1. The Successor of the Prophet
The Shi‘a Ithna `Ashari Muslims believe that after the Prophet of Islam,
the leadership of the world of Islam fell to Amir al-Mu'minin, ‘Ali
(a.s.), and then to his eleven infallible descendants. This belief is as
clear as the rays of the morning sun, and those who are unprejudiced
and impartial will have no cause to doubt it.
Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, one of the prominent companions of the Prophet
(a.s.), said, "The day the verse concerning obedience to Allah, the
Prophet and the Ulu 'l-Amr was revealed (4:59), I asked the Prophet: `We
know Allah and the Prophet, but who is the third?' He said, `They are
the Imams, my successors, the first of whom is ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, then,
in order, Hassan, Hussein, ‘Ali ibn Hussein, Muhammad bin ‘Ali, who was
called Baqir in the Torah, and whom you, Jabir, will meet and to whom
you will convey my salam; then, after him, Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq,
Musa ibn Ja`far, ‘Ali ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, ‘Ali bin Muhammad,
Hassan ibn ‘Ali, and in the end the son of Hassan ibn ‘Ali will come,
whose name will be the same as mine (Muhammad Abu 'l-Qasim).'"
2. The First Leader
No society, at any time or place, can stand free and liberated without a
leader. We also know that if a ruler is dedicated to the wellbeing of
the society, then he must strive to protect it and he must also take
into consideration the present as well as the future of that society.
It is because of this necessity that rulers, even during short journeys,
appoint a deputy. This is evident in every case of leadership. A head
of the family, a principal or headmaster of the school, a foreman in a
factory, all put a deputy in their place for the absence of even a few
hours. This matter is so obvious that it needs no proof.
The great Prophet of Islam, who was the leader of the Islamic world,
observed this very principle. Wherever the light of Islam shone for the
first time, he always appointed an administrator for that place to look
after its affairs. When he sent armies for jihad, he appointed a
commander, and sometimes appointed several persons as deputy commanders
so that if one was killed, the army would not be left without a
commander. Thus we know of persons whom the Prophet appointed as his
deputies and representatives whenever he traveled from Medina, so that
Medina should not be without a leader during his absence.
The Shi‘as ask how, with this evidence, it is consistent with the wisdom
of the Prophet that he should die without appointing a successor. Which
of the following possibilities seems reasonable:
Was the Islamic society, after the death of the Prophet, not in need of a leader again?
Or did the Prophet of Islam attach no importance to the Muslim community after he had gone?
Or were concerns and prudence something he could do nothing about?
Or did he not know who was the worthiest successor?
Which of these possibilities seems more reasonable?
With the quality of leadership and the concern for the affairs of the
people which we see in the Prophet of Islam, how could he have not given
any guidance or instruction on this vital matter of the Muslims'
leadership?
In the light of this reality, the Shi‘as proceeded to investigate the
original texts and documents of Islam and they came across an enormous
quantity of sources which made them conclude that there are clear,
sufficient, precise orders from the Prophet of Islam about his
successor: the verse of wilayah, the hadith of Ghadir, the hadith of
Safinah, the hadith of Thaqalayn, and many more, all of which are
tested, examined and explained in the great works done on this subject.
From all these we shall select only the hadith of Ghadir and we shall
seek to judge its value and implications in an unprejudiced manner.
3. The Historical Hadith of Ghadir
In the tenth year of the Islamic calendar (hijrah), the Prophet set out
for Mecca to perform the pilgrimage (hajj). This hajj was undertaken in
the last years of the Prophet's life, and for this reason history has
given it the name of the "Farewell Pilgrimage" (hajjatu 'l-wida').
Muslims participated in extraordinarily large numbers in this journey of
the Prophet to Mecca with the eagerness to learn and do the pilgrimage
from the Prophet directly. They numbered about 120,000. Some groups
joined him in the town of Mecca.
After completing the hajj, when the Prophet was returning to Medina, the
following verse was revealed on the 18th day of Dhil Hijja at Ghadir
Khumm: O Messenger, deliver that [message] which has been sent down to
you from your Lord; for if you do not, then [it be as if] you have not
delivered His message [at all]. Allah will protect you from men. (5:67)
Thus a great message reached the Prophet from Allah. The edges of the
caravan were slowly rolling along. Suddenly a herald proclaimed on
behalf of the Prophet: "Allah has given a command...Let everyone await
the command..."
Thereupon, the Prophet (a.s.) gave the order that everyone should stop
moving and come to a halt; and they did. Many travelers stood there on
the order of the Prophet to hear the news. We have been told that the
desert of Ghadir Khumm is plain without water; it was midday and the
heat of the sun was scorching. What is the news for which the Prophet is
keeping the people standing in such a place, at such a time?
Then the sound of adhan was heard. The Prophet performs the prayer with
the people, and then camel saddle-packs are built up to form a raised
platform. The Prophet stands on the top of them. People catch their
breath, and are as quiet as the sands of the desert. They are waiting
for the news.
The Prophet starts. After praising Allah, the Prophet says, "Do you
agree that I have fulfilled my responsibility by conveying the message
of Allah to you?"
"We are the witnesses that you have delivered the message to us, and
that you made every effort in this direction. May Allah give you the
best reward!"
"Do you witness to the unity of God, the prophethood of his slave,
Muhammad, and to heaven and hell, death and the resurrection, and to the
life after death?"
"We do witness to these."
"May Allah be our witness!" And then he said, "O people; I and you, we
shall see one another besides [the fountain of] Kawthar [on the day of
judgment]. Be careful after me how you deal with two precious things."
"O Prophet, what are these two things?"
"The Book of Allah, and my descendants. Allah told me that these two are
not be separated from one another till they reach me beside the
Kawthar. Do not go ahead of them, for you will be ruined. Do not fall
behind them, for you will also be ruined."
Then he raised the hand of ‘Ali so that everyone could see him and know
him. Then, in the same position, he read the divine order of succession.
"O people, who is more deserving among the believers to have wilayah (authority) and guardianship over them?"
"Allah and the Prophet know best."
"Allah gave me wilayah, and I am more worthy than the believers and the
followers themselves. Therefore, to whosoever I am his wali (master) and
guardian, ‘Ali is his master and guardian too. O Allah, be the friend
of his friends, and the enemy of his enemies. Help anyone who helps him,
and punish anyone who rebels against him."
"Now everyone who is present must tell [the event to] those who are absent."
The people had not yet dispersed when the following verse was revealed:
Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed my
blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion. (5:3)
Then the Prophet cried out: "Allahu Akbar! The religion of Allah has
been perfected, and He is pleased with my prophethood and the wilayah of
‘Ali after me."
After this ceremony, people felicitated Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali. Among the
foremost of the companions who felicitated him were Abu Bakr and `Umar
who said, "How good for you, O ‘Ali, to have become the master of me and
every believing man and woman."
(A) The Authenticity of the Hadith of Ghadir
From the point of view of its chain of narration, the hadith of Ghadir is so strong that it is probably unique.
One hundred and ten of the companions (sahabah) of the Prophet who were
present at Ghadir have narrated it from the Prophet without any
intermediary, and also eighty four of the disciples of the companions
(tabi`iyn). The unbiased scholars of the Sunni world have mentioned the
event of Ghadir in their books with great documentation. `Allamah Amini
has mentioned three hundred and fifty such scholars in his al-Ghadir.
Many great Islamic scholars have written books exclusively on the event
of Ghadir, and twenty-six such writers have been mentioned in al-Ghadir.
Dictionary compilers have related the story of Ghadir under the entry
of `Ghadir' or `Mawla' (master).
So there can not be the smallest doubt, nor the least shadow over the
chain of narration of the hadith of Ghadir except for those handful of
people who can stand in the light of the sun and feel its warmth on
their skin but still say that there is no light or warmth.
(B) The Meaning of “Mawla” in the Hadith of Ghadir
The hadith of Ghadir is so striking that everybody must in all fairness
notice and then become certain that ‘Ali became the first successor of
the Prophet. So let us look at the crucial word and context of the
hadith.
Mawla, in this hadith, means someone who has the status of wilayah and
imamate, and can give his opinion and command on it; his command has
priority over all other commands. For this reason, before he said, "He
whose master (mawla) I am," the Prophet asked, "O People, who among the
believers has more authority (awla)?"
Awla, or having more authority, means that the Prophet's wish comes
before the wish of the people, and that whatever he says or does is an
authority for the people. People follow him; he has wilayah and
guardianship over them. Now, we can see that just as in the first
sentence, the authority and wilayah of the Prophet is mentioned, so in
the following sentence the word `mawla' for ‘Ali must have the same
meaning so that there can be some connection between the two sentences.
Therefore the correct meaning which we get from these few sentences is
as the Prophet asked: "Do not I have more authority over you?" "Yes!"
everyone replied. "So, whosoever among you on whom I have authority,
‘Ali also has authority. After me, he will be the mawla of all Muslims
and my successor."
Thus, in this hadith, there is no question of any other meaning for
`mawla' apart from having authority or priority -- wilayah and imamate;
and any other meaning in its place is entirely irrelevant. We should
also note that the Prophet of Islam kept people standing in this great
heat. This historical fact makes it clear that the matter has a special
importance; for, if not, no reasonable man would suppose that the
Prophet would detain people under such conditions when his purpose was
only to remind them of a trivial matter, for example, that ‘Ali was his
friend!
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* By: Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
/129
source : Al Maaref
Wednesday
5 July 2023
7:54:05 AM
1377273
The Shi‘a Ithna `Ashari Muslims believe that after the Prophet of Islam, the leadership of the world of Islam fell to Amir al-Mu'minin, ‘Ali (a.s.), and then to his eleven infallible descendants. This belief is as clear as the rays of the morning sun, and those who are unprejudiced and impartial will have no cause to doubt it...