Eid Ghadir: Day of completion of Prophet’s mission, despair of enemies

The incident of Ghadir, which occurred on the 18th of Dhul-Hajjah in the 10th year of the Hijra, is one of the most important events in the history of Islam. It marks the event during which the Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, introduced Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, as the guardian of the Ummah and his successor. Everyone present, including the prominent figures among the Companions, pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

The event of Ghadir is not just a specific historical incident that happened at some point in the past; rather it represents the determination of the fate of all human beings throughout history.

In Shia hadiths, titles such as Eid-ullaah al-Akbar (the greatest Divine feast), or Eid of ‘Ale Muhammad, and Ashraf ul-A’ayad (the noblest Eid), have been used to honor this day.

Shiites around the world celebrate this day, and hold various ceremonies to honor it. In recent centuries, this Eid has been particularly celebrated in a more magnificent way and has transformed into one of the main symbols of Shiism.

According to verse 67 of Surah al-Ma’ida, which is known as the verse of preaching, the Holy Prophet received a Divine mission to convey to the people what God had decreed, and that if he came short, he has not fulfilled the Divine mission.

This historic event happened when the Holy Prophet was returning from his last Hajj, known as Hajjat ​​al-Wida’a, Hajjat ​​al-Balagh, Hajjat ​​al-Islam and Hajjat ​​al-Tammam, in a site called Ghadir-e-Khom. The Prophet ordered many people who had passed the area to come back and many others who had not reached it to catch up.

According to the narrations, the Messenger of God gathered all the people in Ghadir-e-Khom — an assembly between 90 thousand and 124 thousand people as per historical accounts — and raised the hand of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, such that everyone could see him, and said: O people, Do I not possess more authority (Wilayah) over you than you yourself? The people replied: “Yes, O Messenger of God.” Then the Prophet said: “God is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers and I have more authority (Wilayah) over them than they have over themselves, so whoever I am his master (Wali), then this Ali is his master (Wali).”

The Messenger of God repeated this sentence three times and said: O God, love whoever loves Ali, and befoe whoever befoes Ali, and aid whoever aids Ali, and leave to himself whoever leaves Ali to himself.

Then the Prophet addressed the people and said: Those who are present should convey this message to those who are absent.

After the incident of Ghadir, the third verse of Surah al-Ma’ida, which is known as the verse of perfection, was revealed and designated this day as the day of perfection of the religion and completion of blessings.

What is certain is that the matter of publicly announcing the succession of Amir al-Mu’minin was not done only in Ghadir-e-Khom, and the Holy Prophet had mentioned the succession of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) several times before this incident.

According to a famous narration, the first account happened on the day known as “Yawm Al-Dar” or “Yawm ul-Inzar”, three years into the Prophet’s Mission. On this occasion, he introduced Imam Ali as his successor, when he was a teenager of 15 years, about which the verses 214 to 216 of Surah al-Shu’ara’ were revealed.

Also, the hadith of Manzelat (status) is a tradition that introduces the status of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in relation to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), defining it as similar to the position of Aaron in relation to Prophet Moses. This hadith is one of the famous prophetic traditions accepted by Shia and Sunni scholars.

This hadith, which is Mutawatir, indicates the succession of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to the Prophet, as well as the superiority of his position over other companions.

According to a famous narration, the hadith of Manzelat has been publicly stated several times by the Holy Prophet, the most famous of which happened in the Battle of Tabuk in the 9th year of Hijra. Also, during the contract of brotherhood between Muslims, when the Prophet formed a brotherhood between himself and Ali, peace be upon him. Other occasions include, the birth of Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Hussain, peace be upon them, during the battle of Khyber in the seventh year of Hijra, the occasion of “Sad-dul-Abwab” (Sealing of Doors) when doors opening to the Prophet’s Mosque were sealed by Divine order except that of Imam Ali’s, and finally in Ghadir-e-Khom. The Holy Prophet, by stating this hadith, has repeatedly emphasized the matter of the succession of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

It should be noted that the incident of Ghadir has been repeatedly mentioned in all Shia books and in the famous books of Sunnis, and many works have been written about this important event by scholars, writers and poets, one of the most important and famous of which is the book Al-Ghadir by Allama Abdul Hossein Amini, may God’s mercy be upon his self.