would be his last and that he would
soon have to leave this temporary abode for the eternal one. More than
one hundred and twenty thousand Muslims responded to his call.
The Prophet and his company put on the ihram garbs at the appropriate
time at Masjid al-Shajara, a short distance from Mecca, his birthplace,
which he entered on Thul-Hijja 5, 10 A.H./March 6, 632 A.D. The Prophet's
call reached Yemen where' Ali ibn Abu Talib was acting as his representative.
Twelve thousand Yemenite pilgrims came out headed by' Ali in response
to the Prophet's call to accompany him on his historic Pilgrimage, bringing
the total number of those early pilgrims to more than one hundred and
thirty-two thousand.
The Islamic pilgrimage starts in the month of Thul-Hijja (month of the
pilgrimage), the last Islamic lunar calendar month, and continues for
at least ten days. First, each pilgrim dons a special garb called ihram;
males' ihram consists of two white sheets or towels covering the upper
and lower parts of the body, whereas females wear a full white cotton
outfit, simple and modest. This ihram reminds the pilgrim of his/her
death and of the
equality of all before God. All pilgrims perform the same rituals; none
receives any favourable treatment or distinction on account of his status,
power, or wealth. The pilgrimage starts by the tawaf the circling of
the Ka'ba seven times. The Ka'bais identified in Islamic literature
as an earthly counterpart to the Almighty's Throne (' Arsh) in heaven
where the angels circle it in adoration. Likewise, in imitation of those
angels, Muslim pilgrims circle the Ka'ba in adoration of their Lord.
The tawaf is followed by the sa'i: the pilgrims run back and forth seven
times between the -Safa and the Marwa in commemoration of Hagar (Hajar),
mother of Ishmael, frantically searching for water for her newborn son
Ishmael. After that, the pilgrims drink of the well of Zamzam which
had appeared miraculously for Hagar and Ishmael, wash with it or use
it to make ablution for prayers at the Ka'ba but never to use it in
the toilet; Zamzam is too sacred for such an application. Then the pilgrims
leave Mecca for Muzdalifa, 'Arafa, and finally Mina to perform certain
rites which fall outside the scope of this book which is intended to
be a historical account of the Prophet of Islam, not one of fiqh. The
author is a writer, a researcher, someone who, according to a friend
of mine, "insists on finding out who the foundling's father is!"
But he is not a faqih. Now let us go back to our original story after
having cast a glimpse at the rite of the pilgrimage in Islam.
It was at' Arafa that the divine command was received by Prophet Muhammad
to appoint 'Ali as "Ameerul-Mo'mineen," the Commander of the
Faithful, title of the bearer of the highest temporal and religious
powers in the Islamic State, one reserved solely for caliphs, those
who are supposed to be the most knowledgeable of all people of secular
and religious problems and of how to solve them. Muhammad was also ordered
to convey to' Ali the knowledge which the Almighty had bestowed upon
him so that it would not be lost once he is dead. In Mina, the Prophet
delivered two sermons in preparation of the great announcement to come.
In the first, he referred to' Ali's caliphate and reminded the audience
of one particular hadith which he had conveyed to them on various occasions
and which is identified in books of hadith as " hadith al-thaqa-lain,"
tradition of the two weighty things (the first being the Holy Quran
and the second being the Prophet's Progeny, the" Ahl al-Bayt"
mentioned in verse 33 of Chapter 33 [al-Ahzab] of the Holy Qur'an).
He delivered his second sermon at Masjid al-Khaif, also located in Mina
in the Meccan valley. In it, the Prophet reminded his audience of' Ali's
Imamate, emphasizing the necessity of disseminating the contents of
his sermon, announcing that those present were duty-bound to convey
it to those who were absent. In both of these sermons, the Prophet publicly
vested upon' Ali both powers referred to above.
As soon as the rituals of the pilgrimage were completed, and to be exact
on Thul-Hijja 17, 10 A.H./March 18, 632 A.D., the divine order came
to the Prophet embedded in verse 67 of Chapter 5 (a1-Ma'ida) quoted
in the text of the Prophet's sermon to follow. The Prophet immediately
ordered Bilal ibn Rabah, his caller to prayers and one of his faithful
sahaba, to convey the following order to the faithful: "Tomorrow,
nobody should lag
behind but should go to Ghadir Khumm."
The word "ghadir" means "swamp," an area where rain
water gathers to form a shallow lake. Ghadir Khumm is located near the
crossroads of trade and pilgrimage caravans coming from Medina, Egypt,
Iraq, Syria, and Nejd on their way to Mecca. The presence of water and
a few old trees there served as a resting place for trade caravans for
centuries. A mosque, called Masjid al-Ghadir, was later built on the
same spot where
the great gathering took place to commemorate that momentous event,
an event which has unfortunately been forgotten by the vast majority
of the Muslims who, by thus forgetting, forgot the most important part
of their creed, one without which their faith is not complete at all
according to the Prophet's sermon to follow and according to the text
of the Holy Qur'an...
The announcement conveyed by Bilal was transmitted by one person to
another till it reached as far as Mecca proper, and people were wondering
about what it could be. They had expected the Prophet to linger a little
bit longer at Mecca where the pilgrims could meet him and ask him whatever
questions they had about this new institution called "hajj"
and about other religious matters.
In the morning of the next day, Thul-1:1ijja 18, 10 A.H./March 19, 632A.D.,
the Prophet and his 120,000 companions went to Ghadir Khumm, and so
did' Ali with his 12,000 Yemenite pilgrims who had to change their route
to the north instead of to the south where they would be home-bound.
The Prophet also issued an order to four of his closest sahaba, namely
Selman-al-Farisi, Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi
and' Ammar ibn yasir, with whom the reader is already familiar, to clear
the area where the old trees stood, to uproot the thorn bushes, collect
the rocks and stones, and to clean the place and sprinkle it with water.
Then these men took a piece of cloth which they tied between two of
those trees, thus providing some shade. The Prophet told those sahaba
that a ceremony that would last for three continuous days would be held
in that area. Then the same men piled the rocks on top of each other
and made a makeshift pulpit over them of camel litters as high as the
Prophet's own length. They put another piece of cloth on the pulpit
which was installed in the middle of the crowd, giving the Prophet an
overview of the whole gathering. A man was selected to repeat loudly
what the Prophet was saying so that those who stood the furthermost
would not miss a word.
The athan for the noon prayers was recited, and the congregational (jama
'a) prayers were led by the Prophet. After that, the Prophet ascended
the pulpit and signaled to' Ali ibn Abu Talib to stand on his right.
' Ali did so, standing one pulpit step below the Prophet. Before saying
anything, the Prophet looked right and left to make sure that people
were prepared to listen to every word of his. The sun was so hot that
people had to pull some of their outer mantles over their heads and
under their feet in order to be able to somehow tolerate the heat. Finally
the Prophet delivered his historic sermon which he intended, as the
reader will see, to be not only for the assembled crowd but for all
those who were not present at that gathering and for all their offspring,
one generation after another, till the Day of Judgment.
Here is the text of the Prophet's sermon. We hope it will bring the
reader guidance in the life of this world and happiness and success
in the life to come through the intercession of Muhammad, the one loved
most by Allah, peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him, his
progeny, and true companions who obeyed him during his lifetime and
after his demise and who did not forget or pretend to forget his following
khutba:
PROPHET'S HISTORIC GHADlR SERMON
There is a humble translation of the Prophet's historic Ghadir Khumm
sermon. The reader can review the original Arabic text included in this
book.
All Praise is due to Allah Who is Exalted in His Unity, Near in His
Uniqueness, Sublime in His Authority, Magnanimous in His Dominance.
He knows everything; He subdues all creation through His might and evidence.
He is Praised always and forever, Glorified and has no end. He begins
and He repeats, and to Him every matter is referred.
Allah is the Creator of everything; He dominates with His power the
earth and the heavens. Holy, He is, and Praised, the Lord of the angels
and of the spirits. His favours overwhelm whatever He creates, and He
is the Mighty over whatever He initiates. He observes all eyes while
no eye can observe Him. He is Generous, Clement, Patient. His mercy
encompasses everything, and so is His giving. He never rushes His revenge,
nor does He hasten the retribution they deserve. He comprehends what
the breast conceals and what the conscience hides. No inner I thought
can be concealed from Him, nor does He confuse one with another. He
encompasses everything, dominates everything, and subdues everything.
Nothing is like Him. He initiates the creation from nothing; He is everlasting,
living, sustaining in the truth; there is no god but He, the Omnipotent,
the Wise One.
He is greater than can be conceived by visions, while He conceives
all visions, the Eternal, the Knowing. None can describe Him by seeing
Him, nor can anyone find out how He is, be it by his intellect or by
a spoken word except through what leads to Him, the Sublime, the Mighty
that He is.
I testify that He is Allah, the One Who has filled time with His Holiness,
the One Whose Light overwhelms eternity, Who effects His will without
consulting anyone; there is no partner with Him in His decisions, nor
is He assisted in running His affairs. He shaped what He made without
following a preexisting model, and He created whatever He created without
receiving help from anyone, nor did doing so exhaust Him nor frustrated
His designs. He created, and so it was, and He initiated, and it became
visible. So He is Allah, the One and Only God, the One Who does whatever
He does extremely well. He is the Just One Who never oppresses, the
most Holy to Whom all affairs are referred.
I further testify that He is Allah before Whom everything is humbled,
to Whose Greatness everything is humiliated, and to Whose Dignity everything
submits. He is the King of every domain and the One Who places planets
in their orbits. He controls the movements of the sun and of the moon,
each circles till a certain time. He makes the night follow the day
and the day follow the night, seeking it incessantly. He splits the
spine of every stubborn tyrant and annihilates every mighty devil.
Never has there been any opponent opposing Him nor a peer assisting
Him. He is Independent; He never begets nor is He begotten, and none
can ever be His equal. He is One God, the Glorified Lord. His will is
done; His word is the law. He knows, so He takes account. He causes
death and gives life. He makes some poor and others rich. He causes
some to smile and others to cry .He brings some nearer to Him while
distancing others from Him. He withholds and He gives. The domain belongs
to Him and so is all the Praise. In His hand is all goodness, and He
can do anything at all.
He lets the night cover the day and the day cover the night; there is
no god but He, the Sublime, the oft-Forgiving One. He responds to the
supplication; He gives generously; He computes the breath; He is the
Lord of the jinns and of mankind, the One Whom nothing confuses, nor
is He annoyed by those who cry for His help, nor is He fed-up by those
who persist. He safeguards the righteous against sinning, and He enables
the winners to win. He is the Master of the faithful, the Lord of the
Worlds Who deserves the appreciation of all those whom He created and
is praised no matter what.
I praise Him and always thank Him for the ease He brings me and for
the constriction, in hardship and in prosperity, and I believe in Him,
in His angels, in His Books and messengers. I listen to His Command
and I obey, and I initiate the doing of whatever pleases Him, and I
submit to His decree hoping to acquire obedience to Him and fear of
His penalty, for He is Allah against Whose designs nobody should feel
secure, nor should anyone ever fear His "oppression."
I testify, even against my own soul, that I am His servant, and I
bear witness that he is my Lord. I convey what He reveals to me, being
cautious lest I should not do it, so a catastrophe from Him would befall
upon me, one which none can keep away, no matter how great his design
may be and how sincere his friendship. There is no god but He, for He
has informed me that if I do not convey what He has just revealed to
me in honor of' Ali in truth, I will not have conveyed His Message at
all, and He, the Praised and the Exalted One, has guaranteed for me
to protect me from the (evil) people, and He is Allah, the One Who suffices,
the Sublime. He has just revealed to me the following (verse):
In The Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
O Messenger! Convey what has (just) been revealed to you (with regard
to 'Ali), and if you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His Message
at all, and Allah shall Protect you from (evil) people; surely Allah
will not guide the unbelieving people.
(Qur'an, 5:67)
O people! I have not committed any shortcoming in conveying what Allah
Almighty revealed to me, and I am now going to explain to you the reason
behind the revelation of this verse: Three times did Gabriel command
me on behalf of the Peace, my Lord, Who is the source of all peace,
to thus make a stand in order to inform everyone, black and white, that:
' Ali ibn Abu Talib is my Brother, Wasi, and successor over my nation
and the Imam after me, the one whose status to me is like that of Aaron
to Moses except there will be no prophet after me, and he is your master
next only to Allah and to His Messenger, and Allah has already revealed
to me the same in one of the fixed verses1 of His Book saying, "Your
Master is Allah and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep
up prayers and pay zakat even as they bow down" (Qur'an, 5:55),
and, Ali ibn Abu Talib the one who keeps up prayers, who pays zakat
even as he bows down, seeking to please Allah, the Sublime, the Almighty,
on each and every occasion.
I asked Gabriel to plead to the Peace to excuse me from having to convey
such a message to you, O
1 Fixed verses are those which are never abrogated; the injunction(s)
they contain remain valid forever.
people, due to my knowledge that the pious are few while the hypocrites
are many, and due to those who will blame me, and due to the trickery
of those who ridicule Islam and whom Allah described in His Book as
saying with their tongues contrarily to what their hearts conceal, thinking
lightly of it, while it is with Allah magnanimous, and due to the abundance
of their harm to me, so much so that they called me "ears"
and claimed that I am so because of being so much in his (' Ali's) company,
always welcoming him, loving him and being so much pleased with him
till Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime One, revealed in this regard
the verse saying: " And there are some of them who harm the (feelings
of the) Prophet and say: He is an ear (uthun; i.e. he always listens
to' Ali).
Say: One who listens (to' Ali) is good for you; He
The pious are always few in any age or time, creed or faith or clime,in
any place, in every space. As many as 72 verses in the Holy Qur'an condemnthe
majority, praising the minority, underscoring what mankind knew, that
thepious are always few. Indeed, the Prophet's statement is quite weighty,
wise,terse, and not hasty. Nowadays, only a few pious ones remember
this historic sermon and try their best to keep its memory alive. Yes;
it is true, the pious are always few ... believes in Allah and testifies
to the conviction of the believers and a mercy for those of you who
believe; and those who (thus ) harm the Messenger of Allah shall have
a painful punishment" (Qur'an, 9:61). Had I wished to name those
who have called me so, I would have called them by their names, and
I would have pointed them out. I would have singled them out and called
them by what they really are, but I, by Allah, am fully aware of their
affairs. Yet despite all of that, Allah insisted that I should convey
what He has just revealed to me in honor of' Ali. Then the Prophet recited
the following verse:)
O Messenger! Convey what has (just) been revealed to you (with regard
to 'Ali), and if you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His Message
at all, and Allah shall protect you from (evil) people. (Qur'an, 5:67)
O people! Comprehend (the implications of) what I have just said, and
again do comprehend it, and be (further) informed that Allah has installed
him (' Ali) as your Master and Imam, obligating the Muhajirun and the
Ansar and those who follow them in goodness to obey him, and so must
everyone who lives in the desert or in the city, who is a non-Arab or
an Arab, who is a free man or a slave, who is young or old, white or
black, and so should everyone who believes in His Unity. His decree
shall be carried out. His (' Ali's) word is binding; his command is
obligating; cursed is whoever opposes him,
blessed with mercy is whoever follows him and believes in him, for Allah
has already forgiven him and forgiven whoever listens to him and obeys
him.
O people! This is the last stand I make in such a situation; so, listen
and obey, and submit to the Command of Allah, your Lord, for Allah,
the Exalted and the Sublime One, is your Master and Lord, then next
to Him is His Messenger and Prophet who is now addressing you, then
after me 'Ali is your Master and Imam according to the Command of Allah,
your Lord, then the lmams from among my progeny, his offspring, till
the Day you meet Allah and His Messenger.
Nothing is permissible except what is deemed so by Allah, His Messenger,
and they (the Imams), and nothing is prohibitive except what is deemed
so by Allah and His Messenger and they (the Imams). Allah, the Exalted
and the Sublime One, has made me acquainted
with what is permissible and what is prohibitive, and I have conveyed
to you what my Lord has taught me of His Book, of what it decrees as
permissible or as prohibitive.
O people! Prefer him (' Ali) over all others! There is no knowledge
except that Allah has divulged it to me, and all the knowledge I have
learned I have divulged to Imam al-Muttaqin (leader of the righteous),
and there is no knowledge (that I know) except that I
divulged it to' Ali, and he is al-Imam al-Mubin (the evident Imam) whom
Allah mentions in Surat ya-Sin: "... and everything We have computed
is in (the knowledge of) an evident Imam" (Qur'an, 36:12).
O people! Do not abandon him, nor should you flee away from him, nor
should you be too arrogant to accept his authority, for he is the one
who guides to righteousness and who acts according to it. He defeats
falsehood and prohibits others from acting according to it, accepting
no blame from anyone while seeking to please Allah. He is the first
to believe in Allah and in His Messenger; none preceded him as such.
And he is the one
who offered his life as a sacrifice for the Messenger of Allah and who
was in the company of the Messenger of Allah while no other man was.
He is the first of all people to offer prayers and the first to worship
Allah with me. I ordered him, on behalf of Allah, to sleep in my bed,
and he did, offering his life as a sacrifice for my sake.
O people! Prefer him (over all others), for Allah has preferred him,
and accept him, for Allah has appointed him (as your leader).
O people! He is an Imam appointed by Allah, and Allah shall never accept
the repentance of anyone who denies his authority, nor shall He forgive
him; this is a must decree from Allah never to do so to anyone who opposes
him, and that He shall torment him with a most painful torment for all
time to come, for eternity; so, beware lest you should oppose him and
thus enter the fire the fuel of which is the people and the stones prepared
for
the unbelievers.
O people! By Allah! All past prophets and messengers conveyed the glad
tiding of my advent, and I, by Allah, am the seal of the prophets and
of the messengers and the argument against all beings in the heavens
and on earth. Anyone who doubts this commits apostasy similar to that
of the early jahiliyya, and anyone who doubts anything of what I have
just said doubts everything which has been revealed to me, and anyone
who doubts any of the Imams doubts all of them, and anyone who doubts
us shall be lodged in the fire.
O people! Allah, the most Exalted and the Almighty, has bestowed this
virtue upon me out of His kindness towards' Ali and as a boon to' Ali
and there is no god but He; to Him all praise belongs in all times,
for eternity, and in all circumstances.
O people! Prefer' Ali (over all others), for he is the very best of
all people after me, be they males or females, so long as Allah sends
down His sustenance, so long as there are beings. Cursed and again cursed,
condemned and again condemned, is anyone who does
not accept this statement of mine and who does not agree to it. Gabriel
himself has informed me of the same on behalf of Allah Almighty Who
he said (in Gabriel's words):
"Anyone who antagonizes' Ali and refuses to accept his wilayat
shall incur My curse upon him and My wrath." "... and let
every soul consider what it has sent forth for the morrow, and be careful
of (your duty to) Allah" (Qur'an, 59:18), "And do not make
your oaths a means of deceit between you lest a foot should slip after
its stability" (Qur'an, 16:94), " Allah is fully aware of
all what you do" (Qur'an, 58: 13).
O people! He (' Ali) is janb-Allah mentioned in the Book of Allah, the
Sublime One: The Almighty, forewarning his (' Ali's) adversaries, says,
"Lest a soul should say: O woe unto me for what I fell short of
my duty to Allah, and most surely I was of those who laughed to scorn"
(Qur'an, 39:56).
O people! Study the Qur'an and comprehend its verses, look into its
fixed verses and do not follow what is similar thereof, for by Allah,
none shall explain to you what it forbids you from doing, nor clarify
its exegesis, other than the one whose hand I am taking and whom I am
lifting to me, the one whose arm I am taking and whom I am lifting,
so that I may enable you to understand that: Whoever among you takes
me as his master, this, Ali is his master, and he is' Ali ibn Abu Talib,
my Brother and wasi, and his appointment as your wali is from Allah,
the Sublime, the Exalted One, a commandment which He revealed to me.
O people! ' Ali and the good ones from among my offspring from his loins
are the Lesser Weight, while the Qur'an is the Greater One: each one
of them informs you of and agrees with the other. They shall never part
till they meet me at the Pool (of Kawthar).
They are the Trustees of Allah over His creation, the rulers on His
earth.
Indeed now I have performed my duty and conveyed the Message. Indeed
you have heard what I have said and explained. Indeed Allah, the Exalted
One and the Sublime, has said, and so have Ion behalf of Allah, the
Exalted One and the Sublime, that there is no Ameerul-Mo'mineen (Commander
of the Faithful) save this Brother of mine; no authority over a believer
is permissible after me except to him.
Then the Prophet patted ' Ali's arm, lifting him up. Since the time
when the Messenger of Allah ascended the pulpit, Ameerul-Mo'mineen was
one pulpit step below where the Messenger of Allah had seated himself
on his pulpit, while' Ali was on his (Prophet's) right side, one pulpit
step lower, now they both appeared to the gathering to be on the same
level; the Prophet lifted him up. The Prophet then raised his hands
to the heavens in
supplication while' Ali's leg was touching the knee of the Messenger
of Allah. The Prophet continued his sermon thus:
O people! This is' Ali, my Brother, Wasi, the one who comprehends my
knowledge, and my successor over my nation, over everyone who believes
in me. He is the one entrusted with explaining the Book of Allah, the
most Exalted One, the Sublime, and the one who invites people to His
path. He is the one who does whatever pleases Him, fighting His enemies,
befriending His friends who obey Him, prohibiting disobedience to Him.
He is the successor of the Messenger of Allah and Ameerul- Mo'mineen,
the man assigned by Allah to guide others, killer of the renegades and
of those who believe in equals to Allah, those who violate the Commandments
of Allah. Allah says, "My Word shall not be changed, nor am I in
the least unjust to the servants" (Qur'an, 50.29), and by Your
Command, O Lord, do I (submit and) say, O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends
him (Ali) and be the enemy of whoever antagonizes him; support whoever
supports him and abandon whoever abandons him; curse whoever disavows
him, and let Your Wrath descend on whoever usurps his right.
O Lord! You revealed a verse in honor of' Ali, Your wali, in its explanation
and to effect Your own appointment of him this very day did You say,
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My
favour on you, and chosen for you Islam as a religion"
(Qur'an, 5.3); "And whoever desires a religion other than Islam,
it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be
one of the losers" (Qur'an, 3:85).
Lord! I implore You to testify that I have conveyed (Your Message).
O people! Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, has perfected your religion
through his (' Ali's) Imamate; so, whoever rejects him as his Imam or
rejects those of my offspring from his loins who assume the same status
(as lmams) till the Day of Judgment when they shall all be displayed
before Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, these are the ones whose
(good) deeds shall be nil and void in the life of this world and in
the hereafter, and in the fire shall they be lodged forever, "
...their torture shall not be decreased, nor shall they be given a respite"
(Qur'an,2:162).
O people! Here is' Ali, the one who has supported me more than anyone
else among you, the one who most deserves my gratitude, the one who
is closest of all of you to me and the one who is the very dearest to
me. Both Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, and I are
pleased with him, and no verse of the Holy Qur'an expressing Allah's
Pleasure except that he is implied therein, nor has any verse of praise
been revealed in the Qur'an except that he is implied therein, nor has
the Lord testified to Paradise in the (Qur'anic) Chapter starting with
"Has there not come over man a long period of timewhen he was nothing
(not even) mentioned?" (Qur'an, 76:1) nor was this Chapter revealed
except in his praise.
O people! He is the one who supports the religion of Allah, who argues
on behalf of the Messenger of Allah. He is the pious, the pure, the
guide, the one rightly guided. Your Prophet is the best of all prophets,
and your wasi is the best of all wasis, and his offspring
are the best of wasis .
O people! Each prophet's progeny is from his own loins whereas mine
is from the loins of Arneerul-Mo'mineen ' Ali.
O people! Iblis caused Adam to be dismissed from the garden through
envy; so, do not envy him lest your deeds should be voided and lest
your feet should slip away, for Adam was sent down to earth after having
committed only one sin, and he was among the elite of Allah's creation.
How, then, will be your case, and you being who you are, and among you
are enemies of Allah?
Indeed, none hates' Ali except a wretch, and none accepts ' Ali's wilayat
except a pious person. None believes in him except a sincere mu'min,
and in honor of, Ali was the Chapter of 'Asr (Ch. 103) revealed, I swear
to it by Allah: "In the Name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful. I swear by time that most surely man is in
loss" (Qur'an, 103:1-2) except' Ali who believed and was pleased
with the truth and with perseverance.
O people! I have sought Allah to be my Witness and have conveyed my
Message to you, and the Messenger is obligated only to clearly convey
(his Message).
O people! " Fear Allah as Re ought to be feared, and do not die
except as Muslims" (Qur'an, 3:102). O people! " ...Believe
in what We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces
then turn them on their backs or curse them as We cursed the
violators of the Sabbath" (Qur'an, 4:47). By Allah! Redid not imply
anyone in this verse except a certain band of my sahaba whom I know
by name and by lineage, and I have been ordered (by my Lord) to pardon
them; so, let each person deal with ' Ali according to what he finds
in his heart of love or of hatred.
O people! The noor from Allah, the Exalted One and the Sublime, flows
through me then through ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib then in the progeny
that descends from him till al-Qa'imal-Mehdi, who shall effect the justice
of Allah, and who will take back any right belonging to us because Allah,
the Exalted and the Sublime, made us Hujjat over those who take us lightly,
the stubborn ones, those who act contrarily to our word, who are treacherous,
who are sinners, who are oppressors, who are usurpers, from the entire
world.
O people! I warn you that I am the Messenger of Allah; messengers before
me have already passed away; so, should I die or should I be killed,
are you going to turn upon your heels? And whoever turns upon his heels
shall not harm Allah in the least, and Allah shall reward those who
are grateful, those who persevere. 'Ali is surely the one described
with perseverance and gratitude, then after him are my offspring from
his loins.
O people! Do not think that you are doing me a favour by your accepting
Islam. Nay! Do not think that you are doing Allah such a favour lest
He should void your deeds, lest His wrath should descend upon you, lest
He should try you with a flame of fire and brass; surely your Lord is
ever-watchful.
O people! There shall be Imams after me who shall invite people to the
fire, and they shall not be helped on the Day of Judgment.
O people! Allah and I are both clear of them.
O people! They and their supporters and followers shall be in the lowest
rung of the fire;
miserable, indeed, is the resort of the arrogant ones. Indeed, these
are the folks of the sahifa; so, let each one of you look into his sahifa!
This reference to the sahifa has been overlooked by most people with
the exception of a small band, and we will, Insha-Allah, shed a light
on this sahifa later on. The Prophet continued his historic sermon thus:
O people! I am calling for it to be an Imamate and a succession confined
to my offspring till the Day of Judgment, and I have conveyed only what
I have been commanded (by my Lord) to convey to drive the argument home
against everyone present or absent and on
everyone who has witnessed or who has not, who is already born or he
is yet to be born; therefore, let those present here convey it to those
who are absent, and let the father convey it to his son, and so on till
the Day of Judgment.
And they shall make the Imamate after me a property, a usurpation; may
Allah curse the usurpers who usurp1, and it is then that you, O jinns
and mankind, will get the full attention of the One Who shall cause
a flame of fire and brass to be hurled upon you, and you shall not achieve
any victory!
O people! Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, is not to let you be whatever
you want to be except so that He may distinguish the bad ones from among
you from the good, and Allah is not to make you acquainted with the
unknown.
O people! There shall be no town that falsifies except that Allah shall
annihilate it on account of its falsehood before the Day of Judgment,
and He shall give al-lmam al-Mehdi (U authority over it, and surely
Allah's promise is true.
O people! Most of the early generations before
This is surely a Prophetic prediction that' Ali's right to the caliphate
would be usurped. The usurpers were the very first to swear the oath
of allegiance to Ameerul-Mo'mineen ' Ali and the very first to violate
it.
you have strayed, and by Allah, He surely annihilated the early generations,
and He shall annihilate the later ones. Allah Almighty has said, "Did
We not destroy the former generations? Then did We follow them up with
later ones. Even thus shall We deal with the guilty. Woe on that Day
to the rejecters!" (Qur'an, 77: 16-19).
O people! Allah has ordered me to do and not to do, and I have ordered
'Ali to do and not to do, so he learned what should be done and what
should not; therefore. you should listen to his orders so that you may
be safe, and you should obey him so that you may be
rightly guided. Do not do what he forbids you from doing so that you
may acquire wisdom. Agree with him, and do not let your paths be different
from his.
O people! I am al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem (the Straight Path) of Allah whom
He commanded you to follow, and it is after me 'Ali then my offspring
from his loins, the Imams of Guidance: they guide to the truth and act
accordingly.
Then the Prophet recited the entire text of Surat al-Fatiha and commented
by saying:
It is in my honor that this (Sura) was revealed, including them (the
Imams) specifically; they are the friends of Allah for whom there shall
be no fear, nor shall they grieve; truly the Party of Allah are the
winners.
Indeed, it is their enemies who are the impudent ones, the deviators,
the brethren of Satan; they inspire each other with embellished speech
out of their haughtiness.
Indeed, their (Imams') friends are the ones whom Allah, the Exalted
One, the Great, mentions in His Book saying, "You shall not find
a people who believe in Allah and in the latter Day befriending those
who act in opposition to Allah and to His Prophet, even though they
may be their own fathers or sons or brothers or kinsfolk; these are
they into whose hearts He has impressed conviction" (Qur'an, 58:22).
Indeed, their (Imams')
friends are the mu'mins (believers) whom Allah, the Exalted One, the
Sublime, describes as: "Those who believe and do not mix up their
faith with iniquity, those are the ones who shall have the security,
and they are the rightly guided" (Qur'an, 6:82).
Indeed, their friends are those who believed and never doubted. Indeed,
their friends are the ones who shall enter Paradise in peace and security;
the angels shall receive them with welcome saying, "Peace be upon
you! Enter it and reside in it forever!"
Indeed, their friends shall be rewarded with Paradise where they shall
be sustained without having to account for anything.
Indeed, their enemies are the ones who shall be hurled into the fire.
Indeed, their enemies are the ones who shall hear the exhalation of
hell as it increases in intensity, and they shall see it sigh.
Indeed, their enemies are the ones thus described by Allah: "Whenever
a nation enters, it shall curse its sister..." (Qur'an, 7:38).
Indeed, their enemies are the ones whom Allah, the Exalted One and the
Sublime, describes thus: "Whenever a group is cast into it, its
keepers shall ask them: Did any warner not come to you? They shall say:
Yea! Indeed, there came to us a warner but we rejected (him) and said:
Allah has not revealed anything; you are only in a great error. And
they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we would not have been
among the
inmates of the burning fire. So they shall acknowledge their sins, but
far will be forgiveness) from the inmates of the burning fire"
(Qur'an, 67:8-11).
Indeed, their friends are the ones who fear their Lord in the unseen;
forgiveness shall be theirs and a great reward.
O people! What a difference it is between the fire and the great reward!
.
O people! Our enemy is the one whom Allah censures and curses, whereas
our friend is everyone praised and loved by Allah.
O people! I am the Warner (nathir) and' Ali is the one who brings glad
tidings (bashir).
O people! I am the one who warns (munthir) while 'Ali is the guide (hadi).
O people! I am a Prophet (nabi) and' Ali is the successor (wasi).
O people! I am a Messenger (rasul) and' Ali is the Imam and the Wasi
after me, and so are the Imams after him from among his offspring. Indeed,
I am their father, and they shall descend from his loins.
Indeed, the seal of the lmams from among us is al-Qa'im al-Mehdi. He,
indeed, is the one who shall come out so that the creed may prevail.
He, indeed, is the one who shall seek revenge against the oppressor.
He, indeed, is the one who conquers the forts and demolishes them. He,
indeed, is the one who subdues every tribe from among the people of
polytheism and the one to guide it.
He is the one who shall seek redress for all friends of Allah. He is
the one who supports the religion of Allah. He ever derives (his knowledge)
from a very deep ocean. He shall identify each man of distinction by
his distinction and every man of ignorance by his
ignorance. He shall be the choicest of Allah's beings and the chosen
one. He is the heir of all (branches of) knowledge, the one who encompasses
every perception. He conveys on behalf of his Lord, the Exalted and
the Sublime, who points out His miracles. He is the wise, the one endowed
with wisdom, the one upon whom (Divine) authority is vested.
Glad tidings of him have been conveyed by past generations, yet he is
the one who shall remain as a Hujja, and there shall be no Hujja after
him nor any right except with him, nor any noor except with him.
None, indeed, shall subdue him, nor shall he ever be vanquished. He
is the friend of Allah on His earth, the judge over His creatures, the
custodian of what is evident and what is hidden of His.
O people! I have explained (everything) for you and enabled you to comprehend
it, and this 'Ali shall after me explain everything to you.
At the conclusion of my khutba, I shall call upon you to shake hands
with me to swear your allegiance to him and to recognize his authority,
then to shake hands with him after you have shaken hands with me.
I had, indeed, sworn allegiance to Allah, and ‘Ali had sworn allegiance
to me, and I on behalf of Allah, the Exalted One and the Sublime, I
require you to swear the oath of allegiance to him: "Surely those
who swear (the oath of) allegiance to you do but swear
allegiance to Allah; the hand of Allah is above their hands; therefore,
whoever reneges (from his oath), he reneges only to the injury of his
own soul, and whoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, He
will grant him a mighty reward" (Qur'an,48:10).
O people! The pilgrimage (hajj) and the 'umra are among Allah's rituals;
"So whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to
it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them [Safa and Marwa]
both" (Qur'an, 2:158).
O people! Perform your pilgrimage to the House, for no members of a
family went there except that they became wealthy, and receive glad
tidings! None failed to do so except that their lineage was cut-off
and were impoverished.
O people! No believer stands at the standing place [at 'Arafa] except
that Allah forgives his past sins till then; so, once his pilgrimage
is over, he resumes his deeds.
O people! Pilgrims are assisted, and their expenses shall be replenished,
and Allah never suffers the rewards of the doers of good to be lost.
O people! Perform your pilgrimage to the House by perfecting your religion
and by delving into fiqh, and do not leave the sacred places except
after having repented and abandoned (the doing of anything prohibited).
O people! Uphold prayers and pay the zakat as Allah, the Exalted One
and the Sublime, commanded you; so, if time lapses and you were short
of doing so or you forgot, ' Ali is your wali and he will explain for
you.
He is the one whom Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, appointed for
you after me as the custodian of Hiscreation. He is from me and I am
from him, and he and those who will succeed him from my progeny shall
inform you of anything you ask them about, and they
shall clarify whatever you do not know.
Halal and haram things are more than I can count for you now or explain,
for a commandment to enjoin what is permissible and a prohibition from
what is not permissible are both on the same level, so I was ordered
(by my Lord) to take your oath of allegiance and to make a covenant
with you to accept what I brought you from Allah, the Exalted One and
the Sublime, with regards to' Ali Ameerul-Mo'mineen and to the wasis
after him who are from me and from him, a standing Imamate whose seal
is al-Mehdi till the Day he meets Allah Who decrees and Who judges.
O people! I never refrained from informing you of everything permissible
or prohibitive; so, do remember this and safeguard it and advise each
other to do likewise; do not alter it; do not substitute it with something
else.
I am now repeating what I have already said: Uphold the prayers and
pay the zakat and enjoin righteousness and forbid abomination.
The peak of enjoining righteousness is to resort to my speech and to
convey it to whoever did not attend it and to order him on my behalf
to accept it and to (likewise) order him not to violate it, for it is
an order from Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, and there is no
knowledge of enjoining righteousness nor prohibiting abomination except
that it is with a ma'soom Imam.
0 people! The Qur'an informs you that the Imams after him are his ('
Ali's) descendants, and I have already informed you that they are from
me and from him, for Allah says in His Book, " And he made it a
word to continue in his posterity so that they may return " (Qur'an,
43:28) while I have said: "You shall not stray as long as you uphold
both of them (simultaneously)."
O people! (Uphold) piety, (uphold) piety, and be forewarned of the Hour
as Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime, has said, "0 people! Guard
(yourselves) against (punishment from) your Lord; surely the violence
of the Hour is a grievous thing" (Qur'an, 22:1).
Remember death, resurrection, the judgment, the scales, and the account
before the Lord of the Worlds, and (remember) the rewards and the penalty.
So whoever does a good deed shall be rewarded for it, and whoever commits
a sin shall have no place in the Gardens.
O people! You are more numerous than (it is practical) to shake hands
with me all at the same time, and Allah, the Exalted and the Sublime,
commanded me to require you to confirm what authority I have vested
upon 'Ali Ameerul-Mo'mineen and to whoever
succeeds him of the Imams from me and from him, since I have just informed
you that my offspring are from his loins.
You, therefore, should say in one voice: "We hear, and we obey;
we accept and we are bound by what you have conveyed to us from our
Lord and yours with regard to our Imam' Ali (V' Ameerul-Mo'mineen, and
to the Imams, your sons from his loins. We swear the oath of allegiance
to you in this regard with our hearts, with our souls, with our tongues,
with our hands. According to it shall we live, and according to it shall
we die, and according to it shall we be resurrected. We shall not alter
anything or substitute anything with another, nor shall we doubt nor
deny nor suspect, nor shall we violate our covenant nor abrogate the
pledge. You admonished us on behalf of Allah with regard to' Ali (V'
Ameerul-Mo'mineen, and to the Imams whom you mentioned to be from your
offspring from among his descendants after him: al-Hasan and al-Husain
and to whoever is appointed (as such) by Allah after them. The covenant
and the pledge are taken from us, from our hearts, from our souls, from
our tongues, from our conscience, from our hands. Whoever does so by
his handshake, it shall be so, or otherwise testified to it by his tongue,
and we do not seek any substitute for it, nor shall Allah see our souls
deviating there from. We shall convey the same on your behalf to anyone
near and far of our offspring and families, and we implore Allah to
testify to it, and surely Allah suffices as the Witness and you, too,
shall testify for us."
O people! What are you going to say?! Allah knows every sound and the
innermost of every soul; "Whoever chooses the right guidance, it
is for his own soul that he is rightly guided, and whoever strays, it
is only to its detriment that he goes astray" (Qur'an, 17:15).
O people! Swear the oath of allegiance to Allah, and swear it to me,
and swear it to' Ali Ameerul-Mo'mineen, and to al-Hasan and al-Husain
and to the Imams from their offspring in the life of this world and
in the hereafter, a word that shall always remain so. Allah shall annihilate
anyone guilty of treachery and be merciful upon everyone who remains
true to his word: "Whoever reneges (from his oath), he reneges
only to the
harm of his own soul, and whoever fulfills what he has covenanted with
Allah, He will grant him a mighty reward" (Qur'an, 48:10).
O people! Repeat what I have just told you to, and greet' Ali with the
title of authority of "Ameerul-Mo'mineen" and say: "We
hear, and we obey, O Lord! Your forgiveness (do we seek), and to You
is the eventual course" (Qur'an, 2:285), and you should say: "All
praise is due to Allah Who guided us to this, and we would not have
found the way had it not been for Allah Who guided us" (Qur'an,
7:43).
O people! The merits of' Ali ibn Abu Talib with Allah, the Exalted and
the Sublime, the merits which are revealed in the Qur'an, are more numerous
than I can recount in one speech; so, whoever informs you of them and
defines them for you, you should believe him.
O people! Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and' Ali (U and the
Imams to whom I have already referred shall attain a great victory.
O people! Those foremost from among you who swear allegiance to him
and who pledge to obey him and who greet him with the greeting of being
the Commander of the Faithful are the ones who shall win the Gardens
of Felicity.
O people! Say what brings you the Pleasure of Allah, for if you and
all the people of the earth disbelieve, it will not harm Allah in the
least.
O Lord! Forgive the believers through what I have conveyed, and let
Your Wrath descend upon those who renege, the apostates, and all Praise
is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
CONCLUSION:
Thus did the Prophet of Allah speak on behalf of the Almighty Who sent
him as the beacon of guidance not only for the Muslims but for all mankind.
But the question that forces itself here is: "What happened after
that historic event? Why did the Muslims forget, or pretend to have
forgotten, their Prophet's instructions with regards to' Ali and "elected"
someone else in his stead? To answer this question requires another
book,
and indeed many such books have been written. May the Almighty grant
all of us guidance, and may He count us among His true servants who
recognize the truth when they see it, who abide by His tenets, Who revere
His Prophet and follow his instructions in all times, in all climes,
Allahomma Ameen.
REFERENCES: KHUTBA OF AL-GHADEER
The following constitutes only major references of the components of
Khutba of Ghadeer. In these references the reader can deliberate on
the various portions of this historic sermon as quoted in bits and pieces
in those references. Most of these references are considered reliable
by the majority of Muslims (of the Shi'a or Sunni persuation):
1. Jalaal ad-Deen al-Sayyuti, Kitaab Al-Itqaan, Vol. 1, p. 31.
2. al-Majlisi, Bihaar.al-Anwaar, Vol. 21, pp. 360-90, Vol. 37, pp. 111-235,
and Vol. 41, p. 228.He Quotes book al-Ih'tijaj by al-Tibrisi (vol.2)
3. Al-Bldaaya wal Nihaaya, Vol. 5, p. 208.
4. Badee' al-Ma'aani, p. 75
5. Tareekh Baghdad, V01. 1, p. 411 and V01. 8, p. 290.
6. Tareekh Dimashq, Vol. 5, p. 210.
7. Ibn al-Jawziyya, Tadh'kirat al-Khawaas, pp. 18-20.
8. Ibn al-Sa'ud's Tafseer, Vol. 8, p. 292.
9. Al-Tibari, Tafseer al-Qur'an, Vol. 3, p. 428 and Vol. 6, p. 46.
10. al-Fakhr al-Razi, Al-Tafseer al-Kabeer, Vol. 3, p. 636.
11. Al-Tamhid fi USool al-Deen, p. 171.
12. Tayseer al-Wusul, Vol. 1, p. 122.
13. Ghiyaath ad-Din ibn Hammaam, Tareekh Habib al-Siyar, V01. 1, p.
144.
14. al-Maqrizi, Khutat, p. 223.
15. al-Sayyuti, Al-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 2, pp. 259, 298.
16. Thakhaa'ir al-'Uqba, p. 68.
17. Ruh al-Ma'aani, Vol. 2, p. 348.
18. Mohibb al-Tabal-;, AI.Riyadh al-r:adhirah, Vol. 2, p.169.
19. Al-Siraaj al-Munir, Vol. 4, p. 364.
20. al-Hakim, Al-Seera al-Halabiyya, Vol. 3, p. 302.
21. Shar'h al-Mawaahib, V01. 7, p. 13.
22. Ibn Hajar al-' Asqalaani, Al-Sawaa'iq al-Muhriqa, p. 26.
23. Ibn al-Badriq, Al-'Umda, p. 52.
24. Badr ad-Deen, 'Umdat al-Qari fi Shar'h al-Bukhari, V01. 8, p. 584.
25. al-Ghadeer, V01. 2, p. 57.
26. Sharafud-Deen al-Musawi, AI-Fusul al-Muhimma, pp. 25-27.
27. Fadha 'il al-Sahaaba, p. 272.
28. Faydh al-Ghadeer, V01. 6, p. 218.
29. Kashf al-Ghumma, p. 94.
30. Kifaayat al- Taalib, pp. 17, 28.
31. al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummaal, Vol. 6, p. 397.
32. Imam Ibn Hanbal, Mus'nad, V01. 4, p. 281.
33. Mishkaat al-Masabeeh, p. 272.
34. Mushkil al-aathaar, Vol. 3, p. 196.
35. Mataalib al-Su'ul, p. 16.
36. Muftah al-Najaat, p. 216.
37. al-Shahristaani, AI-Milal wal Nihal, V 01. 1, p. 220.
38. al-Khawarizmi, Manaaqib, pp. 80, 94.
39. Ibn al-Maghaazli, Manaaqib, p. 232.
40. al-Qastalani, Al-Mawaahib, Vol. 2, p. 13.
41. al-Samhudi, Wafaa' al-Wafaa', Vol. 2, p. 173.
42. al-Qanduzi, Yanabi al-Mawadda, p. 120.
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