The Ghadir Event
When did the Event of Ghadir take place? What is meant by the “Greater Weight” (Thiaql alAkbar) and the “Lesser Weight” (Thiql al-Asghar)? Which Qur'anic chapter was revealed regarding Imam Ali (a)?Who were the individuals that initially did not pledge allegiance to Ali (a)?
The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family), in the tenth year after the Hijra, traveled to Mecca along with a large number of Muslims in order to perform the rituals of Hajj and to teach its rulings. This pilgrimage coincided with the final year of the Prophet’s blessed life and is thus referred to as the “Farewell Pilgrimage” (Ḥijjat al-Wadāʿ).[1]
The number of companions accompanying the Prophet on this journey is reported to have been around 120,000.[2] After the completion of the Hajj rituals and on the return journey from Mecca, the caravan reached the region of Ghadir Khumm.[3] It was there that the Prophet received a divine command to convey an important message. He ordered the caravan to halt, and the following verse was revealed to him:
“O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.” (Qur'an 5:67)
After the caravan stopped and everyone gathered at the appointed location, the Prophet stood on an elevated platform, took the hand of Ali (a), and declared:
“Whoever I am his master (mawla), Ali is also his master. O Allah! Be a friend to the one who befriends him, and be an enemy to the one who opposes him.”[4]
With this proclamation, the Prophet fulfilled the divine mandate and openly declared what had been repeatedly hinted at during his mission.
Throughout his prophethood, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had on numerous occasions spoken of Ali’s succession. However, on the 18th of Dhul-Hijjah in the tenth year after the Hijra, by explicit divine command, he declared it publicly and unequivocally.
During the sermon of Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet also stated: “O people! I leave behind among you two precious things. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray.”
When asked what these two precious things were, he replied: “The Greater Weight (Thiql al-Akbar), which is the Book of Allah (the Qur’an), and the Lesser Weight (Tiqal al-Asghar), which is my family (the Ahl al-Bayt). Indeed, these two shall never separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond of Kawthar.”[5]
Due to his selflessness in charity, sacrifice, bravery, and truthfulness, numerous verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed in honor of Imam Ali and the Prophet’s family (peace be upon them). Among these are:
- Verse 207 of Surat al-Baqarah
- Verse 33 of Surat al-Aḥzāb
- Verse 23 of Surat al-Shūrā
- Verse 55 of Surat al-Mā’idah
- As well as Surat al-Dahr, also known as Surat al-Insān or Hal Atā, which was revealed in their praise.
After the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) appointed Ali (a) as his successor at Ghadir Khumm, all the prominent Companions from the Muhajirun and the Ansar congratulated Ali and pledged allegiance to him as the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu’minin). No refusal to pledge allegiance on the day of Ghadir is recorded.[6] Even Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman were among the first to offer their congratulations and allegiance.
However, after the Prophet’s passing and during Ali’s actual caliphate, some individuals refrained from pledging allegiance to him. These included:[7]
- Abdullah ibn Umar
- Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas
- Abu Musa al-Ash’ari
- Usama ibn Zayd
- Muhammad ibn Maslama
- Ka‘b ibn Sur
- Abu Ayyub
- Zayd ibn Thabit
- Suhayb ibn Sinan
These individuals were among those who remained neutral (known as Qāʿidīn) and did not support Ali during his rule, even though many of them did not support Muawiyah either.
Resources
- This passage is adapted from the book "Responding to Questions and Doubts Regarding Ghadir Khumm."
- ↑ Ibn Abd al-Barr, Al-Isti'ab fi Ma'rifat al-Ashab, Beirut: Dar al-Jeel, 1st edition, 1412 AH, Vol. 1, p. 44.
- ↑ Al-Sharif al-Murtada, Rasa'il al-Murtada, edited by Sayyid Mahdi Rajai, Qom: Khayyam, 1405 AH, Vol. 3, p. 20.
- ↑ Near Juhfa, between Mecca and Medina.
- ↑ Ibn al-Athir, 'Izz al-Din, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma'rifat al-Sahabah, Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1409 AH, Vol. 1, p. 364.
- ↑ Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī, Aḥmad, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī (The History of Yaʿqūbī), Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, (n.d.), Vol. 2, p. 112.
- ↑ al-Majlisi, Muhammad Bāqir, Biḥār al-Anwār, Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Wafāʾ, 1403 AH, vol. 37, p. 59.
- ↑ Rashād, ʿAlī Akbar, Dānishnāmah-yi Imām ʿAlī, Tehran: Pazhūhishgāh-i Farhang va Andīshah-i Islāmī, 1380 SH, vol. 9, p. 16.