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| Date | 10/16 March 632 (18Dhu al-Hijjah) |
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| Location | Al-Juhfa,Hejaz,Arabia |
| Type | Islamic sermon |
| Theme | The importance of theQur'an andahl al-bayt,Muhammad's esteem forAli ibn Abi Talib – claimed by theShia as evidence of the appointment of Ali as Muhammad's successor and as the completion of the message of Islam |
| Outcome | The commemorativeEid al-Ghadir involving prayers, gift-giving, festive meals, recitation of theDu'a Nudba |
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Career Views and Perspectives | ||
TheGhadīr Khumm (Arabic:غَدِير خُمّ) was a gathering ofMuslims to attend a sermon delivered by theIslamic prophetMuhammad on 16 March 632CE. The gathering is said to have taken place by theghadir (Arabic:غَدِير,lit. 'pool') in thewadi (Arabic:وَادِي,lit. 'valley') of Khumm, located near the then settlement ofal-Juhfa on the path betweenMecca andMedina, where Muhammad halted the largecaravan of Muslims who had accompanied him in theFarewell Pilgrimage, his onlyHajj ritual.
In the sermon, made shortly before his death in June 632, Muhammad made a declaration in favor ofAli ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law, by saying: "He whosemawla I am, Ali is hismawla" (Arabic:من كنت مولاه فهذا علي مولاه).Mawla (Arabic:مولاه) is apolysemousArabic word, which can mean 'patron', 'master', 'leader', or 'friend', depending on its context.Shi'a Muslims believe this sermon to be a clear designation of Ali to lead the Muslim community after Muhammad and celebrate the anniversary of the event asEid al-Ghadir. TheSunni community meanwhile regards the declaration as a simple affirmation of Muhammad's esteem for Ali.
Ghadir Khumm refers both to the gathering of Muslims for Muhammad's sermon and its location, which was a pond (Arabic:غَدِير,romanized: ghadir) fed by a nearby spring in awadi known as Khumm, situated between the cities ofMecca andMedina.[1] The pond was located near the settlement ofal-Juhfa,[2] a strategic trijunction where routes from Medina,Egypt, andIraq intersected.[3]
The wordkhumm (Arabic:خُم) has been translated as 'deceiver', and the valley was so named because the water of its pond was saline and unfit for consumption.[4] At the time of the event, the original inhabitants of the region, namely, theBanu Khuza'a and theBanu Kinana tribes, had already abandoned the area due to its poor pasturage and harsh climate.[1] Before Muhammad's address there, the location was likely never used as a caravan stop.[5] InShia sources, the harsh environment of Ghadir Khumm is seen as emphasizing the urgency of Muhammad's divine task as he sought the largest audience for his address before the pilgrims parted ways.[6]
Ten years afterMuhammad's migration toMedina and on the last days ofDhu al-Qadah, Muhammad performed theHajj rituals in Mecca shortly before his death in 632CE.[7] This Hajj ceremony has become known as theFarewell Pilgrimage.[7] In a sermon in Mecca (atArafat),[8] and possibly again at the Ghadir Khumm,[1][9][10] Muhammad alerted Muslims about his impending death. After the Hajj, he embarked on the return journey from Mecca to Medina, accompanied by an entourage of Muslims. The announcement at the Ghadir Khumm took place during the return journey among a congregation of these Muslims,[2] possibly numbering in the tens of thousands.[11]
At Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad called the Muslim caravan to a halt ahead of the noon congregational prayer, before the pilgrims parted their ways,[2] and then asked for a dais to be raised.[1] After the prayer,[12] Muhammad delivered a sermon to a large number of Muslims in which he emphasized the importance of theQur'an and hisahl al-bayt (Arabic:أهل البیت,lit. 'people of the house', his family).[9][13][14][1][10] His statement is widely reported bySunni and Shia authorities, and the version that appears inMusnad Ibn Hanbal, a canonical Sunni collection of hadiths, reads:
I left among you two treasures which, if you cling to them, you shall not be led into error after me. One of them is greater than the other: The book of God, which is a rope stretched from Heaven to Earth, and my progeny, myahl al-bayt. These two shall not be parted until they return to the pool [of paradise] (kawthar).[13]
Known as thehadith of thethaqalayn (Arabic:حديث الثقلين,lit. 'saying of the two treasures'), Muhammad might have repeated this statement on multiple occasions,[13][15] and indeed several similar variants of this hadith can be found in Sunni and Shia sources alike.[13] For instance, the version that appears inal-Sunan al-kubra, another canonical Sunni source, also includes the warning, "Be careful how you treat the two [treasures] after me."[16] Taking Ali by the hand, Muhammad then asked if he was notawla (lit. 'have more authority over' or'closer to') the believers than themselves,[1][17] evidently a reference to verse 33:6 of the Qur'an.[18][19][20] When they affirmed,[1] he declared,
"He whosemawla I am, Ali is hismawla," (Arabic:من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه)[2][21][12][1]
which is known as the hadith of thewalaya (Arabic:وَلاية,lit. 'spiritual authority') in Shia theology.[9] Muhammad might have repeated this sentence three or four more times, as reported inMusnad Ibn Hanbal.[14][16] He then continued, "O God, befriend the friend of Ali and be the enemy of his enemy," according to some versions,[9][20] including the SunniShawahid al-tanzil and the ShiaNahj al-haqq.[22] The Sunni scholarsIbn Kathir (d. 1373) andAhmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855) relate that Muhammad'scompanion'Umar congratulated Ali after the sermon and told him, "You have now becomemawla of every faithful man and woman."[23][1][24]
The historicity of the Ghadir Khumm is rarely disputed within the Muslim community,[1][25][26][27] as its recorded tradition is "among the most extensively acknowledged and substantiated (Arabic:تواتر,romanized: tawatur)" in classical Islamic sources.[2] Nevertheless, several variations exist in the early sources,[2] and there is a significant weight of different accounts.[1] The narrative of the Ghadir Khumm is, for instance, preserved inChronology of Ancient Nations by the Sunni polymathal-Biruni (d. c. 1050), which survives in an early fourteenth-centuryIlkhanid copy by Ibn al-Kutbi.[28] The Shia inclination of those responsible for this copy is evident from its illustrations of Ali, including one entitledThe Investiture of Ali at Ghadir Khumm.[29]
Accounts of the Ghadir Khumm appear elsewhere in both Sunni and Shia sources, and these accounts have occasionally been used interchangeably without sectarian prejudice.[30] For instance, the Shia scholarAbdul Hosein Amini (d. 1970) relied on Sunni and Shia sources to list over a hundred companions and eighty-fourtabi'un who had recounted the event, most of whom are now counted among Sunnis.[31][9] Similar efforts were undertaken by the Shia authorsHamid H. Musavi (d. 1888) andHussein A. Mahfouz (d. 2006).[32] Other early accounts of the event include those by the Shia-leaning historianal-Ya'qubi (d. 897–898),[1] and by the Sunni scholars Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Kathir,[1]Ibn Asakir (d. 1176),[9][1]al-Tirmidhi (d. 892),al-Nasa'i (d. 915),Ibn Maja (d. 887),Abu Dawud (d. 889),Ibn al-Athir (d. 1232–1233),Ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 1071),Ibn Abd Rabbih (d. 940), andJahiz (d. 869).[33]
Some Sunni historians, such asal-Tabari (d. 923),Ibn Hisham (d. 833), andIbn Sa'd (d. 784–785), have nonetheless made little or no mention of the Ghadir Khumm,[1] perhaps because the event supports the Shia legitimist claims,[9][34] or perhaps they wanted to avoid angering their Sunni rulers by supporting the Shia cause.[1][9][35] Consequently, Western authors, whose works were based on these authors, also make little reference to the Ghadir Khumm.[1] Even though the Ghadir Khumm is absent fromTarikh al-Tabari, its author narrates how Muhammad publicly dismissed some complaints about the conduct of Ali inYemen in the same "chronological slot" as the Ghadir Khumm. The IslamicistMaria M. Dakake thus suggests that al-Tabari deliberately replaced the Ghadir Khumm tradition with another one that praised Ali but lacked any spiritual and legitimist implications in favor of Shia.[36] Alternatively, in the ninth-centuryBaghdad, some among the Sunni groupAhl al-Hadith apparently denied the event,[18] which may have prompted al-Tabari to refute their claims in his nonextant bookal-Walaya,[18][36] or in his unfinishedKitab al-Fada'il.[1][31][9] Similarly, as a senior employee of the ShiaBuyid dynasty, the Shia theologianSharif al-Radi (d. 1016) does not mention the Ghadir Khumm in hisNahj al-balagha, possibly to avoid the ire of the SunniAbbasids.[9]
In Shia and some Sunni sources,[18] two verses of the Qur'an are associated with the Ghadir Khumm: verse 5:3, which announces the perfection of Islam, and verse 5:67, which urges Muhammad to fulfill his divine instructions.[37][9] The latter, sometimes known as theverse oftabligh (Arabic:تبليغ,lit. 'proclamation'), has been linked to the Ghadir Khumm by the Sunni exegetesal-Suyuti (d. 1505) andal-Razi (d. 1210),[38] and the Shi'a exegeteal-Qumi (d. 939),[39] among others.[37][9][1] The verse oftabligh warns Muhammad:
O Messenger! Convey that which has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord, and if thou dost not, thou wilt not have conveyed His message. And God will protect thee from mankind. Surely God guides not disbelieving people.[40]
Revealed before the Ghadir Khumm, according to the Shi'a, this verse spurred Muhammad to deliver his announcement about 'Ali, which he had delayed fearing the reaction of some of his companions.[39] Sunnis offer different views, one of which connects this verse to Muhammad's criticism ofJews andChristians.[41] Nevertheless, the verse oftabligh is highly likely linked to the events that followed the Farewell Pilgrimage, including the Ghadir Khumm, because chapter (sura)five of the Qur'an is often associated with Muhammad's final years in Medina.[42] Verse 5:3 of the Qur'an, also known as theverse ofikmal al-din (Arabic:إِکْمَال الدِّيْن,lit. 'perfection of religion'), is similarly connected to the Ghadir Khumm in some Sunni reports by al-Tabari and the Sunni exegeteal-Baghdadi (d. 1071),[43] and by the Shia exegeteal-Tusi (d. 1067),[44] among others.[37][9][45] In contrast, most Sunni commentators associate this verse with the Farewell Pilgrimage,[46] and this is also the opinion of al-Ya'qubi.[47] Among various Sunni views, the verse ofikmal al-din may refer to the establishment of the rites for Hajj during the Farewell Pilgrimage or the closure of Islamic legislation with the revelation of dietary instructions in the remainder of this verse, although some injunctions aboutriba were possibly revealed after this verse.[48][44] The verse ofikmal al-din includes the passage:
This day those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion. So fear them not, but fear Me! This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My Blessing upon you, and have approved for you as religion, Submission (Islam).[46]
_(painting%2c_recto%3b_text%2c_verso)%2c_folio_from_a_manuscript_of_Maktel-i_Ali_Resul_of_Lami%25E2%2580%2598i_Chelebi%2c_late_16th_century.jpg)
The Ghadir Khumm has also been preserved in the Arabic literature.[1][49][9] The earliest such instance is a disputed poem attributed toHassan ibn Thabit (d. 674),[1][31] who accompanied Muhammad during the pilgrimage.[31] For instance, the poem is quoted by the prominent Shia theologianal-Mufid (d. 1022).[50] The poem appears also in some other Shia and Sunni sources, according to the IslamicistHusain M. Jafri (d. 2019).[31] Included in this poem is the verse, "Stand up, O Ali, for I find only you to be an imam and a guide after I [Muhammad] depart."[18][24][51] In regards to its authenticity,Mohammad A. Amir-Moezzi, another expert, does not find this attribution problematic,[9] while Jafri considers it highly improbable that these events would have passed unrecorded by Ibn Thabit, who was the "official poet-reporter of Muhammad."[31] By contrast, the IslamicistsJosef Horovitz (d. 1931) andIgnác Goldziher (d. 1921) reject the veracity of this poem.[31] The Shiaal-Kumayt ibn Zayd (d. 743) is another early poet who composed verses on the same theme.[9]
On one occasion during his caliphate, Ali is known to have asked Muslims to come forward with their testimonies about the Ghadir Khumm.[52][53][54] In doing so, he may have publicly laid claim to a spiritual and political authority greater than others, particularly his predecessors.[52][54][55] Muhammad's statement at the Ghadir Khumm, "O God, befriend the friend of Ali and be the enemy of his enemy," was likely the standard formula for pledging allegiance at that time.[56] Indeed, Ali and his sonHasan both demanded a similar pledge from their supporters during their caliphates.[57] The hadith of thewalaya is also cited byAmmar ibn Yasir, a companion of Muhammad, to support the legitimacy of Ali's caliphate in the account of the Shia historianIbn A'tham al-Kufi (ninth century) of the negotiations before theBattle of Siffin (657). This might be the earliest such reference in historical sources.[58]
While the authenticity of the Ghadir Khumm is rarely contested, its interpretation is a source of controversy between Sunni and Shia.[1]Mawla (Arabic:مولى) is apolysemous Arabic word, the meanings of which have varied in different periods and contexts.[59] The Arabic rootw-l-y (و-ل-ي) of the wordmawla describes affinity and proximity between two parties,[60] and the word itself can therefore have opposite meanings, namely, 'master', 'leader', 'patron', 'beloved', 'supporter', 'freed slave', 'friend', 'client', and 'neighbor'.[61][62][49] Before the Islamic era, the term may have applied to any form oftribal association,[63] whereas, in the Qur'an andhadith literature, the wordmawla and its cognatewali can mean 'Lord', 'master', 'trustee', 'guardian', 'helper', 'protecting friend', 'freed slave', and (spiritual or material) 'heir'.[64][65][59]
In the context of the Ghadir Khumm, the interpretation of the wordmawla tends to be split along sectarian lines. Shia sources interpret this word as meaning 'leader', 'master', and 'patron',[31] while Sunni accounts of this sermon tend to offer little explanation,[1] or interpret the hadith as a statement of love or support,[66] or substitute the wordmawla with its cognatewali (of God,lit. 'friend of God').[1][9][67] Shias therefore view the Ghadir Khumm as the investiture of Ali with Muhammad's religious and political authority (walaya),[62][68][18] while Sunnis regard the event as an indication of the rapport between the two men,[69][9][70] or that Ali should execute Muhammad's will.[69] At any rate, the correct interpretation of the polysemous wordmawla depends on its context.[71] In his sermon, Muhammad may have employed the wordmawla synonymously to his earlier wordawla ('in charge of the believers more than themselves',awla bi-kum min anfusi-kum). This then supports the Shia interpretation of the wordmawla in the sense of authority (awla bi al-tasarruf).[72][71] Alternatively, the Sunni theologianal-Baqillani (d. 1013) rejects any connection between the immediate uses ofawla andmawla by Muhammad.[20]
For Shia Muslims, the Ghadir Khumm signifies the investiture of Ali with the guardianship (walaya) of the Muslim community after Muhammad.[73] In particular, for them this was his most public announcement about the succession of Ali.[74][75] Shia accounts describe how Umar and other companions visited Ali after the sermon to congratulate and pledge their allegiance to him, even addressing him asamir al-mu'minin (Arabic:أَمِيْر ٱلْمُؤْمِنِيْن,lit. 'commander of the believers').[1][76]
For Shias, the dramatic announcement at the Ghadir Khumm to thousands of Muslims in the heat of day hardly supports its Sunni interpretation of love (Arabic:محبة,romanized: muhabba) and support (Arabic:نصرة,romanized: nusra) for Ali.[66] These two are also the obligations of every Muslim towards other Muslims, not just Ali.[66] While the Sunni Ibn Kathir considers the Ghadir Khumm a response to complaints about Ali during his expedition to Yemen,[1] the Shia juristIbn Shahrashub (d. 1192) argues that Muhammad had earlier dismissed those objections.[18] As for the various meanings of the wordmawla, the standard practice in Shia theology is to eliminate all those meanings in the hadith one by one until only the meaning of authority remains.[47]
Among Sunni Muslims, the Ghadir Khumm is not associated with the succession to Muhammad.[77] Instead, the event is often connected to Ali's campaign in Yemen, from which he had just returned prior to the Farewell Pilgrimage. Ali is said to have strictly imposed the Islamic guidelines for the distribution of booty and that reportedly angered some soldiers. Ibn Kathir, for instance, sides with Ali in his account of the episode but also suggests that the Ghadir Khumm sermon was simply intended as a public declaration of Muhammad's love and esteem for Ali in light of the earlier events.[1]
For Sunnis, it is also unimaginable that most companions would act wrongly and ignore a clear appointment of Ali at the Ghadir Khumm.[62] Indeed, some suggest that the Muslim community did not act as if they had heard about such an appointment,[78][79] and thus consider this designation improbable.[78][80] By contrast, Shias believe that the community deliberately ignored the designation of Ali,[81] pointing to the designation of the secondcaliphUmar by his predecessorAbu Bakr,[82][83] other historical evidence,[9][37] and that majority does not imply legitimacy in the Qur'an.[84][62] Some have instead argued that Muhammad would have made such an important announcement earlier, during the Hajj, while others consider this tantamount to criticizing Muhammad's judgement.[24]
While 18Dhu al-Hijjah is not a significant day on the Sunni calendar, Shia Muslims celebrate this day as theEid al-Ghadir, the day on which Islam was completed as a religion by the appointment of Ali as Muhammad's successor.[1][9] In a hadith attributed to Muhammad recorded byIbn Babawayh, Muhammad considers Ghadir Khum to be the best and highest of the festivals of hisUmmah. Specific rituals for Eid al-Ghadir have been narrated by Shia Imams. Fasting on Eid al-Ghadir is one of the recommended and emphasized ones.[85]Shias honor the holiday by making pilgrimages to the city ofKarbala inIraq.[1][77]
22°49′30″N39°04′30″E / 22.82500°N 39.07500°E /22.82500; 39.07500
