In the Name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

And bless be upon Muhammad and his pure Household, and may Allah's curse be on his enemies from now until the Day of Resurrection! And there is no power or strength except for the Lofty Glorious Allah.

The Wise Allah has stated in His Glorious Book:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ.^[1]

‘… O Prophet, announce what has been revealed to you by your Lord; for if you do not do so you have not conveyed His message. Allah protects you from people: surely Allah does not guide the disbelieving people, (Qur’an: 5/67).’

This was a harsh divine threat by Allah to the Messenger concerning the ‘GHADIR KHUM’ and assigning the Holiness Commander of the believers, Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace, for the Guardianship and Imamate, as well the Successor of the Messenger of Allah; and introducing him to all people.

Back to Index

The Ghadirei‘iah of the Great Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Gharawi

Pass me the wine, o cupbearer, but out of the ‘WINE-JAR of GHADIR,

O minstrel, play the harp, but in the memory of the EMIR!

You too, o the ancient sun-and-planet wheel, come down from the height,

Give us the pleasure cup and take our feasting

The nightingale of my nature has become so rim-ester

That the Venus, in the sky, became harmonious with the song.

The environment of the universe turned to circling

For the Master of the spirituals, the Great, the Highest: 

The merciful breeze blew, the old world changed into youth

The sapling of the wisdom rose with full of crimson flowers,

The majestic throne became for CHOSROES of the CHOROES,

The darkness veil torn up from the surface of the shining sun –

The environment of the ‘GHADIR KHUM’ turned into lighting

And it changed its manner and got its sense.

The early witness of the fest became the candle for the new ones

From that gathering, it was brightened even far away to horizon

The false and devil darkness faded away from his light

As the King became the Saturn on the peak of firmament!

When the brave of Allah was lifted up high by on hand

He cast favour upon the darkness around

With honour, and highly respected by all gathering around 

By the command of the Emir became the sure Guardian     

A glad-tiding! That beloved Emir and vizier of the wisdom

The base for the unity, that kernel of love and affection

Washed and wiped away the root of the dualism with his sword

With the chain of his affectionate he brought the firmament on its knee.

The victor of the world took the place of the seal of the Prophets

That is, he sat on the throne of the world governing position

He took the world in his hand and became the kernel of the universe, and darkened the faces of the jealous, as black as tar.

The owner of the divine took the Caliphate of the firmament

He received the noble position of the divine to govern

The treasure of the whole wisdom opened his mouth to utter

He initiated his word with the Name of the Fair, the Aware.

That: ‘Whomsoever I am the Master, Ali is his Master,’

I am as the document Ali is the final seal to me!

I am the main secret holder and Ali is the passage for that

I am the ground for the commands and Ali is the director to it.

I am the illuminating Mount of TU:R, the skirt of Sana is Ali

I am the secret of ‘I am Allah’, the Great Sign is Ali.

I am the white pearl, the shining pearl is Ali

I am the intercession in the Hereafter and Ali is the Guide.

Ali is the cause of the motion of the ring of the firmament

Ali is the fundament and the base of the rule of Land

Ali is the host in the Place where there is place or guest

The surface of land is brightened with his illumination.

The Joseph of the love of KANAAN is the slave of his face

The KHEDR of the desert-land is thirsty to hear his voice

Moses bin Imran is keen to visit his feature

Who is the Solomon of the love but as a beggar at his door

O you with the beauty of your face, the majestic mirror,

The orator has become dumbfounded to explain your attributes ^[2]

 و قالوا: على علا، قلت: لا             فان العلى بعلى علا

و لكن اقول   كقول   النبى             و قد جمع الخلق كل الملا

الا ان من كنت   مولى  له             يوالى عليا و إلّا فلا ^[3]

And they said: ‘Ali is highly respected and he has lofty position.’

I said: ‘No, it is not so. But Ali is the cause of respect, loftiness and nobility to fine their highly positions.

However, I am saying the same word that when the Messenger of Allah had gathered that huge gathering around him, stated about Ali:

“O the company of the men, be aware and know that ‘whomsoever I am Master to, must choose Ali as his Master and Guardian,’ if he fails it then he has not taken me as his Master; and he has not believed in my Messenger-hood and the Qur’an that Allah has sent down to me.”

These poems are from Sahib bin Ibad ^[4] and its first couplet is very valuable. They say: Ali is the cause of the greatness, honour, and loftiness, but not they are the attributes of Ali.

Back to Index

The absolute right is Ali, Upon Him be Peace

This saying is similar to the statement of the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, that:

 اللهم ادر الحق معه حيث دار

‘O Allah! Wherever Ali turns, do turn the right with him.’

However, he does not say that:

اللهم ادر الحق معه حيث دار

‘O Allah! Wherever Ali turns, turn the right with him!’

And this statement of the Holiness has certainly a world of wisdom in it, and it needs too many books to explain it so that to become familiar with the nature, the fact rightness of Ali. His actions, manners and attributes must be considered as the standard in the world; because all of them are based on fact and right. He is of the Exalted Name of Allah, he is the center of the Guardianship that which the reality is found but not from anywhere else. There exists something with the name of the fact and truth where the Exalted Name of Allah spring out from it. Such is Ali, that is: all thoughts, opinions, intentions beliefs, attributes and goodness belong to Ali. Whoever’s attributes are like Ali, he must be respected, but anyone who is his enemy must be considered as evil and ugly; otherwise, everyone can say: I compared Ali’s saying and actions then I took the agreeable ones and left disagreeable. He must be said: The right that you have taken is your imagination, and it is by your lowly and mean soul that has considered Ali’s actions against the fact! Come on! And pass over the course of your soul! And leave your own self-consideration and proud! So that things to become crystal clear and to know that Ali is the fact and truth.

Concerning this noble narrative that ‘The Right is with Ali, and Ali is with the Right’, and ‘O Lord, wherever Ali moves, turn the right towards him and follows him,’ are great many narrative by the Shiite and the Sunnite and the great scholars have mentioned them in their books. Now, we are going to bring you fifteen narratives by the Sunnite and eleven narrative by Shiite which are put in the book of “Ghayat-al-Maram” by Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, may Allah have mercy upon him:

By the Sunnite: Ibrahim bin Muhammad Hammoee, who is of the great scholar of the Sunnite, by his chain of documents from Abu Hayyan Taimi quoting the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, says:

قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله: رحم الله عليا، اللهم ادر الحق معه حيث دار. ^[5]

 The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, stated: “May Allah have mercy upon Ali! O Allah, turn the Right to Ali’s benefit and move it wherever Ali moves.”

And Ibrahim Hammoee, with his own chains of documents, relates it from brother De‘bel bin Ali Khozaee saying: Haron-ar-Rashid quoting Azragh bin Ghais, and he also quoting Abdullah bin Ab‘bas has related me:

قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله: الحق مع على بن أبى طالب حيث دار.^[6]

 The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, stated: “The Right is with Ali bin Abī Tālib wherever he moves.”

And in the book “Combination of the Six Sahhah”, written by Razin, the Imam of the two Shrines, in the section three of the book has written about the virtues of the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, quoted by “Sahih Bokhari” concerning the believers, Upon Him be Peace, that:

قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله يقول: رحم الله عليا، اللهم ادر الحق معه حيث دار ^[7]

He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, state: “May Allah have mercy upon Ali! O Allah, turn the Right to Ali’s benefit and move it wherever Ali moves.”

In the first part of the book “Firdous”, it has been related from the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, that:

قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله: رحم الله عليا، اللهم ادر الحق معه حيث دار.^[8]

The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, stated: “May Allah have mercy upon Ali! O Allah, turn the Right to Ali’s benefit and move it wherever Ali moves.”

Mowaffagh bin Ahmad Kharazmi, after relating this narrative by means of his own series of documents from his father, Abul Habbab Taimi, he says: ‘Abu Isa Termizi has brought this narrative in his own book of “JAME‘I” ^[9]

And Ibrahim Hammoee says that: Ez‘zud-Din Ahmad bin Ibrahim wrote to me that: ‘Abu Talib Abdur-Rahman Hashimi Naghib Ab‘baseiieen, in Wasit, by means of his own documents related me from A‘mash, quoting Alagha, and Aswad that those two said: “We went to Abu Ay‘yub Ansari and told him: O Abu Ay‘yub, Allah, the Honourable and Exalted honoured His Messenger, and by His favour to His Messenger, He has bestowed you something as well, for you have become so honourable and noble! Now, do tell us, how you marched with Ali, Upon Him be Peace, and struggled with the utterances of ‘There is no deity but Allah!’

Abu Ay‘yub answered: ‘For the sake of you two, I swear by Allah that the Messenger of Allah was sitting in this very room that you are sitting now, there was no one with the Messenger of Allah but Ali, who was sitting on the right side of him, and I was on the left. Anas was standing in the corner of the room when we heard there was a knock at the door.

The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, said: “Open the door for that pure hearted Am‘mar.” They opened the door and Am‘mar entered the room and greeted the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, and the Messenger too received him warmly. Then, to Am‘mar he stated: “Soon after my demise, there will be harsh and unpleasant events among my nation, they will even draw swords against one another and some will kill the others.

“So, if you witness the case, (while pointing to Ali bin Abī Tālib, continued):

فعليك بهذا الاصلع عن يمينى- يعنى على بن أبى طالب- فان سلك الناس كلهم واديا و سلك على واديا فاسلك وادى على عليه السلام و خل عن الناس! يا عمار ان عليا لا يردك عن هدى، و لا يدلك على ردى! يا عمار طاعة على طاعتى، و طاعتى طاعة الله عز و جل.‏^[10]

“It is your duty to back this man with short hair in the front sitting on my right; that is, Ali bin Abī Tālib! Therefore, if all people take one side and Ali alone is on the other side, you go the stand at the same place Ali does. Leave the people alone. O Am‘mar, Ali will not turn you away from the straight path; never does he lead you to abjection! O Am‘mar, obeying Ali is just obeying me; and obeying me is obeying Allah, the Honourable and Exalted.”

And the narratives by the Sunnite are as: In the book of “Amali”, by means of his documents, Sheikh Tousi relates it from:

مالك بن حفويه از ام سلمة رضى الله عنها قالت: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله يقول و هو آخذ بكف على عليه السلام: الحق بعدى مع على عليه السلام يدور معه حيث دار.^[11]

Umm Salama says: ‘While holding Ali’s Upon Him be Peace hand high, I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “After me, the Right is with Ali, Upon Him be Peace, and wherever he moves, the Right will follow him.”’

And also Sheikh Tousi in the book of “Amali” relates it by means of his documents, from a group of people quoting Abul Mofazzal:

صلة بن زفر انه ادخل راسه تحت الثوب بعد ما سجى على حذيفة، فقال له: ان هذه الفتنة قد وقعت، فما تامرنىقال: اذا انت فرغت من دفنى، فشد على راحلتك و الحق بعلى عليه السلام فانه على الحق و الحق لا يفارقه.^[12]

Silat bin Zofar sayds: ‘When Hozaifa’s death was approaching, at the very moment that he was gasping his last breath, and they were spreading a piece of cloth over of him, I got closer to him and slowly said: ‘The sedition has taken place, now, what do you command me to do?’

Hozaifa said: ‘When you get free from my burial, mount your horse and ride in a high speed to Ali and join him; because the Right stands by him and it never separates him.” 

And ibn Babwiia relates by his own documents from Shaddad bin Aus that he said: When the Battle of Jamal broke out, I was neither for nor against Ali until the midday. As I said, I had kept away from the Battle. However, when the day was coming to an end, Allah inspired it in my heart to join Ali and fight alongside him. Thus, I joined him and start fighting until to the end of the Battle. After the battle, I came to Medina and went in before Umm Salama.

Umm Salama asked me: ‘Where are you coming from?’ I said: ‘From Basra.’ Umm Salama asked me to know with which group I was.

I said: ‘O the mother of the believers! I was away from the battle until the midday, but some later, Allah cast it into my heart to keep Ali’s side and fight.’

Umm Salama said: ‘You did the best, because I heard it from the Messenger of Allah say:

 من حارب عليا فقد حاربنى، و من حاربنى فقد حارب الله‏

‘Whoever fights Ali, he actually fights me; and he who fights me, he fights Allah.’

I said:

‘افترين ان الحق مع على؟‏’

Is it your opinion that the right is with Ali?’

He said: ‘I swear by Allah that “Ali is with the Right and so is the Right with Ali. I swear by Allah that the nation of Muhammad was not fair with its Messenger, they preferred one whom Allah branded to be the next, and they considered to be the last one who Allah privileged. They kept their wives immune and secured in their homes, but took the wife of the Messenger out of her house, to the battle, in front of the sights of the viewers.

و الله لقد سمعت رسول الله يقول: ان لامتى فرقة و خلفة فجامعوها اذا اجتمعت، و اذ افترقت من النمط الاوسط، ارقبوا اهل بيتى! فان حاربوا فحاربوا، و ان سالموا فسالموا، و ان زالوا فزولوا، فان الحق معهم حيث كانوا.

By Allah I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘There will be separation and differences in my nation; so if my nation comes together on one affair, you too join them. However, if they choose a way other than the middle and moderate one, then keep the side of my Household. If they fight, you too fight along with them; if they make peace, you also make peace. If they set out to somewhere, you too follow them, because they are right wherever they might be.’

I asked him to know who the Household of the Messenger of Allah were.

He said: ‘They are the ones that Allah has commanded us to follow them and to take shelter in them; and they are the Imams after the Messenger and they are counted twelve as the Israel’s chiefs. The Household includes Ali and the two sons of the Messenger of Allah and nine from the loin of Hussein – they are the Imams and the Leaders of the pure.’

I said: انا لله، هلك الناس اذا. انا لله ‘Therefore, all people are perished!’

He answered:^[13] كل حزب بمالديهم فرحون‏‘Every nation and group are satisfied with what he has.’

And also Sheikh, with his own documents has mentioned in “MAJALIS” of some people of Abul Mofazzal quoting A‘mash, he too quoting Salim bin Abi al-Ja‘d reffering to Abuzar that Omar bin al-Khattab commanded that his death Ali, Upon Him be Peace, Othman, Talha, Zubeir, Abdur Rahman bin Auf and Sa‘d bin Abi Wagh‘ghas to enter his house while shutting the door behind and consult about the Caliphate after him. He fixed three days for their consultation and that if one raised objection against the group of five, they must kill that person; and if four of them united against one but later on two of them turned back, then they must kill those two.

So when all of them unanimously agreed upon one thing, Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace, told them: ‘I like you to listen what I suggest, then, if is right take it but if it is not right reject it.’

All of them agreed with him and said: ‘Okay, tell us.’

The Commander of the believers went on counting his virtues one after another, and he repeated whatever the Messenger of Allah had said about him. All of them accepted him, and he continued:   

أ تَعْلَمُون ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله قال: الحق بعدى مع على، و على مع الحق يزول الحق معه حيث زال؟! قالوا: نعم. ^[14]

‏‏ Do you know that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, said: “After me, the right is with Ali, and Ali is with the right; wherever he moves the right follows him?” They all agreed by saying: ‘Yes.’

Back to Index

The Ghadireiiah of ibn Hammad Abdi

How nice and beautifully ibn Hammad Abdi ^[15] has explained the Ghadir Festive; similar to the other poets, he has composed the status and position of the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, as:

يوم الغدير لاشرف الايام                     واجلها قدرا على الاسلام

يوم اقام الله فيه امامنا                          اعنى الوصى امام كل امام

قال النبى بدوح خم رافعا                      كف الوصى يقول للاقوام

من كنت مولاه فذا مولى له                   بالوحى من ذى العزة العلام

هذا وزيرى فى الحياة عليكم                  فاذا قضيت فذا يقوم مقامى

يا رب والى ^[16] من اقر له الولا            و انزل بمن عاداه سوء حمام

فتهافتت ايدى الرجال لبيعة                   فيها كمال الدين و الانعام ^[17]

‘The Day of Ghadir is of the noblest days

In Islamic world it is of the precious days

It is a day that, within, Allah assigned our Imam

As Messenger’s Successor and the Imam of every Imam

Under the shade of Khum’s trees, raise his hand high

The Messenger, telling the people around ‘This is Ali and I’:

Whoever I am Master to; so is this Ali his Master

It was revealed to me by Allah, the entire being’s MASTER!

This Ali, in my life, is my Minister upon you men

After my demise, he is the certain Successor of mine, then:

O my Creator! Do become Guardian of those who admit well

His Guardianship; and wipe out those the spiteful and evil!’

Then, the people hastened to pay allegiance with Ali

The allegiance that set up religious perfection [by Ali]’

With the power and strength of Allah, in our previous discussions we made it quite clear that: The Guardianship is the most important fundament of the true religion. We can say that it is the strongest pillar of belief and the fact that attracts all hearts to him; it directs the human race towards Mecca and the prayer direction. Therefore, in the narrative of “ASHIRAH”, which is about the verse of ‘PROGNOSIS’, it is assigned that the Islam and the prophet-hood of the Messenger are connected to the Guardianship and accepting the high position of the Holiness Commander of then believers, Upon Him be Peace. It is as if the prophet-hood and the Imamate are two branches grown on one trunk; or they are two infants suckling from a certain breast. The Caliphate, Successor-ship and the Guardianship of that Holiness is the continuation of the Messenger of Allah’s divine Guardianship; it is the preservation of the life, the successive perfection of the souls towards the divine secured position, and relaxation in the Unity Shelter, after leaving the disarray and delusion world.

And on this basis, the Messenger of Allah almost always  and continually: on his journey or at home, during the nights and days in his privacy and among the people, in front of the relatives and friends, cared this very important point; and he announced the Guardianship and the Successor-ship of the Commander of the believers. He counted his numerous virtues and pointed at his vast knowledge and strengthened his Guardianship.

But up to the end of the Messenger of Allah’s, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, demise, has not been revealed a clear verse to clarify and explain this subject. And the Messenger of Allah, in the assemblies, had not introduced the Holiness as his Successor-ship; he had not introduced him as the Guardianship either.

Of course, it is obvious that the assignment of that Holiness was a difficult task.

The newly-embraced-Islam Arabs and still accustomed to the ignorant era who did not understand the meaning of the prophet or the prophet-hood, could not say the difference between their previous way of ‘Disbelief’ and the new ‘Belief’. They took the Guardianship simply as the chairmanship; and above all, there were great many hypocrites among them with their own ill-manners and enmity among them. They were not pleased with the Guardianship; in the same way that they had not accepted the prophet-hood right from the beginning.

The Messenger of Allah has well explained and publicized all the laws, rules and commands of Allah for the people for twenty-three years – thirteen years in Mecca and ten years in Medina; and he has explained to men the principles of knowledge and public instructions, the Monotheism, the revelation of the Books and the dispatch of the messengers and the mankind meeting Allah on the Day of Resurrection. He has mentioned to men the destructive elements and rescuers, the corruptions and honesty, the way to cruelty and the blissfulness until it was time he perfected the religion of Allah and made His blessings known by the people. It was his task to assign the Holiness Ali bin Abī Tālib, Upon Him be Peace, at the position of the Caliph and Gudian to run the nation after him. He wanted to seal him Messenger-hood and complete the publicizing the religion of Allah; he wanted to let the people know the constant blessings of the Divine with them. It was in his mind to strengthen the religion and stop any weakness might happen in the future.

This thought was always in his mind until to the end of his life – the last year of his life when the commands, recommendations and emphasizing were even more than before. It was because the Messenger of Allah knew he was passing away and there was no one more capable than Ali for the Guardianship to look after the religion and to protect the Glorious Qur’an and the spirit of Islam. In fact, Ali’s Guardianship would be the continuation of twenty-three years of the Messenger’s prophet-hood and guarding the established path of that Holiness. Therefore, without assigning a Guardian the prophet-hood of the Messenger would be unfinished and all him struggle for Islam would be useless.

As a result, in his final year, the Messenger of Allah did his best to announce the Guardianship of Ali, the Commander of the believers and his absolute Successor-ship to every Muslim man and woman. It was going on so until the Messenger receives Allah’s command and is given authority to announce his Guardianship openly to the public; to introduce him to all people, to initiate it in a place that all different people could come together in one place and after hearing the announcement they could convey it to those who were absent.

In that final year, which was the tenth year of his migration, the Messenger Allah took part in the Hajj pilgrimage – it was already announced to the people. That journey was not an ordinary one, because the Messenger of Allah had made preparation and was quite equipped for the journey. All wives of the Messenger were with him, each one of them, in the pilgrimage piece of clothing, was sitting in a separate pannier on the camel’s back and going from the “Shajarah Mosque” towards Mecca while the Messenger was with them – all the companions and the close relationships of the Holiness were accompanying him. Apart from them, there were a huge outnumbered people of Medina following them. They included men, women, the elderly and the young, the rich and the poor, the strong people and the weak and everyone was in his or her white piece of pilgrimage covering. The narrators and the historians have related that there were one hundred, or even more, one hundred and twenty thousand people who were moving towards Mecca. In short, every single person, by any means who had in disposal, set out for Mecca alongside of the Messenger’s caravan. Only the ailing, the sick and unable people left behind – all the people were accompanying the Messenger, how a great journey!

Back to Index

The quality of the Messenger of Allah's Hajj and Umrahs

It must be known that, after migrating from Mecca to Medina, the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, took only one Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and it was the very Hajj he had in the year tenth. He also took three Minor Hajj pilgrimage: the first one was when the Messenger of Allah with his companions set out for Hajj, the disbelievers blocked their way to enter Mecca; so the Messenger commanded his companions to cut their hair at the same place they were stopped entering Mecca, and sacrifice their camels to be free from the Hajj rites. However there was made an agreement with the disbelievers that the Messenger could go to Minor Hajj pilgrimage the next year.

The second one was “The Ghaza Minor Hajj” which was the next year when the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, and his companions wore the garment of Minor Hajj pilgrimage, entered the highly-honoured Mecca and fulfilled the Hajj rites.

The third was another Minor Hajj that, at the end of “Ghazwa Honain” battle, when the Messenger divided the spoils of war among his army, they returned from Taeef, and on their way they wore the garment of Hajj at “Je‘rana” ^[18] and went to Mecca fulfilling another Minor Hajj.

And concerning these three “Minor-Hajj”, there is no difference between the Shiite and the Sunnite, however, the history of the Sunnite has recorded another Minor Hajj for the Messenger of Allah. They say: that Minor Hajj is the one that the Messenger of Allah performed along with his Hajj Pilgrimage in the year of tenth of his migration – his Hajj pilgrimage included the Minor Hajj (UMRAH”. Thus, his Minor Hajj after his immigration counted four altogether.^[19] However, most of Shiite’s scholars reject it, they prove it that, according to the documents of the Sunnite, the Messenger of Allah only fulfilled his Hajj pilgrimage in the “Farewell Hajj”, and he did not performed the Minor Hajj then. ^[20]

They say, every “Minor Hajj’ of the Messenger was in the month of “Dhul Gha‘da”.^[21]

But what! Has the Holy Messenger been on any Hajj pilgrimage before his migration? Or has he taken Hajj pilgrimage before his prophet-hood? Because Hajj pilgrimage was of Abraham’s, Upon Him be Peace, legislations, and before the Islam, the disbelievers too in the Arabian Peninsula, to follow the tradition of that Holiness, with some alterations, fulfilled the Hajj pilgrimage. Ibn Kathir says: The Messenger of Allah before his prophet-hood as well after and before immigration fulfilled Hajj rites.^[22]

Ibn sa‘d says: Since the day the Messenger of Allah was appointed as for the position of the prophet-hood, up to the day Allah Almighty, took his soul with Him, he had not taken any Hajj Pilgrimage save the “HEJJAT-ul-ISLAM” he had taken in the tenth year of his immigration. It was unpleasant to ibn Ab‘bas to mention it, as it was, “The Farewell Pilgrimage”, but he called it as “HEJJAT-ul-ISLAM”.^[23]

Ibn Borhan Halabi Shafiee says: Since the Messenger of Allah migrated to Medina, he had not taken any Hajj pilgrimage except the Farewell Pilgrimage. However, he had taken three Hajj pilgrimage before his migration; and it is said that: Just twice, and those are the Hajj(s) that the Helpers of Medina swore allegiance with the Holiness in Aghaba. However, ibn Kathir says: The Holiness used to take Hajj pilgrimage each year before his migration. And according to the statement of ibn Jouzi, the Holiness had taken so many Hajj pilgrimages that apart from Allah no one can count them!^[24]

Ibn Shahr Aashub says: ‘Bokhari has said that before his prophet-hood as well aster, the Messenger of Allah had taken so many times Hajj pilgrimage that it cannot be counted, and after his migration, he had not taken any Hajj pilgrimage except the Farewell Pilgrimage. And Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari has said: The Messenger of Allah has taken three Hajj pilgrimages: two of them were before the migration and one after, which is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage. And A‘la bin Razin and Omar bin Yazid have quoted the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, that he has said: ‘The Messenger of Allah has fulfilled twenty Hajj pilgrimages.’ And Tabari has quoted ibn Ab‘bas that saying that the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, had taken four Hajj pilgrimages: Hodaibeiia, Ghaza, Je‘ranat and the Minor Hajj that he had with his Hajj pilgrimage. However, Mua‘wiyah bin Am’mar has quoted the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, that the Messenger of Allah had fulfilled three separate Minor Hajj pilgrimages: Hodaibeiia, Ghaza and Je‘ranat, and he stayed in Medina for ten years and then fulfilled the Farewell Pilgrimage and on that journey, he assigned Ali bin Abī Tālib as the Imam at the GHADIR KHUM. ^[25]

In the book of “Kafi”, with his own documents, he has quoted the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, had said: After migrating to Medina, the Messenger of Allah did not take hajj pilgrimages more than once, but when in Mecca, he took many hajj pilgrimages with his own tribes.^[26]

And also, by the means of his own documents, he has brought in the book of “Kafi” that the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, had said that the Messenger of Allah had taken twenty-five Hajj Pilgrimages.^[27]

And in “ELAL SHARAYI”, by his documents quotes the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, that when Soleiman bin Mehran went to the Holiness asked him how many Hajj pilgrimages had the Messenger of Allah taken.

The Holiness had answered: ‘Twenty-five in secret and open, and when every time he passed “Me‘zamein”,^[28] he stopped for a short time and urinated.’ Soleiman says: I asked, ‘why did he stop at “Me‘zamein” and urinated there?’

The Holiness answered: ‘Because it was the first place that people began worshipping the idols.’ They had taken a big piece of stone from the mountain and made the image of the Idol Hobl, the same idol that Ali bin Abī Tālib toppled it down from the top of Ka‘ba. Then, when the Messenger of Allah became powerful and the Islam rose, he buried it under the entrance of Bani Shaiba, so that when people entered and left the House, they would tread on it – it is why entering the House through the Bani Shaiba gate is recommended. ^[29]

The noticeable problems in the Hajj(s) of the Messenger of Allah before his migration were two: the first one is the problem of the place that was the Ghuraish did not leave the Shrine in the season of the Hajj; and they did not go from Mudalfa fo Arafat for the rites of the Hajj and they said: ‘The Gurish who are the greatest of the people, must not leave the territory of the Shrine.’ However, it is clear that of the Hajj Rites is stopping at Arafat.

Here, the narratives say that the Messenger of Allah in his Hajj pilgrimage went to Arafat, and with the people but other than Ghureish, he stopped at Arafat and then set out for Mash‘ar al-Haram and Muzdalifa.

The second was the problem of time, for the sake of finding a suitable mild occasion taking the Hajj pilgrimage, the ignorant Arabs, without considering the Lunar year and month for Hajj, they changed the time of for the Hajj pilgrimage to benefit the mildest time of the year to take their journeys; and this known as “NASI” that the Qur’an has mentioned it as the excessive disbelief. Therefore, in every Hajj season, the Hajj pilgrimage was on the improper time, except once in every thirty-three years that coincided the exact lunar month, the assigned time for the Hajj – the first mid-month of Dhul Hijjat-ul- Haram. This happened only in the Farewell Pilgrimage that the Messenger of Allah fulfilled it. And as we will see it later, the Messenger of Allah assigned it in its proper time and announced it to the public that it was in the first mid of Dhul Hijjat.

On this base, if the Messenger of Allah wanted to take Hajj pilgrimage with the people thirty-three years the Farewell Pilgrimage, that is ten years before his prophet-hood, he would have taken it in the improper time Hajj and would face the problem of delay and Nasi – of course, the Holiness would not do it because of the clear explanation of the Holy Qur’an that it is an obvious disbelief. So it must be said that: the Holiness fulfilled his Hajj pilgrimage alone and in the proper time for the Hajj pilgrimage.

And on this base, apart from the narrative that we related from the “ELAL SHARAYI”, there are other narratives explaining the Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, fulfilled his Hajj rites in secret.

As in the book of “Kafi” he explains it from Sahl, from ibn Fazzal, from Isa Farra, from ibn Abi Ya‘fur and the Holiness Imam Sādiq, Upon Him be Peace, that:

حجّ رسول اللهِ صلى الله عليهِ و آلهِ و سلّم عِشرين حجّة مستسِرة كلّها، يمرّ بالمازمينِ فينزل فيبول.‏^[30]

The Messenger of Allah, Bless be to Him and his Descendants, fulfilled twenty Hajj pilgrimages in secret and in either of them he passed “Me‘zamein”, and he stopped for a short time and urinated.

In this case, the problem of the stoppage will also be solved.

Altogether the Sunnites have said: the Hajj pilgrimage turned to be compulsory in the year 6 after the Migration, and Rafiee, in his book “Seyyir” has considered it to be correct, and NOwi has also followed his opinion.^[31] And some other have said that it was in the year ninth, and still some others have said the year ten is correct; of course Abu Hanifa has declared it. And some have said the year eleven is correct which it seems quite strange! ^[32]

Back to Index

The Messenger of Allah's invitation for The Farewell Pilgrimage

However, some of the Sunnite’s narratives relate that the Messenger of Allah had taught the people all the laws and rules of the religion: the prayer, fast and Zakat, but that which was left was the Hajj Pilgrimage and the Guardian. Then, he taught them in his last trip, he explained the Hajj rites one by one. And the Commander of the believers, Upon Him be Peace, in his sermons in Mecca and Arafat and Mina explained them to the crowd as it was enjoined to the Household. As well in the Ghadir Khum he lectured it as a witness to his Guardianship and the Imamate that he was assigned for. Therefore, he completed the religion of Allah and fulfilled His blessing; so it can be said that the obligation of Hajj was in the year ten after the Migration.

In that year, since the beginning of the month of Dhl-Gha‘da, the Holiness Messenger of Allah wrote letters and announced to the people around, and let everybody know that the Messenger had in mind to take a Hajj Pilgrimage and is ready to set for Mecca. ^[33]

وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ ﴿27﴾ لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّن بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَ ﴿28﴾ ثُمَّ لْيَقْضُوا تَفَثَهُمْ وَلْيُوفُوا نُذُورَهُمْ وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا بِالْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ ﴿29﴾‏^[34]

And proclaim among men the Hajj Pilgrimage that to come to you on foot and on every lean [fast moving beast]; let them come from every remote land, that they may witness the things profitable to them, and to mention Allah’s name on the appointed days over the heads of livestock He has provided them.

Then eat of the meat of them and feed the miserable needy as well. Then let them purify themselves, they should also fulfill their vows, and circle round the Ancient House of [Ka‘ba], (Qur’an:22/27-29).’

The commentators have unanimously said that this verse is addressed to the Messenger; and the Commander of the believers, ibn Ab‘bas and Abu Muslim have said that it is addressed to the Holiness Abraham.^[35] And as the verse before is that:

وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ ^[36]

And when We appointed the site of the Sacred House for Abraham, [We stated him]: ‘Do not take any partner with Me, and purify My House for those who walk around it, and those who stand, [to worship, and] for those that bow and prostrate themselves (Qur’an:22/26).’

And this verse refers to طَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ so we should say that it is addressed to Abraham; because of the form of the sentence, it is rare to be addressed to the Holiness Messenger of Allah.^[37]

However, as the announcer of this statement, the Messenger of Allah used to invite people to the Hajj pilgrimage and he let people know the announcement of Allah behalf of Abraham. He communicated the command of Allah by this verse.

From every corner of the land, people started coming to Medina to learn the rites of the Hajj and then to take the Hajj pilgrimage with the Messenger of Allah. In that huge gathering, there was not any difference between the old and young, man or woman, well-to-do or the abject, but only whoever could manage to take the journey was allowed to do so and fulfill his rites in the presence of the Messenger of Allah – it was incumbent to take the journey by any means.

All the established citizen of Medina, except the unable, the patient and those who had come to live in Medina set out for Hajj with the Messenger of Allah.

It is recorded in the “Sira-e-Halbei‘ia” ‘As the Holiness was preparing to leave Medina for Mecca, there broke out illnesses such as: small-pox and typhoid in the town and it caused the people not to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage along with the Messenger.^[38]

 He addressed this statement to an Ansary woman, Umm Sanan. Because when she was asked: ‘Why did you not come to Hajj with us?’ She answered: ‘We have got only two water-carrier camels, and my husband and son took one of them for their journey to Hajj, and I need another one to carry water from the well to our farm!’ And the Holiness has said the very statement to Umm Salim, Umm Talagh and Umm Heitham. (Sira-e-Halbei‘ia, volume 3, page 289).

However, there came so great many people from Medina with the Messenger of Allah that no could count them except Allah. They have reported them to be forty thousand people, or seventy thousand or even ninety thousand all together. And it is also related that they were a hundred and fourteen thousand, or a hundred and twenty thousand; they have even reported it more than that. ^[39]

Mir Khawand Balkhi says: The Holiness equipped nearly a hundred camels for his own, and he himself had specially trained one of them. He appointed Najeia bin Jondub to control and look after them. Najeia says: I asked the Holiness what I should do if one of the camels was to die.

He answered: ‘Do slaughter it, then slain its collar in blood and hang it on the right hand saddle of it; and none of your friends should eat its meat.

At that journey, Fatima, upon her be peace, and the wives of the Messenger were placed in the camels-wooden cabins and discussing. It is related that there were a hundred and fourteen thousand travelers on that journey.^[40]

And the famous historian, Khawanad Amir, Gheyass-ad-Din Husseini, says, ‘On that journey, the first lady Fatima-tuz-Zahra and all the wives of the believers were sitting in their own camel-wooden cabins, and as one of the narratives relates, one hundred and fourteen thousand people were accompanying them, while all were chanting: “Allah is the greatest! I here I am, O Allah!’^[41]

Back to Index

The names of the last Hajj Pilgrimages of the Messenger of Allah

This Hajj pilgrimage was called: Hij‘jat-ul-Balagh, Hij‘jat-ul-Islam, Hij‘jat-ul-Weda,^[42] Hij‘jat-ul-Tamam and Hij‘jat-ul-Kamal^[43].

It is known as the Hijjatul Balagh for the sermons that the Holiness delivered on that Journey, he preached them for the Muslims, called Allah to stand as the witness and said: اللهم هل بلغت؟‏ ‘O my Creator, did I announce it?’^[44]

It is called ‘Hij‘jat-ul-Islam’ because the Messenger of Allah has explained the rites of the Hajj according to the laws and guides, and he has assigned the distance between Arafat, Maash‘ar and Mina; and he has also clarified the necessity of leaving from Arafat on the EVE of ‘GHOR‘BAN’ that the disbelievers had put an end to it. He has turned the season of the Hajj to its proper time, and according the Holy Qur’an, he has explained in details the delay of each rite that is the cause of disbelief. He has also considered the trots between SAFA and MARWAH to be of the Divine Rites; he himself trotted between them. And he made clear the other rites of the Hajj, such as: circumambulating, prayer, especially the incumbent of the Hajj Pilgrimage for those whose homes are far away from Mecca. And also on top of the MOUNT of MARWAH, after the dissension of Gabriel and bringing the Divine Revelation, he emphasized the eternity of those rites until the Day of Resurrection.

However, they call it ‘Hij‘jat-ul-Weda’ because of the farewell of the Messenger of Allah with everyone he encountered, and lectured; and all these farewells became clear soon after the demise of the Messenger of Allah at the GHADIR KHUM – eighty days after his lecturing at Mina and Arafat. In his sermon, he invited the people to recite the Book of Allah – the Holy Qur’an – and his Household who would not separate from each other until the Day of Resurrection. They were two valuable things that beseechers to them would not get astray.

But their calling it ‘Hij‘jat-ul-Tama & Al-Kamal’^[45] was that the revelation of the verse ‘completion and perfectness of the religion’ was soon after the sermon of the Holiness to the huge gathering on the Day of GHADIR KHUM. All praise be to Allah, on that day, the religion of the people and the blessing of Allah were completed. 

Back to Index

Next Page

References

Back to Index

Next Page