This is a summary review of world ’s most important event, which happened some 3 months before the Last Prophet of Allāh (J.J.) departed to the eternal world.  Without this Holy event, the dīn of Allāh would not have been perfected, and the mission of Prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) would not have been accomplished.  In connection with the Epic of ʿĀshūrā, it is essential to have a good understanding of the “Event of al-Ghadīr,” and the “Intrigue of al-Saqīfah” in order to grasp the principle motive of Imām al- Ḥ usayn (a.s.) and the truth of ʿĀshūrā .

On Thursday 18^th Dhil-Ḥijjah, in 10 A.H. (10 March 632 CE), returning from his last pilgrimage (the farewell pilgrimage حجة الوداع ), prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) received the following waḥy from the Heavens:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ.

O, Messenger!  Deliver what has [just] been revealed to you from your Lord .  And, if you do it not, then you have not fulfilled His commission (your assignment).  And , Allāh shall protect you from the people.  Certainly, Allāh will not guide the disbelievers .

Sūrah al-Mā’idah (5), Āyah 67.

Upon receiving this Āyah, the Prophet (ph&hp) stopped at once in that place which was called Ghadīr al-Khum (the Khum Pond).  Then he sent for all people who have been ahead in the way to come back, and also waited until other pilgrims arrived from behind.  When all gathered together, the Messenger of Allāh (ph&hp) spent approximately five hours in this very hot place; three hours of which he was on the quasi-pulpit.  He recited nearly one hundred verses from The Glorious Qur ’ān and seventy three times reminded and warned people of their deeds in the future.  Then he delivered a long sermon, by Divine Command, called the declaration of al-Ghadīr.  Full translation of this declaration will be available in this site, Inshā ’Allāh soon.

Upon the delivery of what has been revealed to him, the Last Messenger of Allāh (J.J.) said “It seems the time has approached the point in which I shall be called away (by Allāh (J.J.)), and I shall rejoin the call.”  Then he declared the following passage known as the ḥadith of al-Thaqalayn:

إِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الْآخَرِ وَ هُوَ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ حَبْلٌ مَمْدُودٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَ عِتْرَتِي أَهْلُ بَيْتِي لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ تَخْلُفُونِّي فِي عِتْرَتِي‏

“Verily, I am leaving among you two precious things.  If you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me, each one of them is greater than the other.  And, they are the Book of Allāh (J.J.), which is a rope (of guidance) extended from the heavens to the earth, and my ʿIṭrah , my Ahl al-Bayt.  The two shall never separate from each other until they come back to me by the Pool [of al-Kawthar ( الحوض الکوثر )] [1] .  Pay [particular] attention to the issue of my successor-ship among my ʿ Iṭrah . ”

Many references, Book No. 3, v. 23, p. 108, as an example.

This very significant ḥadith is well studied for its authenticity (tawātur تواتر ).  You may refer to http://www.al-islam.org/thaqalayn/nontl/index.htm for details.  The Messenger of Allāh (J.J.) continued:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَ لَسْتُ أَوْلَى بِكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ فَقَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ قُمْ يَا عَلِيُّ فَقَامَ عَلِيٌّ وَ أَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ فَرَفَعَهَا حَتَّى رُئِيَ بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَأَلا مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ .   اللَّهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالاهُ وَ عَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ وَ انْصُرْ مَنْ نَصَرَهُ وَ اخْذُلْ مَنْ خَذَلَهُ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ مِنَ الْمِنْبَرِ وَ جَاءَ أَصْحَابُهُ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع وَ هَنَّوْهُ بِالْوَلَايَةِ وَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ قَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا عَلِيُّ أَصْبَحْتَ مَوْلَايَ وَ مَوْلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ وَ نَزَلَ جَبْرَئِيلُ بِهَذِهِ الآيَةِ- الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَ أَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَ رَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلامَ دِينا .

 “O’ people do I not have more right over you than what you have over yourselves? ”  People cried and answered “Yes! O’ Messenger of Allāh.”  Then the holy Prophet (ph&hp) asked al-ʿAlī (a.s.) to stand up and he stood up.  Then he took the hand of ḥaḍrat ʿAli (a.s.), raised it, and uttered [the key sentence] “Beware!  For whomever I am his Mawlā (Waliyy), this ʿAlī is his Mawlā (Waliyy).  O’ All ā h , love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him.  Help those who help him and let down those who let him down. ”  Then his companions went to Amir il-Mu ’ min ī n ʿAli (a.s.) to congratulate him for his Wil ā yah .  The first one was ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, who said “Well done ibn ’Abi Ṭālib!  Today you became the Waliyy (Mawlā) of me and of all believing men and women.”  Then, Jabra ’ī l (Gabriel) came down with this Āyah ( Sūrah al-Mā ’idah (5), āyah 3 ) from Allāh (J.J.) “ …This day, I have perfected your dīn for you, completed My Favour [2] upon you, and I am pleased with you to embrace Islām as the way of life (dīn) …"

Book No. 35, p. 11.

Unmistakably, the above verse clarifies that Islam would have remained inadequate and unsatisfactory without the important issue of the holy Wilāyah.  And, that perfection of the dīn of Allāh (J.J.) was by the Wilāyah of Imām al-ʿAlī (a.s.), the Prophet’s immediate successor.

This significant event is well narrated by both the Sunni and Shī ʿ ī narrators and commentators.  For authentication, observation of references, and Strength of Ghadīr al-Khum narrations please refer to Books that mention the Event , and Transmitters and their Credibility .

This event, being towards the end of the Prophet ’s life, has special significance.  It clarifies that the divine dīn of Allāh (J.J.) was still imperfect until Imām al- ʿAlī (a.s.) was appointed as the “Waliyy” of all Muslims.  And, that this delegation was by the Command of Allāh (J.J.).  And, that if imām al- ʿAlī (a.s.) was not introduced by Prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) as the Waliyy of Muslim community, the Prophet ’s mission, thus the mission of all previous messengers, were not fulfilled.

It is deplorable to find out, in the next section “The Saqīfah Intrigue,” that, just a few months later, upon the decease of prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) the Divine event of al-Ghadīr was forgotten all together.  The divine Waḥy of Allāh (J.J.), the invaluable Testament of the most beloved Prophet of Allāh (J.J.), and the Wilāyah of Amīr il-Mu’minīn (the Master of all Believers) were all trampled upon.  Establishing an earthly rule of fallible individuals is a major drift from the Will of Allāh (J.J.), our Exalted Creator who had masterminded to put in practice the Wilāyah (Divine Rule) of infallible Imāms.

Please pay particular attention that without the transfer of the Wilāyah to Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī (a.s.), the holy prophet ’s Risālah (the Divine Mission) would not have been fulfilled.  It has been reported that over hundred thousand people have witnessed and heard the long speech and sermons delivered by prophet Muḥammad (ph&hp) during the major historic event of Ghadīr al-Khum.

Detailed information regarding the significant event of the Ghadir al-Khum can be found in http://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/incident.htm .  In order to realize the truth of the great Epic of ʿ Ā sh ū r ā , we must have a good understanding of “ The Saq ī fah Intrigue ,” next section.