Ghadir Khumm

Ghadir Khumm (Arabic: حَدِيْث ٱلْغَدِير, romanized: Hadīth al-Ghadīr, lit. 'The event of Ghadir'; Persian: رویداد غدیر خم) is the name of a gathering of Muslims to attend a sermon delivered by the Islamic prophet Muhammad at a pool (ghadir) in a valley known as Khumm on 16 March 632 (18 Dhu al-Hijjah 10 AH). The gathering is understood to have taken place near the then settlement of Al-Johfah, today's Rabigh, on the path between Mecca to Medina at the Red Sea coast,[1] where Muhammad halted the caravan of Muslims returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage.[2]

Ghadir Khumm
Date10/16 March 632 (18 Dhu al-Hijjah)
TypeIslamic sermon
ThemeThe importance of the Qur'an and Ahl al-Bayt, Muhammad's esteem for Ali ibn Abi Talib – claimed by some (Shi'ite view) as evidence of the appointment of Ali as the successor of Muhammad, and as the completion of the message of Islam
OutcomeThe commemorative Eid al-Ghadir involving prayers, gift-giving, festive meals, and Du'a Nudba recitation
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A mosque at Johfah near Rabigh in Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. Ghadir Khumm is located near Johfah.
The Investiture of Ali at Ghadir Khumm, an illustration from Al-Biruni's Chronology of Ancient Nations

In the sermon, made shortly before the prophet's death in 632 CE (11 AH), Muhammad made a declaration in favour of Ali ibn Abi Talib,[1] uttering the words: "He whose mawla I am, Ali is his mawla."[1] Shia Muslims believe this to be a clear indication that Ali was designated to lead the Muslim community after Muhammad.[3] The Sunni community meanwhile do not dispute the declaration but regard it simply as an affirmation of Muhammad's esteem for Ali.[1] The anniversary of this day in the Islamic calendar is celebrated by Shia Muslims as Eid al-Ghadir.

Background and location
Main article: Farewell Pilgrimage

Ten years after Muhammad's migration to Medina and on the last days of Dhu al-Qadah, Muhammad performed the hajj rituals in Mecca, shortly before his death. This hajj ceremony has become known as the Farewell Pilgrimage.[4] In his Farewell Sermon in Mecca, and again later at Ghadir Khumm by some accounts, he alerted Muslims about his impending death.[5] When the rituals of hajj ended, Muhammad set off on the return journey from Mecca towards Medina, accompanied by an entourage of Muslims. The announcement at Ghadir Khumm took place among a congregation of these Muslims during the return journey.[1]

The location of Ghadir Khumm was a pond (ghadir) fed by a nearby spring in the valley of Khumm, situated between Mecca and Medina.[6] The pond was located near the settlement of al-Jahfa,[1] a strategic trijunction where routes from Medina, Egypt, and Iraq intersected.[7]

Some sources give the etymology that Khumm means deceiver, and the valley was so named because the water of the pond was saline and unfit for consumption.[8] At the time of the event, the original inhabitants of the region, members of the Banu Khuza'a and Banu Kinanah tribes had abandoned the area due to its poor pasturage and harsh climate,[6] and prior to Muhammad's address, the location had apparently never been used as a caravan stop.[9]

Sermon

At Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad called the Muslim caravan to a halt ahead of the noon congregational payer, before the pilgrims parted to go their separate ways,[1] asking for a dais to be raised, shaded by palm branches.[6]

Muhammad then delivered a sermon to a large number of Muslims in which, as described in the Hadith al-Thaqalayn, he emphasized the importance of two things: the Qur'an, and the Ahl al-Bayt, meaning his family.[10] This hadith is widely reported by both Sunni and Shia authorities. In particular, the version that appears in Musnad Ibn Hanbal, a canonical Sunni source, is as follows:

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, my ahl al-bayt [lit. 'people of the house']. These two shall not be parted until they return to the Pool [of Abundance in Paradise].[11]

There are several slightly different versions of this hadith in Sunni sources, suggesting that Muhammad might have repeated this statement on multiple occasions.[11] For instance, the version that appears in As-Sunan al-Kubra, another canonical Sunni source, also includes the warning, "Be careful how you treat the two [treasures] after me."[12]

Then, taking Ali by the hand, Muhammad asked if he was not closer (awla) to the believers than they were to themselves, which they affirmed.[6] He then declared, "He whose mawla I am, Ali is his mawla." (Arabic: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه)[13] Muhammad might have repeated this sentence three or four more times, as reported by Musnad Ibn Hanbal.[14] Little explanation for this sentence is added by the surviving Sunni accounts, though some substitute the word wali for mawla.[6] Some accounts add that Muhammad then continued, "O God, befriend the friend of Ali and be the enemy of his enemy."[15] According to Hazleton, this statement was the standard formula for pledging allegiance in the Middle East at that time.[16] Ahmad ibn Hanbal's eponynmous musnad also includes that, after Muhammad's sermon, his companion Umar congratulated Ali and told him, "You have now become mawla of every faithful man and woman."[17]

Meaning of Mawla
Main article: Mawla

Mawla is a polysemous Arabic word, the meanings of which have varied in different periods and contexts.[18] Before the Islamic era, the term originally applied to any form of tribal association.[19] In the Qur'an and the hadith literature, the word is used with different meanings, including 'Lord', 'guardian', 'trustee', and 'helper'.[18] In the context of the Ghadir Khumm, the interpretation of the word tends to be split along sectarian lines. Among Sunni Muslims, the word mawla is translated as 'friend' in this sermon, while Shia Muslims interpret this word as meaning 'leader' or 'ruler'.[20]

Historical sources

The historicity of the Event of Ghadir Khumm is not disputed within the Muslim community,[21] as its recorded tradition is "among the most extensively acknowledged and substantiated" in classical Islamic sources, even as the statements made at the event remain open to interpretation.[1] Several variations exist in the classical sources,[1] and there is a significant weight of different accounts.[6]

Accounts of Ghadir Khumm appear in canonical Sunni and Shia works of hadith and these accounts have at times been used interchangeably without sectarian prejudice. The Shia scholar Amini, for instance, relied on Sunni sources to list over a hundred sahaba and eighty-four tabi'un who had recounted the event.[22] However, some authors, such as al-Tabari, Ibn Hisham, and Ibn Sa'd, made little or no mention of Ghadir Khumm.[6] It is probable that such writers intentionally abstained from commenting on the event to avoid angering their Sunni rulers by supporting Shia claims about Ali's right to the caliphate.[6] Western authors, whose works were based on these authors, consequently make little reference to Ghadir Khumm.[6] Some of the best accounts of events include those by the historian Ya'qubi, a sympathiser to the Alid cause, and those in the collections of hadith, such as the canonical one by Ibn Hanbal.[6] A great number of related hadiths were also collected, together with their isnads, by Ibn Kathir.[6]

Literature

The Event of Ghadir Khumm has been preserved in the Arabic literature.[23] According to Veccia Vaglieri, the earliest instance appears to be a disputed poem attributed to Hassan ibn Thabit, who accompanied Muhammad during his only pilgrimage to Mecca.[24] This poem, which, according to Jafri, has been preserved by Shia sources and some Sunni authorities, includes the verse, "Stand up, O Ali, for I find only you to be an Imam and a guide after I [Muhammad] depart," as quoted by Abbas from Hassan's diwan.[25] In regards to its authenticity, Jafri suggests that it is highly improbable that these events would have passed unrecorded by Hassan, who was the "official poet-reporter of Muhammad."[26]

Conflicting interpretations

While the authenticity of the Ghadir Khumm sermon is not contested, its interpretation is a source of controversy between Sunni and Shia.[27]

Shia view

Shia Muslims view Ghadir Khumm as Muhammad's most public announcement of Ali's succession.[28] According to Shia accounts, notable companions of the prophet, including Umar, also visited Muhammad's tent after the sermon to congratulate and pledge their allegiance to Ali, addressing him as amir al-mu'minin (lit. 'leader of the believers').[6]

Separate to explicitly Shia narratives, the companion of the prophet Hassan ibn Thabit commemorated Ghadir Khumm with a poem that contains explicit references to the appointment of Ali as Muhammad's successor.[29]

Shia scholar Amini compiled eleven volumes worth of Sunni and Shia sources that support the Shia view about Ali.[30] In some Islamic literature, two verses of the Qur'an are also associated with Ghadir Khumm: verse 5:3, also known as the Verse of Ikmal al-Din, which declares the perfection of Islam, and verse 5:67, which asked Muhammad to fulfil his divine instruction to designate a successor before his imminent death.[31]

Sunni view

Among Sunni Muslims, Ghadir Khumm is not associated with Ali's succession to Muhammad.[32] Instead, the event is connected with Ali's campaign in Yemen, from which he had just returned prior to the Farewell Pilgrimage. Ali was reportedly strict in imposing Islamic guidelines for a fair distribution of booty during the expedition, a behavior that allegedly angered some of the soldiers. Sunni historian Ibn Kathir, for instance, sides with Ali in his account of the episode, but suggests that the sermon at Ghadir Khumm was simply intended as a public declaration of Muhammad's love and esteem for Ali in light of the earlier events.[6]

Linked Qur'anic verses

Two verses of the Qu'ran have been linked to the Event of Ghadir Khumm. Some sources, such as the Sunni tafsir al-Dur al-Manthur and the Shia Tafsir al-Qur'an, write that verse 5:67 of the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad shortly before his sermon at Ghadir Khumm,[33] warning him that

O Apostle! Communicate that which has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, you will not have communicated His message, and God shall protect you from the people. Indeed, God does not guide the faithless lot.[34]

Shia exegeses suggest that, fearing the reaction of some of his companions, Muhammad was concerned about implementing his divine instructions to announce Ali as his successor. According to the these sources, it was after the revelation of this verse that Muhammad gave his sermon at Ghadir Khumm.[35] Many Sunni scholars, however, associate this verse with Muhammad's precarious conditions in Mecca during the early years of Islam or his interactions the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab).[36] At the same time, according to Nasr and his coauthors, the link between verse 5:67 and the events that followed the Farewell Pilgrimage, including the sermon at Ghadir Khumm, is most plausible since chapter (sura) five of the Qur'an is often associated with Muhammad's final years in Medina.[36]

Mavani writes that verse 5:3 of the Qur'an, known as the Verse of Ikmal, is also linked to the Event of Ghadir Khumm by Shia and some Sunni sources, though most Sunni commentators associate this verse with the Farewell Pilgrimage, according to Nasr and his coauthors.[37] This verse includes the passage,

Today the faithless have despaired of your religion. So do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion Islam.[38]

Tabatabai, the author of the seminal Shia exegesis al-Mizan, argues in his work that "today" in the Verse of Ikmal is the day on which Muhammad gave his sermon at Ghadir Khumm, and the unbelievers' despair followed Muhammad's appointment of Ali to guide the nascent Muslim community after his death. The perfection of religion in the verse, he argues, is the guardianship (wilaya) of Ali and the fulfillment of an earlier divine promise in verse 24:55 of the Qur'an.[39] In contrast, Sunni commentators argue that the perfection of Islam in this verse refers to either the establishment of the rites for hajj during the Farewell Pilgrimage or the closure of Islamic legislation in connection with the dietary instructions in the remainder of verse 5:3. A criticism of this view, voiced by Tabatabai, is that it ignores the additional injunctions about riba which were revealed after the Verse of Ikmal, by some accounts.[40]

Eid al-Ghadir
Main article: Eid al-Ghadir

While 18 Dhu al-Hijjah is not a significant day on Sunni calendar, Shia Muslims celebrate this day as the Eid al-Ghadir, the day on which Islam, as a religion, was completed by Ali's appointment as Muhammad's successor.[6][41] Shias honor the holiday by making pilgrimages to Karbala.[6][32]

See also

References

Citations
  1. Lalani (2011)
  2. Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Lalani (2011)
  3. Mavani (2013, p. 1)
  4. Stewart (2002). "Farewell Pilgrimage". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Amir-Moezzi (2022). Campo (2009). Abbas (2021, p. 79)
  6. Veccia Vaglieri (2022)
  7. Eliash (1966, p. 144)
  8. Williams (1994, p. 171)
  9. Donaldson (1933, p. 5)
  10. Amir-Moezzi (2022). Momen (1985, p. 16). Mavani (2013, p. 80). Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Campo (2009, p. 257). Abbas (2021, p. 81)
  11. Momen (1985, p. 16)
  12. Abbas (2021, p. 81)
  13. Lalani (2011). Jafri (1979, p. 18). Mavani (2013, p. 79). Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Abbas (2021, p. 81)
  14. Mavani (2013, p. 80). Abbas (2021, p. 81)
  15. Amir-Moezzi (2022)
  16. Hazleton (2009, p. 77)
  17. Momen (1985, p. 15). Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Abbas (2021, p. 82)
  18. Wensinck & Crone (2022)
  19. Goldziher (1889, p. 105)
  20. Amir-Moezzi (2022). Jafri (1979, p. 20)
  21. Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Jafri (1979, pp. 18–20). Mavani (2013, p. 20)
  22. Najafabadi (2010)
  23. Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Jafri (1979, p. 19). Amir-Moezzi (2022)
  24. Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Jafri (1979, p. 19). Amir-Moezzi (2022)
  25. Jafri (1979, p. 19). Abbas (2021, p. 82)
  26. Jafri (1979, p. 19)
  27. Al-Shahrastani, Gimaret & Monnot (1986, p. 479)
  28. Donaldson (1933, p. XXV). Sanders (1994, p. 122)
  29. Abbas (2021, p. 82). Ibn Thabit (1971)
  30. Amir-Moezzi (2022)
  31. Mavani (2013, p. 70). Amir-Moezzi (2014)
  32. Campo (2009, pp. 257, 258)
  33. Nasr et al. (2015, p. 718). Abbas (2021, p. 80)
  34. Mavani (2013, p. 70). Amir-Moezzi (2022). Veccia Vaglieri (2022). Abbas (2021, p. 80)
  35. Nasr et al. (2015, p. 718)
  36. Nasr et al. (2015, p. 719)
  37. Mavani (2013, p. 70). Nasr et al. (2015, p. 648)
  38. Mavani (2013, p. 70). Amir-Moezzi (2022)
  39. Mavani (2013, pp. 70, 71)
  40. Mavani (2013, p. 71). Nasr et al. (2015, p. 650)
  41. Amir-Moezzi 2014.

Sources

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