The Hadith of the Wilayah
It is a well-known fact in history that the Messenger made his Farewell Pilgrimage during the 10th year after the Hijrah and that thousands of Muslims accompanied the Prophet in his pilgrimage.
Another well-known event of this pilgrimage is that the Messenger (ﷺ) while on his way back to Medina stopped thousands of pilgrims at a place called "Ghadir Khumm" (between Mecca and Medina)
- to declare to them that it is their duty to follow "Al-Thaqalayn" (The Two Valuables) who will never part with each other until they join him at the Basin (on the Day of Judgment).
He informed them also that Alī, the head of the "Itrah" (the close relatives of the Prophet), is like the Holy Prophet in having more authority over their own affairs and that Alī, like the Messenger (ﷺ), is the Mawla or Guardian of all Believers.
The Messenger (ﷺ) delivered a sermon on the Day of Ghadir Khumm.
Some of the points which he spoke of remained in the memory of many companions, who were in Kufa at a gathering, to report what the Messenger of God (ﷺ) said on the Day of Ghadir Khumm (this was about 27 years after the event of the Ghadir.)
Although the companions who were residing in Kufa were not very numerous, several of them testified that the Messenger declared on the Day of Ghadir Khumm the leadership of Alī Ibn Abu Tālib.
Abu al-Tufayl (a companion) reported that:
"Alī said to the companions who were at that gathering:
I ask you in the name of God whoever was present on the Day of Ghadir Khumm to stand up and no one should stand to say: I was informed or I heard.
I only ask a man who directly heard by his own ear and memorized by his heart the words of the Messenger."
17 men including Khuzaima ibn Thābit, Sahl ibn Sa'd, Adī ibn Hātim, Uqba ibn Āmir, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Amir Ibn Laila Ibn Dhamrah, Abu l-Haytham b. al-Tayyihan and men from Quraish stood up and Alī said to them:
Tell us what you heard.
They said:
"We testify that we came with the Messenger of God (ﷺ) from his Farewell Pilgrimage.
When the noon time came the Messenger of God (ﷺ) came out. He ordered that some trees in that place be pruned; a cloth was put above those trees.
He called for the prayer and we came out.
He said: What shall you say?
We said: You have delivered the Message.
He said: God bear witness repeating that (3 times).
Then he said: I am about to be summoned (by God and I shall respond to His call). I shall be questioned and you will be questioned.
Then he said:
"Certainly God is my 'Mawla' (Guardian) and I am the Guardian of the Believers. Do you not know that I have more authority over you than you have over yourselves?
We said: Yes.
He said this 3 times.
Then he held your hand Commander of Believers (the reporting companions were addressing the Imam Alī) and lifted it and said:
'Whoever I am his Mawla (Guardian) this is his 'Mawla'.
God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.'
The Imam Alī said to the testifying companions:
You have told the truth and I am among those who bear witness to that."1
Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri in his Mustadrak reported through his channel to Zayd Ibn Arqam that Zayd said:
"When the Messenger of God (ﷺ) returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage and stopped at Ghadir Khumm he ordered the Muslims to clean under the trees at that place and said:
'I am as if I were summoned and I responded. I have left for you Al-Thaqalayn (Two Weighty Things) one of them is bigger than the other:
The Book of God and my "Itrah" (the close relatives):
Beware how you will treat them after me; for they shall not part with each other until they join me at the Basin (on the Day of Judgment).
Then he said:
Certainly God is my Guardian and I am the Mawla (Guardian) of every believer.
Then he lifted the hand of Alī and said:
Whoever I am his Mawla (Guardian) this is his "Walī" (Guardian) God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him."2
Al-Hakim through another channel reported that Zayd Ibn Arqam reported that the Prophet said the following:
"... O people I am leaving in you two elements by which you will never go astray if you follow them: They are the Book of God and the members of my House, my Itrah.'
Then he said: Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than they have over themselves (repeating that 3 times)?
They said: Yes.
The Messenger of God (ﷺ) said:
Whoever I am his Mawla this Alī is his Mawla."3
- These hadiths contain 3 important items:
1. The Messenger left to his nation 2 important elements which do not part with each other and that obedience of the 2 constitutes a security against straying.
The 2 elements are: The Book of God and the 'Itrah' (close relatives) of the messenger.
2. The Prophet had more authority over the believers than they had over themselves and that God is the Guardian of the Messenger and that the Messenger is the Guardian of the believers.
3. Alī is like the Prophet in being Guardian of all the Believers.
Jabir ibn Abdullah Al-Ansari, Amir Ibn Laila Ibn Dhamrah, Hudhaifa Ibn Usaid, Imam Alī and others reported the 3 contents in one hadith.
The 1st and the 2nd contents were also reported by the Imam Alī and Umm Salamah wife of the Messenger who said:
"The Messenger held the hand of Alī at Ghadir Khumm. He raised it until we witnessed the whiteness of his armpit and said:
Whoever I am his Mawla Alī is his 'Mawla'.
Then he said:
'O people I am leaving in you 'Al-Thaqalayn' (The Two Valuables):
the Book of God and my Itrah (my close relatives). And they will not part with each other until they join me at the Basin (on the Day of Judgment)."4
We have already mentioned that Imam Alī reported a hadith similar to this one.
The 2nd and the 3rd contents were reported by a number of companions including Abu Sa’īd Al-Khudri, Ibn Qudāmah, Hudhaifa Ibn Usaid, Amir Ibn Dhamrah, Zayd Ibn Arqam and Al-Bara ibn Azib who reported according to Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and Ibn Mājah in his authentic Sunan the following:
"We came with the Messenger of God in his Farewell Pilgrimage and he stopped at the road and called for a congregational prayer.
Then he took the hand of Alī and said: Am I not the Guardian who has more authority over the believers than they have over themselves?
They said: Yes.
He said: Do I not have more authority over every believer than he has over himself?
They said: Yes.
He said:
This is the 'Walī' (Guardian) of whoever I am his Mawla (Guardian). God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him."5
These 2 contents were also reported by Sa'd Ibn Abu Waqqas. He reported according to Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak the following:
"... The Messenger said to Alī on the Day of Ghadir Khumm after praising the Almighty and exalting Him:
Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than they have over themselves?
We said: Yes.
He said: God whoever I am his 'Mawla ' Alī is his Mawla. God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him..."6
Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad through his channel to Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla that he said:
"I witnessed Alī at al-Rahba asking people to testify. He said:
I ask in the name of God whoever heard the Messenger of God saying on the Day of Ghadir Khumm:
"Whoever I am his Mawla Alī is his Mawla to stand up and testify.
Abd al-Rahman said:
12 companions who had attended the Battle of Badr stood up and I remember as if I am looking at one of them and they said:
"We testify that we heard the Messenger of God saying on the Day of Ghadir Khumm: Do I not have more authority over the believers than they have over themselves?..."
We said: Yes Messenger of God.
He said: Whoever I am his Mawla Alī is his 'Mawla.'
God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.7
Al-Tirmidhi in his authentic "Sunan" recorded that Zayd Ibn Arqam reported that the Messenger said:
Whoever I am his Mawla Alī is his Mawla.8
Ibn Mājah in his authentic Sunan recorded the following:
"Muāwiya came (to Medina) on some of his pilgrimages.
Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqas visited him.
People mentioned Alī and Muāwiya spoke ill of him.
Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqas angrily said to him:
'Do you say this about a man I heard the Messenger of God saying about him: Whoever I am his Mawla Alī is his Mawla?'...."9
Of course whoever reported the 3 contents or the last 2 contents or the 1st and the 3rd contents is from the reporters of the last one. There is no contradiction between these reports.
A reporter may choose on one occasion to report some of what he heard from the Messenger or any other person
then he chooses at another occasion to report most of what he heard from him and on a third occasion he may report all of what he heard completely.
And none of these reports contradict each other.
Thus Abu Tufayl Amr ibn Wathila al-Leethi reported that 17 companions responded to the question of the Imam Alī in Kufa
and testified that they heard from the Messenger on the Day of Ghadir Khumm words which contained all 3 contents as we have mentioned.
We find also in another hadith in which the Imam Alī asked the companions who were with him to testify about the event of Al-Ghadir that Abu Al-Tufayl reported the following:
"Alī gathered people at Al-Rahba, then he said to them:
'I ask in the name of God any Muslim who heard the Messenger of God saying on the Day of Ghadir Khumm what he said to stand up.
30 men stood up (and Abu Nu’aym said: Many People stood and testified) that the Messenger of God held the hand of Alī and said to people:
"Do you know that I have more authority over the believers than they have over themselves?
They said: Yes Messenger of God. He said: "Whoever I am his Mawla (Guardian) this Alī is his Mawla. God love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him."
Abu al-Tufayl said:
I left the place with some doubt. I met Zayd Ibn Arqam and told him what I had heard Alī saying.
Zayd said: What do you doubt? I heard the Messenger of God saying that to him."10
The Messenger spoke about Alī's leadership on an occasion other than the occasion of Ghadir Khumm.
Al-Tirmidhi in his authentic Sunnan recorded that Imran ibn Husain reported that 4 men complained about Alī to the Messenger of God and the Messenger was angry and said to them:
"What do you want from Alī? What do you want from Alī? What do you want from Alī? Alī is from me and I am from him. And he is the Walī (Guardian) of every believer after me."11
Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (part 4 page 437) reported this hadith with little difference in wording and he said that the Prophet said:
"Leave Alī alone leave Alī alone leave Alī alone. Alī is from me and I am from him. And he is the 'Walī' (Guardian) of every believer."
Imam Ahmad recorded through his channel to Sa’īd ibn Jubayr that Ibn Jubayr said that Ibn Abbas reported that Abu Buraidah al-Aslami said:
"I went with an expedition under Alī's leadership to Yemen and I noticed from him an unfriendly attitude.
When I came to the Messenger of God I mentioned Alī and spoke ill of him.
I noticed the face of the Messenger was changing. He said:
Buraidah do I have more authority over the believers than they have over themselves?
I said: Yes Messenger of God.
He said: Whoever I am his 'Mawla' Alī is his 'Mawla.'"12
Imam Ahmad also reported in his Musnad (part 5 page 356) that the Messenger said to Buraidah:
"Speak not ill of Alī for he is from me and I am from him and he is your 'Walī' after me."
The hadith of the Ghadir is authentic and Mutawatir. It was reported by over a 100 companions; more than 24 historians; 27 hadith recorders;
11 commentators on the Holy Quran and a like number of theologians and it was reported by many writers in every century after the Hijrah.13
- 1. Al-Qunduzi Yanābī al-mawadda p.42. He recorded that al-Samhudi (nor Al-Deen Alī Ibn Abdullah Al- Shafi-i reported that Abu Nu'aym in his Hilyat al-awliyā) recorded it.
- 2. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 109.
- 3. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 pp. 109-110.
- 4. Al-Muttaqi Al-Hindi Kanz Al- Ummal part 5 p. 23 hadith no.356.
- 5. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 4 p. 281 and Ibn Mājah in his authentic Sunnan part 1 p. 45.
- 6. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 3 p. 116.
- 7. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 1 p. 119.
- 8. Al-Tirmidhi in his authentic Sunnan part 5 p. 297 (hadith no.3797)
- 9. Ibn Mājah his authentic Sunan part 1 p.45.
- 10. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 4 p. 370.
- 11. Al-Tirmidhi his authentic Sunnan part5 p. 296.
- 12. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 5 p. 347. Al-Hakim also recorded it in Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 110.
- 13. Al-Amini Al-Ghadir part 1 p. 6-8.