Tradition Of Ghadir
16. The most important hadith, Shi′a referred to is the Ghadir incident. What is that story according to Sunni sources?
Answer:
There are many traditions about the affair of Ghadir, all of which clearly prove that Ali is the successor of the Prophet.
Relying on the consensus of narrators of hadith, Tabrani and many others have quoted Zayd ibn Arqam saying:
"The Messenger of Allah (S) once delivered a sermon at Ghadir Khumm under the shade of a few trees saying, ‘O people! It seems to me that soon I will be called upon and will respond to the call. I have my responsibility and you have yours; so, what do you say?' They said, ‘We bear witness that you have conveyed the Message, struggled and advised the nation; therefore, May Allah reward you with the best of His rewards.' He asked them, ‘Do not you also bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, that His Paradise is just and that His Fire is just, that death is just, that the life after death is just, …?' They said, ‘Yes, indeed, we do bear witness to all of that.' He said, ‘O Mighty Lord! Bear witness that they have.' Then he said, ‘O people! Allah is my Master, and I am the master (Mawla) of the believers. I have more authority over their lives then they themselves have; therefore, to whomsoever I have been the master (Mawla), this (‘Ali) is his Mawla; O Lord! Befriend and support whoever befriends and supports him, and be an enemy of whoever sets himself as his enemy.' Then he said, ‘O people! I am to precede you, and you shall join me, at the Pool [of Kawthar]. I shall ask you when you join me about the Two Weighty Things, how you shall succeed me in faring with them. The Greatest Weighty Thing is the Book of Allah, the Omniscient, and the Sublime, one end of which is in Allah's hand and the other in yours; so, uphold it so that you may not go astray, and your faith shall not suffer any alteration. The other is my Ahl Al-Bayt, for the most Gracious and Knowing has informed me that they both shall never part from each other till they join me at the Pool.'"1
There are countless traditions about the affair of Ghadir, all of which clearly prove that Ali is the Prophet's vicegerent and successor.2
Allah, the Dear One, the Sublime, inspired to His Messenger (S) in His Qur'an:
"O Messenger! Convey that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord, and if you do not do so, then you have not conveyed His Message at all, and Allah will protect you from evil men." (Qur'an; 5:67)
When he (S) conveyed the divine Message (implied in this verse), appointing ‘Ali as the Imam and entrusting him with the caliphate, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse:
"Today have I perfected your religion (Islam) for you, completed my blessing unto you, and accepted Islam as your religion." (Qur'an, 5:3)
Therefore, congratulations upon congratulations to ‘Ali; this is Allah's favor; He grants it to whomsoever He pleases. Anyone who looks into these verses will be profoundly impressed by such divine favors.
Imam Ahmad has quoted from Abul Tufayl who has said3, "‘Ali gathered people at the Rahba, then he said to them, ‘I adjure in the name of Allah every Muslim who heard what the Messenger of Allah (S) had said on the Ghadir Day to state his testimony.' Thirty persons stood up." Abu Na’im has said, "Many stood up and testified how the Prophet (S) took ‘Ali by the hand and asked people, ‘Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than the believers themselves have?' They answered, ‘We do, O Messenger of Allah!' Then he said, ‘To whomsoever I have been a Mawla, this ‘Ali is his Mawla; O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him and be the enemy of whoever sets himself as his enemy.'" Abul-Tufail continues to say, "I left the place dismayed (disgusted with many people's ignorance of this hadith), and I met Zayd ibn Arqam and said to him, ‘I have heard ‘Ali say such and such.' Zayd said, ‘Then do not deny that you have heard the Messenger of Allah (S) say so about him.'"4
Many Sunni scholars accept the authenticity of this hadith as a common fact.
- 1. . This wording of the hadith is quoted by Tabrani, Ibn Jarir, Tirmithi, from Zayd ibn Arqam. It is transmitted by Ibn Hajar from Tabrani and others in this exact wording, without questioning its authenticity; so, refer to page 25 of Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa.
- 2. .The consecutive reporting of the Ghadir hadith is necessitated by the natural laws which Allah has created. Its similitude is like that of any great historical step undertaken by the most important man of a nation who announces, in the presence of thousands of his nationals, the undertaking of a major step, so that they may convey its news to various lands and nations.
- 3. . on page 370, Vol 4, of his Musnad
- 4. . Musnad Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 119.