Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 1: Traditions that Denote the Number of the Twelve Caliphs

Chapter One: Traditions that Denote the Number of the Twelve Caliphs and that Surely they are Equal to the Number of the Chiefs (Noqabaa ) of Bani Israel and the Companions (Hawaari ) of ‘Isa (a.s. )

1. Musnad-e-Tayalesi1 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that I heard the Messenger of Islam (s.a.w.a .) say,“Surely Islam will always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs in it.” Then he said something, which I didn’t understand. I asked my father‘What did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

2. Musnad-e-Tayalesi2 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say during a sermon“Surely Islam will always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs in it.” Then he said something, which I didn’t understand. I asked my father‘What did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

3. Al Fetan3 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair shall always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs it. All of them will be from Quraish.”

4. Musnad-e-Ahmad4 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“There will be twelve caliphs after me, all of them will be from Quraish.” They asked,‘Then what will happen?’ He (s.a.w.a .) said:“Then there will be turmoil (haraj ).”

5. Musnad-e-Ahmad5 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say,“There will be twelve caliphs for this nation.”

6. Musnad-e-Ahmad6 :Jaaber IbnSamarah al-Sewaaee says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say during his last pilgrimage (Hajj al-Widaa ):“Surely this religion will always overcome its opponents and no enemy or deserter can ever harm it till there are twelve caliphs from my nation in it.” ‘Then he uttered something that I could not understand. I asked my father, ‘What did he say?’ He replied:“All of them will be from Quraish.”

7. Musnad-e-Ahmad7 :Jaaber IbnSamarah al-Sewaaee says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say during his last pilgrimage (Hajj al-Widaa ):“Surely this religion will always overcome its opponents and no enemy or deserter can ever harm it till there are twelve chiefs from my nation, all of them …”

Then whatever the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said, I could not hear while my father was closer to the mount of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) than me. I asked,‘O father! What did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say which I could not hear?’ He replied, ‘He was saying,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

8. Musnad-e-Ahmad8 :Jaaber IbnSamarah al-Sewaaee says, ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us thus:“Surely this religion shall always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs in it.” Then he uttered something, which I could not understand because the people were crying and shouting. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

9. Musnad-e-Ahmad9 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us atArafaat thus:“This affair (Islam) shall always remain mighty, impregnable and victorious against the all its opponents till it is ruled by twelve, all of them …” I could not understand after that so I asked my father,‘What did he say after all of them?’ He replied:“All of them will be from Quraish.”

10. Musnad-e-Ahmad10 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us atArafaat thus:“This affair (Islam) shall always remain mighty, impregnable and victorious against the all its opponents till it is ruled by twelve all of them will be from Quraish…”

11. Musnad-e-Ahmad11 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that I and my father came to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .), who was saying:“This affair shall always remain righteous till there are twelve chiefs.” Then he said something, which I did not understand. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He answered,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

12. Musnad-e-Ahmad12 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair shall always remain closely united till there are twelve caliphs in it all of them will be from Quraish.”

13. Musnad-e-Ahmad13 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say:“This affair will always survive till there are twelve chiefs in it.” Then he uttered something, which I could not hear. I asked about it from my father. He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

14. Musnad-e-Ahmad14 : Aamir IbnSa’d narrates that I askedJaaber IbnSamarah regarding the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .). He replied, ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said:“The religion (Islam) shall always be upright till there are twelve caliphs from Quraish.”

15. Musnad-e-Ahmad15 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair (Islam) will always remain mighty, impregnable and victorious against its enemies till there are twelve caliphs.” Then he said something, which I could not hear because of the people. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied:“All of them will be from Quraish.”

16. Sahih al-Bukhari16 : Abd al-Malik says that I heardJaaber Ibn Samarah say: ‘I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say,“There will be twelve chiefs” Then he said something which I could not hear. My father informed that he said:“All of them will be from Quraish.”

17. Sahih al-Muslim17 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that I went to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) with my father and heard him say:“This affair will not come to an end till twelve caliphs pass in it.” Then he said something, which I could not hear. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He answered,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

18. Sahih al-Muslim18 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say:“The affair of the people shall continue to survive till twelve people rule over them.” Thereafter the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) uttered something that I did not follow. I asked my father,‘What did theMessengerof Allah (s.a.w.a .) say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

19. Sahih al-Muslim19 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“This religion shall always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs.” Then he said something, which I did not follow. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He said,“They are all from Quraish”.

20. Sahih al-Muslim20 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) said:“This affair shall always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs.” Then he said something, which I did not understand. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

21. Sahih al-Muslim21 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that I went to Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) with my father and heard him say,“This religion shall always remain mighty and impregnable till there are twelve caliphs in it.” Then he uttered something, which I could not hear because of the people. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“They are all from Quraish.”

22. Sahih al-Muslim22 : Aamir IbnSa’d Ibn AbiWaqqaas says that I sent a letter toJaaber IbnSamarah with my slaveNaafe ’ stating,‘Inform me of what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ He wrote to me, ‘On the day of Friday, on the eve of al-Aslami’s stoning, I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“This religion shall survive till the Hour is established or there are twelve caliphs (ruling) upon you. All of them will be from Quraish.”

23. Sunan Abi Dawood23 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“This religion shall always remain mighty till there are twelve caliphs.” Thereafter the people began proclaiming,‘Allah-o-Akbar’ and wailing. Then he (s.a.w.a .) said something slowly. I asked my father,‘O father! What did he say?’ He replied,“They are all from Quraish.”

24. Sunan al-Tirmidhi24 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said:“There will be twelve chiefs after me.” Thereafter he uttered something which I did not follow. I asked the person who was following me. He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.” AbuEesa says,‘This tradition is Hasan and Sahih.’

25. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer25 :Jaaber narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) said:“Islam will always be mighty till there are twelve caliphs.”

26. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer26 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I along with my father, were in the presence of Prophet (s.a.w.a .) when he said:“There will be twelve strong supports for this nation. Whoever forsakes them will not harm them.” Then the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) whispered something which I did not hear. Later I asked my father‘What did he whisper?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

27. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer27 :Jaaber narrates that one day I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressing us thus:“This religion shall always be mighty, impregnable and victorious upon the one who opposes it till twelve rulers (rule over it).” At this juncture the people made a lot of noise due to which I could not hear what he said after‘all of them’ . So, I asked my father,‘O father! What did he say after all of them?’ He informed,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

28. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer28 :Jaaber says I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say in the final pilgrimage (Hajj al-Widaa ),“This affair shall always overcome the one who opposes it. No enemy or opponent will harm it till there will be twelve caliphs from Quraish.”

29. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer29 :Jaaber says, ‘I was in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and he was saying,“The affair of this nation shall always be dominant till there are twelve.” Then he uttered something, which I could not hear. My father was sitting closer to him, so I asked him,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“They are all from Quraish.”

30. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer30 :Jaaber narrates that I went to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) with my father. He (s.a.w.a .) said,“The affair of this nation shall always remain straight and upright till there are twelve caliphs.” Then he said something slowly. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

31. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer31 :Jaaber IbnSamarah al-Sewaaee narrates that I accompanied my father to the mosque while the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) was delivering a sermon. I heard him say,“There will be twelve caliphs after me.” Thereafter he lowered his voice and I could not understand what he said. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

32. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer32 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘We were with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) when he said,“This affair shall survive till twelve chiefs live in it.” Then he (s.a.w.a .) lowered his voice due to which I could not hear. When the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) became silent I asked my father,‘What was it that he uttered in a low voice?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

33. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer33 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates that I accompanied my father to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) and sat with him. Then he said,“Islam shall always remain dominant till there are twelve chiefs or caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

34. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer34 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This religion shall always survive till there are twelve caliphs.” Ismail says,‘I thought my father said that the entire nation will gather on them.’

35. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer35 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“No enemy can harm this religion till there are twelve caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

36. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer36 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair shall always survive till there are twelve caliphs.”

37. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer37 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) declared,“Surely this affair shall always remain dominant. No opponent can harm it till there are twelve chiefs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

38. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer38 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“The affair of this nation shall always remain straight and dominant over its enemy till there are twelve caliphs amongst them. All of them will be from Quraish.” Thereafter he returned to his house followed by the Quraish. They asked him,‘What will happen after that?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“There will be mischief and corruption.”

39. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer39 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I was in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) with my father when he (s.a.w.a .) said,“Surely this affair will neither pass nor come to an end till twelve caliphs live in it.” Then he spoke something which I did not understand. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

40. Al-Mo’jam al-Kabeer40 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) while he was delivering a sermon atop the pulpit saying,“There will be twelve strong people from the Quraish. The one who bears enmity against them, his enmity will not harm them.” Then I turned back and saw that Umar IbnKhattaab and my father were amongst the audience. They confirmed for me what I had heard.

41. Al-Mo’jam al-Awsat41 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I accompanied my father to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .). He prayed with us and after he had finished with his salutations, the people pointed out with their hands on the right side and the left side. He (s.a.w.a .) remarked,“Why is it that you are turning your hands to the right and to the left as if they (hands) are the tails of a rebellious horse? Whenever anyone of you does salaam, then he should do so to the one who is on his right side as well as on his left side.”

Then when they prayed with him (s.a.w.a .) too they did not do that. Later we sat with him (s.a.w.a .) and he (s.a.w.a .) said,“Islam will always be victorious till there are twelve chiefs or caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

42. Al-Malaahim by Ibn Munaadi42 :Jaaber IbnSamarah , while mentioning the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) narrated that he (s.a.w.a .) said,“Religion shall always be impregnable and its followers shall overcome its opponents till there are twelve caliphs.” Thereafter, the people were standing and sitting due to which, when he uttered something I didn’t hear. I asked my father and my brother,‘What did he say?’ He said,“They are all from Quraish.”

43. Al-Mustadrak Alaa al-Sahihain43 :Jaaber narrates that I was with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) when I heard him say,“The affair of this nation shall always remain dominant till there are twelve caliphs.” Then he said something, which I could not hear, while my father was sitting closer to him than me. I asked him,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

44. Tayseer al-Wusool44 :Jaaber IbnSamarah relates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair will always remain mighty and impregnable till there are twelve caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.” He (s.a.w.a .) was asked,‘Then what will happen?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Then there will be mischief.”

45. Nihaayah al-Bidaayah wa al-Nihaayah45 : It is recorded in theSahihain (Sahih-e-Bukhari and Sahih-e-Muslim) on the authority of Abd al-Malik Ibn Umair thatJaaber IbnSamarah has narrated from the Prophet (s.a.w.a .),“There will be twelve caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

46. Yanaabi al-Mawaddah46 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates that I accompanied my father to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and heard him say,“There will be twelve caliphs after me.” Then he lowered his voice. I asked my father,‘What did he say with a low voice?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

47. Taarikh al-Khulafaa47 :Jaaber IbnSamarah narrates from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) that he said,“This affair shall always remain mighty and victorious over its opponents till there are twelve caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.”

48. Al-Jam’bayn al-Sahihain48 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say,“Surely, there will be twelve chiefs after me. All of them will be from Quraish.”

49. Firdaus al-Akhbaar49 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says,‘This religion shall always survive till there are twelve men in it. All of them will be from Quraish.’

50. Al-Ghaibah by No’maani50 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) state,“There will be twelve chiefs after me.” Then he said something that I didn’t hear. I asked the people and my father, who was nearer to him than me. He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

51. Kefaayah al-Asar51 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘I came to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) and heard him say,“Surely, this affair (Islam) will not come to an end till it is ruled by twelve caliphs.” Then he (s.a.w.a .) whispered something. I asked my father,‘What did he say?’ He replied,“They are all from Quraish.”

52. Kamaal al-Deen52 :Jaaber IbnSamarah says, ‘We were with the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) when he said,“Twelve (Caliphs) will follow this affair (Islam).” The people started screaming due to which I could not hear what he said thereafter. I asked my father, who was closer to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) than me,‘What did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say?’ He replied,“All of them will be from Quraish and their likes will not be seen.”

53. Musnad-e-Ahmad53 :Masrooq relates that we were sitting with Abdullah Ibn Masood while he was reciting the Quran for us. Somebody asked him,‘OAbaa Abd al-Rahmaan , did you ask the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) how many caliphs will rule this nation?’ Abdullah Ibn Masood replied, ‘Since I have come to Iraq, nobody has asked me this question before you. Yes, we did ask the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and he replied,“Twelve, like the number of chiefs (nuqabaa ) of Bani Israel.”

54. Al-Ghaibah of No’maani54 :Masrooq narrates that we were sitting with Ibn Masood after the Maghrib prayers and he was teaching the Quran. Somebody asked him, ‘OAbaa Abd al-Rahmaan , did you ask the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) as to how many caliphs will this nation have? He replied, ‘Since I have come to Iraq, nobody has asked me this question before you. Yes, he (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Your caliphs will be twelveequal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

55. Kefaayah al-Asar55 : Abdullah Ibn Masood says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) state,“There will be twelve Imams after me. All of them will be from Quraish.”

56. Kefaayah al-Asar56 :Masrooq narrates that we were with Abdullah Ibn Masood showing our copies of Quran to him when a youth asked him,‘Did your Prophet (s.a.w.a .) promise to you as to how many caliphs will be there after him?’ He replied,‘You are very young in age but youhas asked something which nobody before you have asked. Yes, he (s.a.w.a .) did promise us that after him there will be twelve caliphs equal to the number of chiefs of Bani Israel.’

57. Kefaayah al-Asar57 : AbulQaasim Etaab narrates fromMatraf ,‘We were sitting in the mosque with Abdullah Ibn Masood when an Arab came and enquired, ‘Who is Abdullah Ibn Masood amongst you?’ He replied,‘Yes, I am Abdullah Ibn Masood. What do you want?’ The Arab asked,‘O Abdullah! Did your Prophet (s.a.w.a .) inform you as to how many caliphs will be there amongst you?’ He answered,‘Since I have come to Iraq, nobody has asked me this question before you. Yes, twelve, equal to the number of chiefs of Bani Israel.’

58. Kamaal al-Deen58 :Masrooq narrates that I asked Abdullah (Ibn Masood),‘Did the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) inform you as to how many caliphs will be there after him?’ He replied,‘Yes, twelve caliphs. All of them will be from Quraish.’

59. Muqtazab al-Asar59 :Masrooq narrates that we were sitting with Abdullah Ibn Masood while he was reading the Quran for us when somebody asked him,‘OAbaa Abd al-Rahmaan , did you ask the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) how many caliphs after him will rule this nation?’ He replied, ‘Since I have come to Iraq, nobody has asked me this question. We asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and he responded,“Twelve in number, equal to the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

60. Al-Malaahem60 :Aun Ibn AbiJaheefah relates from his father Wahab Ibn Abdullah al-Sewaaee al-Kufi that we were with the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) and while delivering a sermon, he (s.a.w.a .) prophesied,“Know that the affair of my nation shall always be righteous till there are twelve caliphs in it. All of them will be from Quraish.” Then he lowered his voice, then he (his father - Wahab) said,‘O my son all of them will be from Quraish.’

61. Kanz al-Ummaal61 : This religion shall always be upright till there are twelve from Quraish. When they are no more, the earth will be destroyed with all its inhabitants (IbnNajjaar from Anas).

62. Al-Ebaanah62 : Anas relates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This religion shall always be upright till there are twelve from Quraish. When they pass away the earth will swallow all its inhabitants.”

63. Al-Ghaibah by No’maani63 : Anas IbnMaalik relates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“This affair (Islam) shall always survive till there remain in it twelve strong people from Quraish.” The tradition thereafter continues till its end.

64. Kefaayah al-Asar64 : Anas IbnMaalik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“The Imams after me will be twelve.” Then he lowered his voice and I heard him say,“They are all from Quraish.”

65. Al-Manaaqeb65 : Anas narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“There will be twelve caliphs from us. Allah will help them against those who oppose them, and those who bear enmity against them will not harm them…”

66. Kefaayah al-Asar66 : Abu Saeed Al-Khudri narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) prayed with us the first prayers, then he turned his noble face towards us and addressed thus,“O gathering of my companions! The likeness of myAhle Bait amongst you is like that ofNuh’s Ark and the door ofHittah in the Bani Israel. Then hold on to myAhle Bait after me and the rightly guided Imams from my progeny, you will never be misguided.” It was asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams will there be after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Twelve, from myAhle Bait (or he said) from my progeny.”

67. Sharh Ghaayah Al-Ahkaam67 : AbuQataadah narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“The Imams after me will be equal to thecheifs of the Bani Israel and the companions ofEesa (a.s. ).”

68. Kefaayah al-Asar68 : AbuQataadah relates that I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) say,“How can the nation (of Muslims) be destroyed, while I am the first of it and twelve Imams will be its leaders after me? Surely, only they will be annihilated who will mix mischief with this. I am not from them and they are not from me.”

69. Kefaayah Al-Asar69 :Salmaan narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“There will be twelve Imams after me equal to the number of months in a year. From us is the Mahdi of this nation, for him is theocculation of (Prophet) Musa, the brightness of (Prophet)Eesa , the forbearance of (Prophet) Dawood and the patience of (Prophet) Ayyub.”

70. Kefaayah Al-Asar70 :Salmaan Al-Faarsi relates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“There will be twelve Imams after me.” Then he (s.a.w.a .) said,“All of them will be from Quraish. Thereafter, ourQaim will emerge who will cure the hearts of the believers. Beware; they (the Imams) are more knowledgeable than you so don’t teach them. Beware;surely they are my progeny, from my flesh and my blood. Any nation that attempts to trouble me concerning them, may Allah not make my intercession (shafa’ah ) reach them!”

71. Kefaayah Al-Asar71 :A’raj quotes Abu Hurairah who narrates from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) that he said,“Certainly, I leave amongst you two weighty things (saqalain ), the Book of Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He - whoever follows it will be on guidance and whoever forsakes it will be deviated; then myAhle Bait. I remind you of Allah concerning myAhle Bait (he repeated this thrice).” I (A’raj ) asked Abu Hurairah,‘Are his wives hisAhle Bait?’ He replied, ‘No, hisAhle Bait are his progeny and his family and they are the twelve Imams, whom Allah has mentioned in his saying,

وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ

“And He has placed a remaining word in his posterity.“ ( SurahZukhruf 43:28.)

72. Kefaayah Al-Asar72 : Abu Hurairah relates that I went to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) when this verse was revealed,إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ ۖوَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ “You are only a warner and for every nation there is a guide.” He (s.a.w.a .) recited it for us and said,“I am only a warner, do you know the guide?” We said,‘No, O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“He is the repairer of shoes.”

At this juncture, the necks were raised (in expectation), when Ali (a.s. ) emerged from one of the rooms with the shoe of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) in his hand. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) turned towards us and stated,“Surely he (Ali) is the import of my declaration, the Imam after me, the husband of my daughter and the father of my grandsons. We are theAhle Bait, Allah has dispelled uncleanness from us and purified us from all impurities. He will fight after me for the interpretation (of Quran) just as I struggled for its descent. He is an Imam, the father of illustrious Imams.”

He (s.a.w.a .) was asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Then how many Imams will be there after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Twelve, equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. From us is the Mahdi of this nation. Through him, Allah will fill the earth with justice and equity, as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression. The earth will not be devoid of them but that it will be destroyed along with all its inhabitants.”

73. Kefaayah Al-Asar73 : Umar IbnKhattaab narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“The Imams after me will be twelve.” Then he lowered his voice and I heard him say,“All of them will be from Quraish.”

74. Kefaayah Al-Asar74 :Wathelah Ibn Al-Asqa’ narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“My love and that of myAhle Bait is beneficial in seven places, whose fear is great: At the time of death, in the grave, during resurrection, presentation of books (of deeds), reckoning ( حساب ), scale ( ميزان ) and the path ( صراط ).

Then, whosoever loves me and loves myAhle Bait andclinges on to them after me, we will be his intercessors on the day of judgement.” He was asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How should we cling on to them?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Surely the Imams after me are twelve. Then whoever loves them and follows them, he will be successful and saved. And whoever disobeys them and turns away from them, he will be deviated and misguided.”

75. Kefaayah Al-Asar75 :Wathelah Ibn Al-Asqa’ narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“When I was made to ascend the sky and reached the ‘Sidrah Al-Muntahaa ’, Allah, the Majestic, came near to me and addressed me, ‘O Muhammad!’ I replied, ‘Yes, my Master.’ He said, ‘Surely, whenever I have sent a prophet, I have not brought his days to an end but that I have appointed a successor after him.

Then, appoint Ali Ibn AbiTaalib as the Imam and successor after you. Indeed, I have created both of you from one light and I have created the rightly guided Imams from the lights of you both. Would you like to see them O Muhammad?’ I responded, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He ordered, ‘Raise your head.’ I raised my head and saw the lights of the Imams after me, twelve lights. I asked, ‘O Lord! Whose lights are these?’ He retorted, ‘The lights of the Imams after you, the trustees, the infallibles.’”

76. Al-Kaafi76 : Imam Abu Ja’far II (Ali Naqi) (a.s. ) narrates that Ameer Al-Momineen (a.s. ) said to Ibn Abbas,“Surely, the night of power (( ليلة القدر occurs every year. In this night, the affairs of that year descend. For these affairs, there are masters after the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).” Ibn Abbas inquired,‘Who are they?’ He (a.s. ) replied,“I and eleven from my progeny, Imams and those with whom the angels converse ( محدّثون ).”

77. Al-Kaafi77 : (From the above chain of narrators), the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) advised his companions,“Believe in the night of power, for surely, it is for Ali Ibn AbiTaalib and his eleven descendants after me.”

78. Al-Manaaqeb78 : ImamBaaqer (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“Believe in the night of power, for surely the affairs of the entire year descend in it. For these affairs, there are masters after me and they are Ali Ibn AbiTaalib and eleven descendants from his progeny (a.s. ).”

{Similar traditions have been narrated byJaaber Ibn Abdullah on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and by Ibn Abbas on the authority of Ameer Al-Momineen (a.s. ).}

79. Faraaed Al-Simtain79 : Abu Tufail narrates,‘I was present in the funeral of Abu Bakr the day he died. I also witnessed the day when allegiance was paid to Umar while Ali (a.s. ) was sitting in a corner when a young Jew (who was nicely dressed and was from the progeny of Haroon, the prophet) walked in, came up to Umar and asked him, ‘O chief of the believers! Are you the most knowledgeable of this nation about their book and the affairs of their prophet?’ (On hearing this), Umar lowered his head.

The youth asked again,‘I am addressing you’ and repeated his question. Umar asked,‘What do you want?’ The youth replied,‘I am confused and doubtful about my religion.’ Umar ordered,‘Go to this young man.’ The Jew asked,‘Who is he?’ He replied,‘He is Ali Ibn AbiTaalib , the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and the husband ofFatemah , daughter of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ The Jew turned towards Ali Ibn AbiTaalib (a.s. ) and asked a few questions which Ali (a.s. ) duly replied.

Finally, he asked,‘Inform me of Muhammad (s.a.w.a .), how many just Imams will follow him? And in which Paradise does he reside and who shall accompany him in his Paradise?’ He (a.s. ) replied,“OHarooni ! Surely, for Muhammad there are twelve caliphs, just leaders. One who forsakes them will not harm them nor are they petrified at the opposition of the opponents.

Surely, they are firmer in religion than firmly entrenched mountains. Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) resides in his Paradise with the twelve just Imams.” The Jew remarked,‘You have spoken the truth. By Allah,Who there is no god except Him, certainly I have found this in the books of my father Haroon written with his own hands and dictated by my uncleMoosa (a.s. ).’ (The tradition continues till), thereafter theHarooni shrieked and broke his rosary while uttering,‘I witness that there is no god but Allah, He is One and there is no partner for Him.’

80. Kefaayah Al-Asar80 : Abu Tufail narrates on the authority of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“(O Ali) You are the successor upon the dead from myAhle Bait and the caliph upon the living from my nation. Your war is my war and your peaceis my peace. You are an Imam, the father of eleven Imams from your posterity, Imams, purified and infallible.

From them is the Mahdi, who will fill the earth with justice and equity. Then woe unto those who bear malice against you. O Ali! If a man loves a stone for the sake of Allah, Allah will gather him with that stone. Thus, your lover and your follower and the lovers of the Imams from your descendants after you will be raised with you, while you are with Me at the highest level. You are the distributor of Paradise and Hell. You will make your friends enter Paradise and throw your enemies in Hell.”

81. Dalaael Al-Imamah81 : Muhammad IbnSinaan Al-Zaaheri narrates from Imam Ja’farIbn Muhammad (a.s. ) who vide his ancestors narrates from Ameer Al-Mumineen (a.s. ),“The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said to me, ‘O Ali! When eleven Imams from your descendants will be completed, the eleventh one will be the Mahdi from myAhle Bait (a.s. ).’”

82. Kefaayah Al-Asar82 :Heshaam Ibn Muhammad narrates from his father that when Ameer Al-Mumineen (a.s. ) was martyred, Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s. ) went on the pulpit to speak to the people. Tears flowed from his eyes due to which he sat down for a while. Then, he stood up again and said,“All praise is for Allah,Who was One in His beginning, respected for Divinity in His everlastingness and Great for His Greatness and Power. He created all what He created, without any example preceding His creation. Our Lord is Gracious by the Grace of His Lordship. He knows the goodness of what He split and by the laws of His Power He created what He created.

There is neither decline for His Kingdom nor termination for His duration. He is above all things high and near to everything. He manifested Himself for His creation without being seen while He was at the highest observation point. He became veiled on account of His Light and Sublime in His Highness. He became hidden from His creation and raised to them a witness against them. He sent amongst them Prophets as givers of good news andwarners so that the one who is destroyed is destroyed after explanation and the one who gains life does so after explanation.

That the people mayrealise about their Lord of what they were ignorant concerning Him andrecognise His Lordship after they have denied it. And all praise is for Allah the One Who conferred the caliphate upon us theAhle Bait (a.s. ) and we dedicate our mourning for Ameer Al-Mumineen (a.s. ) to Him.Indeed the East and the West have been afflicted (with this tragedy). By Allah! He did not leave behind any dirhams ordinaars but four hundred dirhams. He intended to buy from it a slave for his family.Indeed my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) has informed me that twelve Imams from hisAhle Bait (a.s. ) will rule the affair (Islam). There is none amongst us but that he will be killed (with sword) or poisoned.”

83. Isbaat Al-Raja’h83 : Imam Sadiq (a.s. ) narrates vide his ancestors from Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba (a.s. ) who says,“I asked my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) concerning the Imams after him.” He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“The Imams after me are equal to the chiefs of Bani Israel. Allah has endowed them with my knowledge and my understanding. You, O Hasan, are from them.” I asked,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! When will theQaem from usAhle Bait emerge?” He (s.a.w.a .) answered,“O Hasan! His likeness is like that of the Hour. Allah has hidden his information from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth. He will not come but suddenly.”

84. Kefaayah Al-Asar84 :Umme Salmah says, ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) regarding the saying of Allah,

فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقًا

(Qur’an SurahNisa 4: 69)

He (s.a.w.a .) replied,

الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ

“Those upon whom Allah has bestowed from the Prophets” implies me;“the truthful ones” refers to Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. );“the witnesses” are Hasan and Husain (a.s. );“the righteous” indicates Hamzah and“how good friends are they” refers to the twelve Imams after me.

85. Al-Ghaibah by No’maani85 : Abdullah Ibn Umar says, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“There will be twelve caliphs after me”

86. Kamaal Al-Deen86 : Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqer (a.s. ) narrates vide his ancestors from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) that he said,“I give you glad tidings - and he (s.a.w.a .) repeated this thrice. The similarity of my nation is like that of rain. One does not follow whether its beginning is good or its end. Surely, the likeness of my nation (Ahle Baita.s. ) is like that of a garden from which one group is fed in one year and another is fed in another year so much so that the last group, which is fed from it, is the broadest of them all, like an ocean, the deepest and tallest of them all and the best of them in love.

How can that nation be destroyed which begins with me and which will end with twelve righteous ones, the possessors of intellect, after me and MaseehEesa , the son of Mariyam? Only those who spread mischief between these two eras will be destroyed. They are not from me and I am not from them.”

87. Kamaal Al-Deen87 : Ameer Al-Mumineen (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“The Imams will be twelve from myAhle Bait (a.s. ). Allah, the High, will grant them my understanding, my knowledge and my wisdom and He will create them from my clay ( طينت ). Then woe unto the arrogant ones against them after me, who will break my relations concerning them. What is wrong with them (opponents)? May Allah not make them reach my intercession!”

88. Kamaal Al-Deen88 : Imam Ali Ibn Husain (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“How can that nation be destroyed whose foremost are me, Ali and eleven of my descendants, the possessors of signs and whose last is Maseeh, the son of Mariyam. But between these two eras, he will be destroyed who is not from me and I am not from him.”

89. Al-Ghaibah by Shaikh Tusi89 : ImamBaaqer (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“O Ali! Myself, you and eleven of my descendants are the buttons of the earth, its stumps and its mountains. Due to us Allah has prevented the earth from swallowing its inhabitants. When the twelfth of my descendants will pass away, the earth will swallow up all its inhabitants and they will not be warned.”

90. Al-Manaaqeb by IbnShahr Aashob90 :Jaaber Al-Jo’fi narrates from Imam Al-Baaqer (a.s. ) in a lengthy tradition concerning the saying of Allah,

فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْناً قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ

(Qur’an Surah Baqarah 2:60 )

That he (a.s ) said,“Certainly, the people ofMoosa , when they complain to him about drought and thirst, they asked him for water andMoosa (a.s. ) provided for them the same.

Then you heard what Allah said for him. Similarly, some believers came to my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Will you introduce unto us who are the Imams after you?’ …… (the traditionscontinues till his saying) “Then surely, when I got Ali married withFatema , I left behind eleven Imams from the progeny of Ali. They will be, including Ali, twelve Imams. All of them will be guides for your nation. Each nation (in its time) will be guided through the Imam of their time and they will know their Imam like the people ofMoosa knew the place of their drink.”

91. Al-Manaaqeb by IbnShahr Aashob91 : ImamBaaqer (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“From myAhle Bait there will be twelve chiefs, those who will be talked to by the angels ( محدّثون ) and those who will be granted understanding ( مفهّمون ). From them is the one who will rise with the truth ( القائم ). He will fill the earth with justice as it would be fraught with injustice.”

92. Al-Khesaal92 : AbuNajraan says that Abu Al-Khuld has narrated to us on oath that this nation will not be destroyed till there will be twelve caliphs in it. All of them will act on guidance and true religion.

93. Kamaal Al-Deen93 :Makhool was asked concerning the saying of the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) that there will be twelve caliphs after me.Makhool replied,‘Yes.’

94. Al-Manaaqeb by IbnShahr Aashob94 narrates from the bookKashf Al-Hayrah : Ameer Al-Mumineen (a.s. ) said, “I warn you concerning Allah. Are you aware that Allah has revealed in SurahHajj,

يَا ايُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا ارْكَعُوْا وَاسْجُدُوْا وَاعْبُدُوْا رَبَّكُمْ

“O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate and worship your Lord …” (till the end of the surah).

At this juncture, Salman stood up and asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) who are these upon whom you are a witness while they are witnesses upon the people, whom Allah has chosen and He has not placed upon them in the religion from the difficulties of the nation of Ibrahim?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“By this verse Allah meant thirteen special people other than this nation.” Salman requested,‘Explain them for us, O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ He (s.a.w.a .) responded,“I, my brother Ali and eleven of my descendants.” They said,‘O Allah! Yes…’

95. Kamaal Al-Deen95 :Sulaim IbnQais Al-Hilaali relates that I heard Ali (a.s. ) say,“No verse from the Quran descended on the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) but that he recited it for me and dictated it, while I jotted it down. He taught me its interpretation, its exegesis, its abrogating verse, its abrogated verse, its clear verse and its ambiguous verse. He prayed to Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, that he should teach me its understanding and itsmemorisation . Consequently, I never forgot even one verse from the Book of Allah, nor the knowledge, which he dictated to me and I had written it down.

He did not leave anything which Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, taught him from the permissible and the prohibited, the commands and the prohibitions, the past and the present, obedience as well as defiance, but that he taught me and Imemorised it. I did not forget even one word from these. Then he placed his hand on my heart and prayed to Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, that He should fill my heart with knowledge, understanding, wisdom and light. I did not forget any of these nor was there anything which I did not write.”

I asked,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .), do you fear forgetfulness for me afterwards?” He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“I do not fear for you forgetfulness or ignorance. Indeed, my Lord, mighty is His Majesty, has informed me that He has responded to my prayer for you and your partners, those who will follow you.” I asked,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Who are my partners after me?” He (s.a.w.a .) replied, “Those whom Allah, Mighty and Glorified be He, has accompanied with Himself and me in His verse

أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

. “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and the possessors of authority amongst you…” (Qur’an SurahNisaa 4: 59)

I inquired,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Who are they?” He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“My successors till they reach unto me at the pond (ofKausar ). All of them are guides and guided. One who forsakes them will not harm them. They are with the Quran and the Quran is with them, neither it will separate from them, nor will they separate from it. Due to them my nation will be helped, due to them they will receive rains, due to them calamity will be dispelled from them and their prayers will be accepted.” I requested,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Name them for me.”

He (s.a.w.a .) rejoined,“This son of mine” and he placed his hand on the head of Hasan,“then this son” and he kept his hand on the head of Husain (peace be on them both),“then his son Ali, who will be born in your life, so convey my salaam to him and thus twelve (Imams) will be completed.” I prayed,“May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .), name each one of them for me.”

So, he (s.a.w.a .) named them one by one. By Allah! O brother of BaniHilaal , amongst them, is the Mahdi of this nation, Muhammad, the one who will fill the earth with justice and equity like it has been fraught with injustice. By Allah!Surely I know who will pay allegiance to him between theRukn and theMaqaam (inKaabaa ) and I know their names and their fathers and their tribes.

96. E’laam Al-Waraa96 : Abu Tufail narrates that Abdullah Ibn Umar said to me, ‘O Abu Tufail! I counted the number of caliphs after the Prophet (s.a.w.a .). Then, there will be killing and fighting.

97. Al-Ghaibah of No’maani97 : Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqer (a.s. ) looked atHumraan and cried. He (a.s. ) said,“OHumraan ! I am amazed at the people as to how they neglect or forget or pretend to forget. They forgot the saying of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) when he was ill. People had come to visit him and were sending salutations on him, when he (s.a.w.a .) began grieving for his family. At that moment Ali (a.s. ) came, saluted (the Prophets.a.w.a .) but could not walk past the crowds nor did they make place for him. When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) saw this, he raised his head and called out, “Come to me O Ali.”

When the people saw this, some of them leaned on the others and made way for him till he passed by them and reached the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) who made him sit by his side and said,“O people! This is what you are doing to myAhle Bait (a.s. ) in my life while I am seeing, then what will you do after my death?! By Allah! You will not gain proximity to myAhle Bait (a.s. ) but that you will be nearer to Allah in levels and you will not distance yourself from them or turn away from them a single step but that Allah will turn away from you.”

Then he (s.a.w.a .) said, “O people! Listen (to what I am saying to you). Beware! Surely, satisfaction, bliss and love are for the one who loves Ali (a.s. ), befriends him, follows him, his virtues and my successors after him. It is my right upon my Lord that He answers me concerning them. Certainly, they are twelve successors and whoever follows them, indeed he is from me while Ibrahim (a.s. ) is from me and I am from Ibrahim (a.s. ). My religion is his religion and his religionis my religion. His relation is my relation and my relationis his relation. My virtue is his virtue while I am superior to him and (I am) not proud. My claim is verified by the saying of my Lord,

ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِن بَعْضٍۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

98. Al-Radd Alaa Al-Zaidiyyah98 : Ibn Abbas narrates that I asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) while he was on his deathbed,‘When that will occur from which we seek refuge in Allah (i.e. your demise), then to whom (should we refer)?’ He (s.a.w.a .) pointed out towards Ali (a.s. ) and remarked,“To him, for surely he is with the truth and the truth is with him. He will be followed by eleven Imams, whose obedience will be obligatory like my obedience.”

99. Al-Radd Alaa Al-Zaidiyyah99 :Musannaa narrates from his father that he askedAishaa as to how many successors will the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) have? She replied,‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) informed me that there will be twelve successors after him.’ Musannaa’s father asked her,‘Who are they?’ She replied,‘Their names are written with me, as per the dictation of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ He requested her,‘Show them to me.’ But she refused.

100. Kamaal Al-Deen100 : Imam Jafar Ibn Muhammad (peace be on them both) in a lengthy tradition has talked about a Jew who came to Umar and posed a few questions to him, who directed him to Ali (a.s. ). Among the questions that the Jew asked Ali (a.s. ) was,‘How many guided Imams does this nation have that if someone follows them will not be harmed?’ He (a.s. ) replied,“Twelve Imams.” The Jew remarked,‘You have said the truth, by Allah. Surely, Haroon (a.s. ) has written the same on the dictation ofMoosa (a.s. ).’

101. Kamaal Al-Deen101 : ImamSadeq (a.s. ), in a lengthy tradition has talked about the questions which a young Jew has enquired from Ali (a.s. ) and to which he (a.s. ) has responded. The Jew asked,‘Inform me as to how many Imams, those who are guides and rightly guided, will be there for this nation that if someone forsakes them, will not harm them? And inform me where is the position of Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) in paradise? And from his nation who will be with him in paradise?’

Ali (a.s. ) replied,“As for your question that how many Imams, who are guides and rightly guided, will be there for this nation, then certainly there will be twelve guides and rightly guided Imams for this nation. He who forsakes them, will not harm them. As for your question, where is the place of Muhammad in paradise, (know that) it is in the most superior and most noble place (called as جنّة عدن ). As for your question, from his nation who will be with him in paradise, (know that) these are the twelve guided Imams.” The youth exclaimed,‘You have said the truth. By Allah,Who there is no god except Him, certainly this is written with me as per the dictation ofMoosa (a.s. ) and penned by Haroon (a.s. ) in his own handwriting.’

102. Kefaayah Al-Asar102 : Abu Khalid Al-Kabuli narrates,‘I went to Imam Ali Ibn Husain (a.s. ) while he was sitting in his prayer niche. I too sat down, when he turned to me and was caressing his beard.’ I asked,‘O master! Inform me how many Imams will be there after you?’ He (a.s. ) replied,“Eight.” I inquired,‘How?’ He (a.s. ) reasoned,“For, the Imams after the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) will be twelveequal to the number of the grandsons. Three were in the past and I am the fourth. There will be eight righteous Imams from mydescendents . Whoever loves us and acts as per our command, will be at the highest grade. But whoever hates us and rejects us or rejects even one of us, then indeed, he has denied Allah and His signs.”

103. Kefaayah Al-Asar103 : Zaid Ibn Ali Ibn Husain narrates that my father was in the company of a few of his friends, when a person stood up and asked,‘O son of Allah’ s Messenger, has your Prophet informed you as to how many Imams will be there after him?’ He (a.s. ) replied,“Yes,twleve Imams equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

104. Kefaayah Al-Asar104 :Sulaiman Al-Qasri relates that I asked Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s. ) concerning the Imams. He (a.s. ) replied,“Their number will be equal to the months of a year.”

105. Kefaayah Al-Asar105 : Husain, a son of the fourth Imam, Ali Ibn Husain (a.s. ) narrates that a person enquired from my father concerning the Imams. He (a.s. ) replied,“(They will be) twelve in number, seven will be from his descendants and placed his hand on the shoulder of my brother Muhammad (al-Baaqer ).”

106. Al-Kaafi106 : ImamBaaqer (a.s. ) said,“Surely Allah sent Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) to the Jinn and the humans and He has appointed twelve successors after him. Some have passed while others are yet to come. The tradition ( سنّة ) continues through each successor. The successors of Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) are on the tradition ( سنّة ) of the successors ofEesa (a.s. ) and they are twelve in number. Ameer Al-Momineen (a.s. ) was on the tradition ( سنّة ) of Maseeh (a.s. ).”

107. Oyoon Al-Akhbaar Al-Reza107 :Zoraarah says that I heard Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baaqer ) (a.s. ) say,“We are twelve Imams from the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.a .). All of them are the spoken ones ( محدّثون ) after the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) is amongst them.”

108. Al-Kaafi108 :Sama’ah IbnMehraan narrates that I and AbuBaseer were with Muhammad IbnImraan , the slave of Imam MuhammadBaaqer (a.s. ) in his house at Mecca. Muhammad IbnImraan said, ‘I heard ImamSadeq (a.s. ) say,“We are the twelve spoken ones ( محدّث ).”‘ At this AbuBaseer asked him, ‘You heard from ImamSadeq (a.s. )?’ So he swore on oath that he had indeed heard from him. To which AbuBaseer retorted,‘But I have heard it from ImamBaaqer (a.s. ).’

109. Al-Kaafi109 :Karraam says that I took a pledge that I will not have lunch ever till theQaem ofAale Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) reappears. So, I went to ImamSadeq (a.s. ) and said to him,‘A person from your Shias has taken an oath on Allah that he will not take lunch till theQaem ofAale Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) reappears.’

Imam (a.s. ) advised,“OKarraam ! You fast instead but do not fast on the twoEids nor the three days after the Eid Al-Zoha nor when you are traveling or when you are sick. For surely, when Husain (a.s. ) was martyred, the heavens, the earth and whatever is on them and the angels cried, ‘Our Lord! Permit us to destroy the creatures that we may replace the earth with a new one because of what they have violated of Your sanctity and martyred the chosen one.’ Allah revealed to them, ‘O My angels, O My heavens and O My earth, be calm.’ Then He lifted a curtain from the many curtains behind which were Muhammad (s.a.w.a .) and his twelve successors (a.s. ). Then He took the hand of theQaem from them and said, “O My angels, O My heavens and O My earth, through him I will gain victory.” He repeated this thrice.

110. Al-Kaafi110 : Abi Hamzah says that I heard Imam Ali Ibn Husain (a.s. ) say,“Surely, Allah created Muhammad and Ali and eleven of his descendants from the Light of His Greatness. Then He made them stand as shadows in the resplendence of this Light. They worship Him before He created the creation, glorifying Him and purifying Him. And these are the Imams from the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).”

111. Kamaal Al-Deen111 : Abu Hamzah narrates that ImamSadeq (a.s. ) said,“There will be twelve Mahdi (guided leaders) from us.”

112. Kamaal Al-Deen112 : AbuBaseer says that I heard ImamSadeq (a.s. ) say,“From us there will be twelve Mahdi. Six have passed and six are remaining. Allah will do with the sixth as He pleases.”

113. Kamaal Al-Deen113 : Ibrahim Al-Karkhi narrates that I went to AbuAbdillah Jafar Ibn Muhammad Al-Sadeq (a.s. ) and was sitting in his presence when Abu Al-Hasan Musa Ibn Jafar (a.s. ) entered while he was a boy. I stood up, kissed him and sat with him. Then AbuAbdillah (a.s. ) remarked,“O Ibrahim! Know that, he is your master after me. Know that, concerning him one group will be destroyed while another will be saved. Then may Allah curse his killer and multiply His chastisement for the one who fights against him.

Know that, certainly Allah will bring out from his progeny the best of the inhabitants of the earth in his time. He will be named after his grandfather, he will be the inheritor of this knowledge and his laws in his judgements, the treasure-chest ofImamat and the fountainhead of wisdom. The tyrant king of Bani (Abbas) will kill him after his amazing acts, due to envy.

But Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) will convey His affairs even if the polytheists dislike it. And Allah will bring forth from his progeny the completion of twelve Mahdi (guided leaders). Allah has chosen them for His nobility, permitted for them the abode of His Holiness and the twelfth awaited one is from them, as if with an open sword standing in front of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) in hisdefence .”

Then a person from the friends of BaniUmayyah entered due to which Imam had to cut short his speech. I returned to AbuAbdillah (a.s. ) eleven times that he (a.s. ) may complete his talk but was unable to do so. In the coming year, which was the second year, I went to him while he was sitting. He (a.s. ) said,“O Ibrahim! He is the one who will provide salvation to his Shias after intense straitening, lengthy calamities, grief and fear. Then congratulations to him who finds his time. This is enough for you O Ibrahim.” Ibrahim said,‘Then nothing was dearer to my heart or soothed my eyes more than this talk.’

114. Al-Taraaef114 : In his bookTafseer Al-Quran Al-Suda , who is amongst the ancient and reliable commentators of theAhle Sunnah, writes, ‘WhenSaarah dislike the position ofHaajarah , Allah the High, revealed to Ibrahim Al-Khaleel (a.s. ) ordering,“Go withIsmaaeel and his mother till you reach to my House at Makkah. For surely, I will spread his progeny and will make them as a standard against the one who disbelieves in Me. I will appoint from them a great Prophet, the one who will dominate all religions. I will select from his progeny twelve great personalities and will make his descendants equal to the number of the stars of the sky.”

It is recorded inKashf Al-Astaar and it is mentioned that a group has narrated from Al-Suda that he said, ‘Whatever has been mentioned in the Torah in the first chapter of Exodus is very near. That is, after the ending of the story ofSaarah and what Allah prophesied to Ibrahim (a.s. ) concerning his affair and his progeny when He (Mighty and Glorified be He) said,“And indeed, I have accepted your prayers concerningIsmaaeel and I have heard you regarding My blessings on him. Soon, I will multiply his (descendants) and twelve great personalities will be born from him. I will make them Imams like great branches.” This is found in some of the ancient compilations, but in the present manuscript available with us, it is inscribed,“Twelve nobles will be born from him. And I will make from him a great nation…”

115. Al-Ghaibah by Shaikh Tusi (a.r. )115 : Ibn Abbas narrates thatJibraeel (a.s. ) descended with a book from Allah upon the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .), in which there were twelve golden rings (in chain form). Then he said to him (s.a.w.a .),“Surely, Allah the High, conveys salaam to you and orders you that you hand over this book to the chosen one from your family after you. He will separate from it the first ring and do according to what is in it. When he is about to expire, he should hand it (the chain of the remaining eleven rings) over to his successor after him. Thus, the first will hand over to the last, one after the other.”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) did as he was ordered. Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) separated the first of them (the rings) and acted as per its instructions. Then he (a.s. ) handed it (the chain of the remaining eleven rings) over to Hasan (a.s. ), who separated his ring and acted upon it. He (a.s. ) handed over to Husain (a.s. ), who passed it (the chain of the remaining ten rings) on to Ali Ibn Husain (a.s. ). This went on from one to another till it reached the last one amongst them.

116. Muqtazab Al-Asar116 : Abd Al-Aziz IbnKhuzair narrates that I heard AbdallahIbn AbiAwfaa say that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) prophesied,“There will be twelve caliphs from the Quraish after me. Thereafter, there will be widespread mischief.” I (Abd Al-Aziz) asked,‘Did you (Abd Allah) hear it from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)?’ He replied,‘Yes, I heard from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .).’ That day Abdallah Ibn AbiAwfaa was wearing a silk cap.

117. Basaaer Al-Darajaat117 : ImamBaaqer (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) predicted,“From my progeny, there will be twelveMuhaddath (those with whom the angels converse).” On hearing this, Abdallah Ibn Zaid, who was Imam’s cousin, exclaimed unbelievingly, ‘Glory be to Allah! There will be محدّث ?’ Abu Jafar (a.s. ) turned to him and retorted,“By Allah! Surely your brother knows about it.” On this he kept quiet. Then Abu Jafar (a.s. ) remarked,“This is the thing in which Abu Al-Khattaab was destroyed. He could not follow the interpretation of (the difference between) a محدّث and a Prophet.”

118. Muqtazab Al-Asar118 : Hasan Ibn Abu Al-Hasan Al-Basri narrates directly (مرفوعًا ) thatJibraeel (a.s. ) came to the Prophet (s.a.w.a .) and said,“O Muhammad! Allah orders you to getFatemah (a.s. ) married to your brother Ali (a.s. ).” The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) called for Ali (a.s. ) and said to him,“O Ali! I am getting you married to my daughterFatemah (a.s. ), the chief of the women of the universe and the most beloved of them to me after you. From you two (will be born) the two chiefs of the people of Paradise. The slain and oppressed martyrs in the earth will be after me. They are the bright chosen ones, through them Allah will dispel the darkness, enliven the truth and destroy falsehood. Their number is the number of the months of a year.Eesa the son of Maryam (a.s. ) will pray behind the last of them.”

119. Muqtazab Al-Asar119 :Abaan Ibn Umar says that I was with AbuAbdillah (a.s. ) whenSufyaan Ibn Mus’ab Al-Abdi entered and asked, ‘May I be held your ransom, what is your view concerning the saying of Allah, High be His remembrance,

وَ عَلَى الْاعْرَافِ رِجَال يَعْرِفُوْنَ كُلاًّ بِسِيْمَاهُمْ

(Qur’an SurahA’raaf 7: 46)

He (a.s. ) replied,“They are the twelve successors from the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.a .). Nonerecognises Allah except the one whorecognises them and theyrecognise him.” He inquired,‘Then what isA’raaf , may I be held your ransom?’ He (a.s. ) retorted,“A hillock of musk on which are the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and the successors. Theyrecognise each and every one by their foreheads.”

120. ManLaa Yahzoroh al-Faqih120 : Abu al-Jaarood narrates from Imam Abu Jafar (a.s. ) who cites on the authority ofJaaber IbnAbdillah Al-Ansaari ,‘I went toFatemah (a.s. ). There was a tablet placed before her in which were the names of the successors from her progeny. I countedupto twelve, one of them was Al-Qaem (a.s. ), three were named Muhammad and four were named as Ali (peace be on them all).’

121. Al-Hidaayah121 : Imam Zain Al-Aabedeen (a.s. ) narrates a lengthy tradition from his father AbiAbdillah Al-Husain, the chief of the martyrs (a.s. ) in which he has discussed as to what will happen to him, his family and his friends till the talk reached to me (Imam Zain Al-Aabedeen (a.s. )). At this juncture,Zohair Ibn Al-Qain and Habib Ibn Al-Mazaaher asked Imam Husain (a.s. ) concerning me (Imam Zain Al-Aabedeen (a.s. )),‘What will be his condition?’ pointing towards me. Tears welling in his eyes, Imam Husain (a.s. ) replied,“Allah did not terminate my progeny till the end of this world, then how do they reach unto him while he is the father of eight Imams?”

122. Al-Iqbaal122 : In a lengthy tradition, Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a.s. ) has spoken about the recognition of the new moon and explained in it the number of Imams (a.s. ) and that they are twelve.

123. Al-Fetan123 : Abdullah Ibn Masood narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) stated,“There will be twelve caliphs after me equal to the number of the chiefs ( نقباء ) ofMoosa .”

124. Al-Musnad124 :Masrooq narrates that we were sitting with Abdullah in the mosque and he was reciting for us (the Quran) when a man entered and asked him,‘O son of Masood! Has your Prophet (s.a.w.a .) informed you as to how many caliphs will be there after him?’ He replied,‘Yes. Like the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.’

125. Kefaayah Al-Asar125 : AbuZarr (a.r. ) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) saying,“Whoever loves me and myAhle Bait (a.s. ), then he and we are like this - indicating with his index and middle fingers.”

Then he (s.a.w.a .) said,“My brother is the best of successors, my grandsons are the best of grandsons. Soon Allah, Blessed and High be He, will bring out from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ), noble Imams. And from us is the Mahdi of this nation.” I asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams will follow you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) responded,“Equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

126. Kefaayah Al-Asar126 : AbuZarr Al-Ghaffaari (r.a. ) narrates that I went to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) during the illness in which he (s.a.w.a .) expired. He (s.a.w.a .) said,“O AbuZarr ! Bring my daughterFatemah to me.” He says,‘I stood up and went to her and said, ‘O Chief of the Maidens! Answer your father’ .’

He says, ‘She wore her covering and came out till she reached the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .). On seeing her, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) fell on her. She cried and the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) cried too due to her crying and embraced her. Then he (s.a.w.a .) said,“OFatemah ! Don’t cry, may your father be your ransom. For, you will be the first one to join me while you will be oppressed and your rights will be usurped. After me soon there will appear the hatred of hypocrisy wearing the garb of religion. You will be the first to meet me at the pond (ofKausar ).”

She (a.s. ) asked,“O father! Where shall I meet you?”

He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“You will meet me at the pond while I am giving drink to your followers and your enthusiasts and am driving away your enemies and those who hate you.”

She (a.s. ) asked,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! If I don’t meet you at the pond?”

He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Then I will meet you at the scale ( ميزان ).”

She (a.s. ) enquired,“O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! If I don’t meet you at the scale?”

He (s.a.w.a .) replied, “You will meet me at the صراط , while I will be saying,‘Salute, salute the followers of Ali (a.s. ).”

AbuZarr (r.a. ) says, ‘Her heart was contented.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) turned towards me and said,“O AbuZarr ! She is a part of me. Whoever harms her has indeed harmed me. Beware! She is the chief of the women of the Universe, her husband is the chief of the successors, her two sons, Hasan (a.s. ) and Husain (a.s. ) are the chiefs of the youth of paradise.

They are Imams whether they are standing or sitting and their father is better than both of them. Soon, nine infallible and just Imams will emerge from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ) and from us is the Mahdi of this nation.” I asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams will be there after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

127. Kefaayah Al-Asar127 : Anas IbnMaalik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) led us in the morning prayers. Thereafter, he (s.a.w.a .) faced us and said,“O my companions! Whoever loves myAhle Bait (a.s. ) will be raised with us. Whoever fastens to my successors after me, indeed he has fastened to the strongest rope.” AbuZarr Al-Ghaffaari (r.a. ) stood up and asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams will be there after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.” Again he asked,‘All of them will be from yourAhle Bait (a.s. )?’ He (s.a.w.a .) responded,“All of them will be from myAhle Bait (a.s. ), nine will be from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ) and the Mahdi is amongst them.”

128. Kefaayah Al-Asar128 : Abu Hurairah narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us as follows,“O people! Whoever intends to live my life and die my death, then he must accept the mastership of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) and follow the Imams after him.” He (s.a.w.a .) was asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams are there after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of the grandsons ( اسباط of Bani Israel).”

129. Kefaayah Al-Asar129 : Zaid IbnArqam says that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us in a sermon. After praising Allah and glorifying Him, he (s.a.w.a .) said,“I advise you to fear Allah from Whom the servants cannot be needless. Surely, one who is inclined towards piety will be guided in this world and know that death is path of the worlds, the fate of the surviving ones and seizes the standingones.Those who flee from it are helpless but to meet it. It destroys every pleasure, does away with every bounty and dispels all happiness.

The world is the abode of destruction. It will dislodge all its inhabitants. It is a fresh sweet meat which is sweet for its seeker. May Allah have mercy on you, gather the best possible provision from it as you can and do not seek from it what is more than necessary for you. Do not look longingly towards what the extravagant ones enjoy.

Beware! Surely the world disguises, turns away, becomes worn out and seeks leave. But know that, the hereafter then enters and embraces with an announcement.

O people! As if I am at the pond (ofKauthar ) seeing that some of you come to me while others are driven away. I plead, ‘O Lord! They are from me and from my nation.’ It will be said, ‘Do you understand what they have done after you? By Allah! They turned on their backs after you.’

O people! I advise you (to fear) Allah and be good to my progeny and myAhle Bait (a.s. ). Forsurely they are the truth and the truth is with them. They are the rightly guided Imams after me and the trustworthy infallibles.” Abdullah Ibn Abbas stood up and asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .), how many Imams will be there after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel and the companions ofHazrat Eesa (a.s. ). Nine of them will be from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ) and from them is the Mahdi of this nation.”

130. Kefaayah Al-Asar130 : The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“Charity ( صدقه ) is not permitted for me and myAhle Bait (a.s. ).” We asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Who are yourAhle Bait (a.s. )?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“MyAhle Bait (a.s. ) are my progeny. They are my flesh and my blood. They are the Imams after me and equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

131. Kefaayah Al-Asar131 :Waaselah Ibn Al-Asqa’ narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) declared,“Faith shall not be complete except with the love of usAhle Bait (a.s. ). Certainly, Allah, Blessed and High be He, has promised me that none shall love usAhle Bait (a.s. ) but a pious believer and none shall hate us but an unfortunate hypocrite.

Then congratulations to the one who fastens unto me and the pure Imams (a.s. ) from my progeny.” He (s.a.w.a .) was asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams (a.s. ) will follow you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

132. Kefaayah Al-Asar132 : Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“I am the chief of the Prophets. Ali is the chief of the successors. My grandsons are the best grandsons. From us are the infallible Imams (a.s. ) from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ) and from us is the Mahdi of this nation.”

At this juncture, abedouin Arab stood up and enquired,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! How many Imams will follow you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Equal to the number of grandsons, the companions ofEesa (a.s. ) and the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

133. Kefaayah Al-Asar133 :Huzaifah IbnUsaid narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say on his pulpit, “O people!Surely I will depart from you and you will come to me at the Pond (ofKauthar ), the breadth of which is more than the distance betweenBasrah (in Iraq) andSan’aa (in Yemen). In it are silver goblets equal to the number of stars. When you come to me, I will ask you about the two weighty things (ثقلين ). Then be careful as to how you treat them after me. The greater weighty thing (ثقل اكبر ) is the Book of Allah, a part of which is with Allah and a part of it is with you.

Then, hold on to it and you will never deviate. Never seek to replace my progeny,Ahle Bait (a.s. ) because the Gracious, the All-Knowing has informed me that these two shall never separate from each other till they meet me at the Pond. (O people! As if I am at the Pond) waiting for you to come to me but soon some of you shall be driven away from me. I will plead,‘My Lord! These are from me and from my nation.’ It will be said,‘O Muhammad! Do you know what they did? They turned on their backs after you.’

Then he (s.a.w.a .) continued,“I advise you to be good to my progeny, myAhle Bait (a.s. ) (and he repeated this thrice).” Salman rose and asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Will you inform me about the Imams after you? Are they not from your progeny?’ He (s.a.w.a .) responded,“Yes, the Imams after me are from my progeny and equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. Nine of them will be from the descendants of Husain (a.s. ). Allah has granted them my knowledge and my understanding. Therefore, do not teach them because they are more learned than you and follow them because they are with the truth and the truth is with them.”

134. Kefaayah Al-Asar134 :Huzaifah IbnUsaid narrates that when Salman asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) about the Imams, I heard him answer,“The Imams after me are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. Nine of them will be from the progeny of Husain (a.s. ). From us is the Mahdi of this nation. Know that they are with the truth and the truth is with them. Then see how you treat them after me.”

135. Kefaayah Al-Asar135 :Waaselah Ibn Al-Asqa’ narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“Consider the position ofAhle Bait (a.s. ) (vis-à-vis yourselves) like the position of the head with regards to the body and the eyes to the head. Surely, the head cannot be guided but through the eyes. Follow them after me and you will never be deviated.” Then we asked about the Imams. He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“The Imams after me from my progeny, myAhle Bait (a.s. ) are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

136. Kefaayah Al-Asar136 :Imraan IbnHaseen narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) addressed us thus,“O people! Soon I will depart from you and go to the unseen (world). I advise you to be good to my progeny.” Salman stood up and asked,‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Are not the Imams after you from your progeny?’

He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“Yes, the Imams after me are from my progeny. They are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. Nine of them will be from Husain’s (a.s. ) offspring. The Mahdi of this nation is from us. Whoever fastens untothem, then indeed he has fastened to the rope of Allah. Do not teach them because they are more knowledgeable than you. Follow them because they are with the truth and the truth is with themtill they come to me at the Pond.”

137. Kefaayah Al-Asar137 :Imraan IbnHaseen narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say to Ali (a.s. ),“You are the inheritor of my knowledge and you are the caliph after me. After me, you will teach the people what they do not know. You are the father of my two grandsons and the husband of my daughter. From your offspring is the progeny, the infallible Imams.” Salman asked him about the Imams. He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“They are equal to the number of chiefs of Bani Israel.”

138. Kefaayah Al-Asar138 :Huzaifah IbnUsaid says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say on the pulpit when they asked him about the Imams (except for the fact that he has not mentioned the name of Salman in his tradition),“The Imams after me are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. Beware! They are with the truth and the truth is with them.”

139. Kefaayah Al-Asar139 : Ameer Al-Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“If anyone from the progeny of a Prophet carries the name of the Prophet, Allah deputes to them an angel who guides them. Surely, from the Imams after me, there is (an Imam) whose name is my name and the one whoMoosa Ibn Imran has named.

Surely, the Imams after me are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel. Allah has granted them my knowledge and my understanding. Whoever opposes them has opposed me. Whoever rejects and denies them,

than indeed he has rejected and denied me. Whoever loves me (or loves them) in the way of Allah, surely, he will be from the successful ones on the day of judgment.”

140. Kefaayah Al-Asar140 : Ameer Al-Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s. ) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“Soon my nation will be divided into seventy-three sects. One sect amongst them will be the saved ones while the remaining shall be destroyed. The saved one are those who will fasten to your mastership, take from your knowledge and will not act whimsically. As for the remaining ones, they shall not find any path.” I asked about the Imams. He (s.a.w.a .) replied,“They are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

141. Kefaayah Al-Asar141 :Sedaad Ibn Aws narrates that on the day of Jamal (battle of Jamal), I said unto myself,‘I will neither fight with nor against Ali.’ Hence, I stopped till it was noon. As night approached, Allah inspired in my heart that I should fight with Ali. I duly obliged and the result was what eventually transpired. Later, I returned toMadina and paid a visit toUmme Salmah .

She asked me,‘From where are you coming?’ I replied,‘FromBasrah .’ She inquired,‘You were on which side?’ ‘O mother of believers! I had refrained from fighting till noon but later Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) inspired me to fight alongside Ali’ , was my response. She said, ‘Excellent. I have indeed heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“Whoever fights against Ali, has fought against me and whoever has fought against me, has fought against Allah.”

I asked,‘Then, do you think that right was with Ali?’ She replied, ‘Yes, by Allah. Ali is with truth and truth is with Ali. By Allah! The nation of Muhammad has not dealt justly with their Prophet (s.a.w.a .), when they forwarded whom Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) and His Messenger (s.a.w.a .) withheld and restrained whom Allah, the High, and His Messenger (s.a.w.a .) advanced.

They protected their families in their houses and brought forth the family of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) for slaughter. Indeed, I have heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say,“For my nation, there will be a sect and a succession. So, bring it together whether they congregate or split and acquire the middle path. Take care of myAhle Bait (a.s. ). If they fight, you fight too and if they are at peace, you be at peace as well. If they withdraw, you retreat too because the truth is with them wherever they are.”

I asked,‘Who are hisAhle Bait (a.s. ), whom we are ordered to fasten unto?’ She replied,‘They are the Imams after him (s.a.w.a .) who, as he said, are equal to the number of the chiefs of the Bani Israel. Ali, his (s.a.w.a .) two grandsons and nine from the posterity of Husain are his (s.a.w.a .)Ahle Bait (a.s. ). They are the purified and infallible Imams.’ I exclaimed,‘By Allah! In this case, the people are destroyed.’ She retorted,‘Each group is proud for what is with them.’

142. Kefaayah Al-Asar142 :Ishaaq Ibn Ammar narrates from Imam Jafar Ibn Muhammad, who in turn narrates from his ancestors that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) said,“The Imams after me are equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel and the companions ofEesa (a.s. ). Whoever loves them is a believer and whoever bears hatred against them is a hypocrite. They are Allah’s proofs in His creation and His signs among His them.”

143. Kefaayah Al-Asar143 :Jaaber IbnYazeed al-Jo’fi narrates from Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Baaqer (a.s. ), who in turn narrates from his father Ali Ibn Husain Zain al-Abedeen (a.s. ) that Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s. ) remarked,“The Imams are equal to the number of the chiefs of the Bani Israel. From us is the Mahdi of this nation.”

144. Kefaayah Al-Asar144 : Abbas IbnSahl al-Saaedi narrates from his father,‘I askedFatemah al-Zahra (a.s. ) concerning the Imams (a.s. ).’ She replied,“I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) say, ‘The Imams after me are equal to the number of the chiefs of the Bani Israel.”

145. Al-Khesaal145 :Masruq cites that a person came to (Abdullah) Ibn Mas’ud and asked,‘Has your Prophet informed you as to how many successors will follow him (s.a.w.a .)?’ He replied,“Yes. None before youhas asked me this question while you are the youngest of them all in age. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) had said, ‘There will be twelve (successors) after me equal to the number of the successors ofMoosa (a.s. ).”

146. Al-Manaaqeb146 :A’mash quotes on the authority of Imam Husain Ibn Ali (a.s. ),“I asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .), ‘Inform me, O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .)! Will there be a Prophet after you?’ He (s.a.w.a .) replied, ‘No. I am the seal of the Prophets but twelve Imams will follow me, who will uphold justice and will be equal to the number of the chiefs of Bani Israel…”

147. Al-Kaafi Fi Al-Fiqh147 : The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) informed that the number of Imams after me will be equal to the number of chiefs of Bani Israel.

148. Taqreeb Al-Maaref148 : It has been reported directly on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) that he (s.a.w.a .) remarked,“The number of Imams after me are equal to the chiefs of Bani Israel.”

Geographical location of Ghadir

Ghadir literary means small lake or pond. Ghadir is the name of a place that comes on the way from Mecca to Medina. It is 3 miles further than Johfa towards Medina. Though geographically it exists on the way to Medina but this place acted as an exit point for all the people going out from Mecca for all the other places. When the Holy Prophet halted at this place after his last pilgrimage to make his all-significant announcement it was extremely hot at that time, and it was close to mid-day. There was no shelter present over there at that time. In fact there existed merely small minor patches of shades provided by a few acacia trees.

Date:

The date is 18th Zilhajjah of the year 10 AH. (10 March 632) Event Backdrop:

The Holy Prophet asked his companions to call the Muslims in general to attend for a pilgrimage to the Holy Kaaba. The Holy Prophet specified that he himself would also be there to attend for the pilgrimage and teach the Muslims the rituals of the pilgrimage and convey his significant messages directly to all. The call for the pilgrimage was made. On his way to Makkah more than 70,000 Muslims joined him. By the fourth of Zilhajjah more than 120,000 Muslims had collected for the Haj with the Holy Prophet.

After the Last pilgrimage:

After completing the last pilgrimage the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) along with the Muslims set out of Mecca. On their way back the Muslims reached a place called Ghadir-e-khumm. The following verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet: "0 Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your God; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people..." ( Quran 5:67) Delivery of the sermon:

On receiving the above verse, the Holy Prophet stopped at that very place called Ghadir-e-khum. He ordered his companions to call back those of the Muslims who had gone ahead. He waited for those Muslims who had remained behind to join them. He ordered Salman to prepare for a pulpit with the help of rocks and camel tooling. It was prime noontime and Muslims had covered their heads and legs on account of the heat. Muslims sat near the temporary pulpit. The Holy Prophet was at this place for about 5 hours. He recited nearly 100 verses of the Holy Quran most of which were in the praise of Ali. Seventy three times he reminded and admonished the Muslims about their deeds and future.

The following is a part of the lengthy speech of --the Holy Prophet which has also been narrated by the Sunni scholars repeatedly:

"It seems the time has approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things. And if you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny that is my Ahlul Bayt.

These two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)." Then the Holy Prophet in an attempt to remind Muslims of his own authority over them said: "Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" Muslims answered unanimously "Yes, 0' Messenger of God". This served as a stepping stone for the announcement of his successor and vicegerent. The Holy Prophet held out the hand of Ali (p.b.u.h.) and said: "For whomever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." The Holy Prophet then continued to say: "0' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him." Revelation of the verse 5:3

Once the Holy Prophet completed his speech this verse of the Holy Quran was revealed to him: "Today I have peifected your religion and completed my favour upon you, and I am satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3). This verse explicitly mentions that only along with this express announcement of the vicegerancy by the Holy Prophet the religion of Islam can be considered complete and perfect. Without this announcement or because of the disregard of this announcement, the religion of Islam will be merely half truth. As indicated earlier, many times half truths are more dangerous than full falsehoods. No doubt if the Muslims disregard this announcement, they will have to endure oppression and hardship both materially and spiritually.

Hessan Bin Thabit's poetry:

Immediately after completion of the sermon Hessan Bin Thabit sought the permission of the Holy Prophet to convey to the audience his poetry which he had instantaneously composed regarding this event of ghadir. The Holy Prophet told him "Say with the blessings of Allah". He then conveyed the following poem to the audience:

"He calls them, (on) the day of Ghadir, their ProphetIn Khum so hear (and heed) the Messenger's call, He said: "Who is your guide and leader? (mawlakum wa waliyyukum )" They said, and there was no apparent blindness (clearly): “You're God, our guide, and you are our leader And you won't find from among us, in this, any disobedient,” He said to him: "Stand up 0' Ali, for I am Pleased to announce you Imam and guide after me (min ba'di imam wa hadi),

So whomever I was his leader (mawla), then this is his leader (mawla)So be to him supporters in truth and followers,"

Oath of allegiance:

The Holy Prophet according to his long term merciful nature towards the people did not get satisfaction only on this announcement. He wanted this announcement to take the shape of appropriate action from the side of the Muslims. He ordered the Muslims to meet Ali and give oath of allegiance to him. Umar Bin Khattab came first to Ali, gave oath of allegiance to Ali and said "Well done Ibn Abi Talib! Today you became the Leader (mawla) of all believing men and women." After Umar were Abu Bakr, Uthman, Talha and then others. The entire process of giving allegiance to Ali by the present 120,000 people took 3 days.

Revelation of the verse 70:1-3:

The news about the above announcement and the subsequent oath of allegiance given by the Muslims to Ali (p.b.u.h.) spread across both the urban and rural areas. This event was so significant that it touched the Muslims all across the globe. In this process Harith Ibn Nu'man alFahri (or Nadhr Ibn Harith according to another tradition) came to know about this. He hurriedly came to Medina and started disputing with the Holy Prophet on the issue of appointment of Ali (A.S.) as the vicegerant. He told the Holy Prophet "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to perform the prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Makkah and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all these and raised your cousin upon us as our master by saying 'Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla.' Is this imposition from, Allah or from you?"

The Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only deity, this is from Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious. ".

On hearing this while going back to his camel Harith said "0 Allah! If what Muhammad said is correct" then fling on me a stone from the sky and subject me to severe pain and torture." He had not even reached his camel that Allah flung a stone on him who struck him on his head and penetrated his entire body and he was instantaneously left dead. At this the following verse was revealed "A questioner questioned about the punishment to fall. For the disbelievers there is nothing to avert it, from Allah the Lord of the Ascent." (Quran 70:1-3).

We have mentioned above the entire episode of the Ghadir. But unfortunately, even after knowing and understanding the entire truth we see heads move in rejecting the truth. There are basically 3 excuses which the opponents offer. Though these excuses are self-evident to be no more than futile excuses, but we will deal with them in detail so that the opponents are left with no shelter place.

Excuses:

1., The tradition of Ghadir is not reliable and authentic.

2. The word Mawla used in the tradition does not imply master, but it means friend. Hence the Holy Prophet actually announced about the friendship of Ali (AS.) on the day of Ghadir and not about mastership of him.

3. It does not appeal to our common sense that the Holy Prophet appointed Ali (AS.) as his successor in clear terms and still the companions of the Holy Prophet disobeyed him and after his demise appointed a vicegerent by themselves.

We will deal with the above excuses separately and in such details as to dispel all doubts and lay bare the mischief of the mischief makers. Excuse 1: The tradition of Ghadir is not reliable and authentic Rebuttal:

A. Sunni references for the verse 5:67 revealed in relation and just before the tradition of Ghadir. Though there are at least 69 chains of transmitters present for this from Sunni sources, but due to lack of space we will mention only 9 books:

1. "Yanabi' al-mawaddah" - Khajah Kalan Sulayman bin Ibrahim, al- Husayni al-Balkhi al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi.

2. "Arbaein fi faza'il Amir al-Mu'minin" - lamal aI-Din 'Ata' Allah b. Fazl Allah, al-Husayni al-Shirazi.

3. "AI-Durr al-Manthur" - al-Suyuti, lalal aI-Din 'Abd alRahman b. Kamal aI-Din Abi Bakr, al-Shafiei.

4. "Tafsir Kashf ol-bayan" - AI-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nisaburi.

5. "Asbab al-Nuzul" - Wahidi, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Mattawayh, alNayshaburi.

6. "Dirayah fi Hadith al- Wilayah" (Kitab al-wilayah) Mas'ud b. Nasir b. 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad, Abu Saeid Sijzi( al -Sijistani).

7. Shawahid al-tanzil - Ibn Haddad Haskani, 'Ubayd Allah b. 'Abd Allah, Abu al-Qasim al-Hakim alNishaburi al-Hanafi.

8. Mafatih al-Ghayb (Tafsir al-kabir) - Fakhr aI-Din Razi, Muhammad b. 'Umar b. al-Hasan, Abu 'Abd Allah alShafiei.

9. Matalib Osul fi manaqib Ale Rasul - Muhammad b. Talhah, Abu Salim al-Qarashi al-Nasjbi Shafiei.

B. Sunni references regarding the tradition of Ghadir. Here it is more than sufficient to mention that Allama Amini has mentioned this tradition from 110 companions of the Holy Prophet and 84 second generation (Ta'bei) and 360 Sunni scholars. In fact at other places, other 200 Sunni ulema references are given which takes the number of Sunni ulema to have related the tradition of Ghadir to at least 560! Due to lack of space again here we will mention only 9 references from Sunni sources who have related the tradition of Ghadir and have specifically mentioned the words of "For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla).":

1. AI-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah fi Ta'rikh - Ibn Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al-Qarashi alDimashqi.

2. Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani al-Marwazi.

3. AI-Musnad - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani Marwazi.

4. Kanz al- 'ummal fi sunan al-aqwal wa'l afal - Nur alDin 'Ali b. 'Abd al- Malik Husam aI-Din al-Muttaqi Hindi.

5. Sunan - Ibn Majah, Muhammad b. Yazid, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Qazwini. 6. AI-Musannaf - Ibn Abi Shaybah, 'Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. 'Uthman, Abu Bakr al-'Absi al-Kufi.

7. al-'Iktifa fi fadl al-'arba'ah al-khulafa' - Ibrahiin b. 'Abd Allah, al-Wassabi al-Yamani al-Shafi'i. , 8.AI-Khasa'is fi fadl 'Ali b. Abi Talib - al-Nasa'i, Ahmad b. Shu'ayb b. 'Ali b. Sinan b. Barn, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Khurasani al-Nasa'i.

9. Miftah al-naja fi manaqib Al al-'aba - Mirza Muhammad b. Mu'tamad Khan al-Harithi al-Badakhshi (al- Badakhshani).

C. Sunni references about the verse 5:3 being revealed immediately after the sermon of Ghadir. Again here we can provide at least 35 chains of transmitters but due to lack of space we will mention only 9 Sunni books to confirm:

1. Manaqib 'Ali Ibn. Abi Talib - Ibn al-Maghazili, 'Ali b. Muhammad, Abu al-Hasan al-Tayyib al-Jullabi al-Shafi'i. 2. Miftah al-naja fi manaqib ab - Mirza Muhammad b. Mu'tamad Khan al-Harithi al-Badakhshi (al- Badakhshani).

3. Ma nazala min ai-Qur'an fi 'Ali - Abu Nu'aym, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, al 'Isfahani.

4. Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib - Ibn al-Maghazili, 'Ali b. Muhammad, Abu al Hasan al- Tayyib al-Jullabi al-Shafi'i. 5. al-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyyah - Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Ibrahim, Abu al-Fath al-Natanzi.

6. Kitab al-Manaqib - Khatib al-Kharazmi, Muwaffaq b. Ahmad, Abu al- Mu'ayyad al-Makki, known as Akhtab alMuwaffaq.

7. AI-Duff al-Manthur - al-Suyuti, Jalal aI-Din 'Abd alRahman b. Kamal aIDin Abi Bakr, al-Shafi'i.

8. Fara'id al-samtayn fi fada'il al-Murtadawa al-batul wa al-sibtayn - al- Juwayni, Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. alMu'ayyad, Sadr aI-Din Abu al-Majami' al-Hamawayni or al-Hamawi al-Shafi'i.

9. Tafsir aI-Qur'an al-'Azim - Ibn.Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al-Qarashi alDimashqi.

D. References of Hessan Bin. Thabits poetry:

1. Ma nazala min aI-Qur'an fi 'Ali - Abu Nu'aym, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, aI- 'lsfahani.

2. Fara'id al-samtayn fi faza'iI al-Murtadawa aI-batuI wa aI-sibtayn - aIJuwayni, Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. aI Mu'ayyad, Sadr aI-Din Abu al-Majami' al-Hamawayni or al-Hamawi al-Shafi'i.

3. Kashf al-ghamma fi ma'rifat al-A'immah - al-Irbili, 'Ali b. 'Isa b. Abi al- Fath, Abu al-Hasan al-'Irbili.

4. al-'Azhar fi ma 'aqdahu al-shu'ara' min al-'ash'ar - alSuyuti, lalal aI-Din 'Abd al-Rahman b. Kamal ai-Din Abi Bakr, al-Shafi'i.

5. Kifayat al-Talib - Muhammad b. Yusufb. Muhammad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Kanji al-Shafi'i.

6. al-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyyah - Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Ibrahim, Abu al-Fath al-Natanzi. 7. Tazkirat khawass al-'ummah fi ma'rifat al-a'immah Sibt b. al-lawzi, Shams aI-Din Yusufb.Qizughli, Abu alMuzaffar.

E. References of Oath of allegiance as mentioned above:

1. AI-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah fi al- Ta'rikh - Ibn Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al.: Qarashi al-Dimashqi.

2. Manaqib 'Ali Ibn. Abi Talib - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani al-Marwazi. 3. AI-Musannaf - Ibn Abi Shaybah, 'Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. 'Uthman, Abu Bakr al- _Absi al-Kufi.

4. Fada'il 'Ali - 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al- Shaybani.

5. al-Fusul al-muhimmah li ma'rifat al-a'immah - Ibn alSabbagh, Nur aI-Din 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad, alGhazzi al-Maliki.

6. Manaqib Al Abi Talib - Ibn Shahrashub, Muhammad b. 'Ali, Abu la'far. 7. Sharaf al-Mustafa - 'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad, AbuSa'd al-Wa'iz al- Nisaburi al-Kharkushi (al-Khargushi).

8. Tafsir Kashf wa'l-bayan - AI-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nisaburi.

9. Riyad al-Nadirah - Muhibb aI-Din Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, Abu al- 'Abbas al-Tabari al-Makki al-Shafi'i. Again due to paucity of space we limit to 9 books refferences. There are otherwise at least 76 chains of narrators mentioned in books for this.

F. The revelation of the verse 70: 1-3 is regarding the event of the dispute of Harith as mentioned earlier. References for this are:

1. al-'Arba'in fi faza'il Amir al-Mu'minin - Jamal aI-Din 'Ata' Allah b. Fazl Allah, al-Husayni al-Shirazi.

2. Tafsir Kashf wa'l-bayan - Al-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nishaburi.

3. Tadhkirat khawass al-'ummah fi ma'rifat al-a'immah Sibt b. al-Jawzi, Shams aI-Din Yusufb.Qizughli, Abu alMuzaffar.

4. al-'Iktifa fi fadl al-'arba'ah al-khulafa' - Ibrahim b. 'Abd Allah, al-Wassabi al-Yamani al-Shafi'i.

5. Hidayat al-su'ada' - Shihab aI-Din Ahmad b. Shams alOin 'Vmar, Malik al- 'Vlama' al-Zawali al-Dawlatabadi. 6. Ma'arij al-wusul - al-Zarandi, Jamal ai-Din Muhammad b. Yusuf b. al-Hasan al-Madani al-'Ansari alHanafi. .

7. Wasilat al-ma'al fi 'add manaqib al-'AI - Ba Kathir alMakki, Ahmad b. al- Fadl b. Muhammad, al-Shafi'i. '

8. Jawahir al'iqdayn fi fadl al-sharafayn sharaf al- 'ilm aljali wa al-nasab al- 'ali - al-Samhudi, Nur aI-Din 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad, al-Hasani al-Shafi'i. 9. al-Fusul al-muhimmah li ma'rifat al-a'immah - Ibn alSabbagh, Nur aIEssays Din 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad, alGhazzi al-Maliki.

Again we are unable to mention other sources due to paucity of space. There are atleast 31 chains of transmitters for this.

Excuse 2: The word Maula used in the tradition does not imply master but it means friend. Hence the Holy Prophet actually announced about the friendship of Ali on the day of Ghadir, and not about mastership of Ali (p.b.u.h.).

Rebuttal:

Though multitude of reasons could nullify the above excuse we will mention only 5 of them:

A. The first proof is the Holy Qur'an and the revelation of the verse: "0 Apostle! Deliver which has been revealed to you from your God; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people." (5.67)

Qazi in "Kashf Ghumma" gives a report from Razi Bin Abdullah: "In the days of the Holy Prophet we" used to read this verse thus: '0 our Prophet (Muhammad) deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord, that' is, Ali is the master of the believers. If you do not, then you have not delivered His message." Also Suyuti in his Durru'l-Mansur from Ibn Mardawiyya, Ibn Asakir and Ibn Abi Hatim from Abu Sa'id Khadiri, Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (one of the writers of Divine - revelations) and Qazi Shukani in Tafsir-e-Fathu'l- Ghadir narrate that in the day of the Holy Prophet. In short, the warning contained in this verse says: "If you do it not then (it will be as if) you have not delivered His message (at all)..." shows that the message which the Holy Prophet had been ordered to deliver was of great importance. It was in fact essential to the completion of Prophethood itself. Therefore, the issue in question was surely the matter of the imamate, the conferring of authority on one who would guide the people according to the tenets of Islam after the death of the Holy Prophet. This important issue cannot be the friendship of someone by any stretch of imagination.

B. Second proof is the revelation of the verse "This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed my favor on you and chose for you Islam as a religion."

(5:3). Scholars trusted by sunnis, such as Jalalu'd-din Suyuti in Durru'l- Mansur, vol. II, p. 256 and Itqan, vol. I, p. 31; Imamu'l-Mufassirin Tha'labi in Kashfu'l-Bayan; Hafiz Abu Nu'aim Ispahani in Ma Nusala Mina'l-Qur'an Fi Ali; Abu'l-Fatha Nazari in Khasa'isu'l-Alawi; Ibn Kathir Shami in Tafsir, vol. II, p. 41, following Hafiz Ibn Mardawiyya: Muhammad Bin Jarir Tabari, scholar, commentator and historian of the 3rd century A.H. in Tafsir-e- Kitabu'l- Wilaya; Hafiz Abu'l-Qasim Haskani in Shawahid-ut- Tanzil; Sibt Ibn Jauzi. in Tadhkira-eKhawasu'l-Umma, p. 18; Abu Ishaq Hamwaini in Fara'idus- Simtain, ch. XII; Abu Sa'id Sijistani in Kitabu'lWilaya; AI-Khatib-e- Baghdadi in Ta'rikh-e-Baghdad, vol. VIII, p. 290; Ibn Maghazili Faqih Shafi'i in Manaqib, ch. XIV and Maqtalu'l-Husain, ch. IV, all have written that on the day of Ghadir-e-Khurn the Holy Prophet appointed Ali by divine order to the rank of wilaya (Vicegerent). He told the people whatever he was ordained to say about Ali and raised his hands so high that the white of both his armpits was visible. He addressed the people thus: "Salute Ali because he is the amir (master) of the believers. The whole Community complied with his order. They had not yet departed from one another when the aforesaid verse was revealed." The Holy Prophet was highly pleased with the revelation of this verse. So, addressing the people, he said: "Allah is Great, He Who has perfected for them their religion and has completed His favor on them, and is satisfied with my Prophethood and Ali's vicegerency after me." C. In that hot desert, where there was no protection for the travelers, the Holy Prophet gathered the whole nation (umma). People sat in the shade of the camels, with their feet covered, in the scorching heat of the sun. In these conditions, the Prophet delivered a long address, which Kharizmi and Ibn Mardawiyya in their Manaqib and Tabari in his Kitabu'l- Wilaya and others have narrated.

Does it make sense to think that the Prophet would require thousands of his followers to spend three days in the blazing desert to swear allegiance to Ali merely to indicate that Ali was their friend? It is reasonable to conclude therefore, that these arrangements were made not merely to indicate that people should befriend Ali. The event, in fact, marked the completion of the Prophet's message; the establishment of the Imamate, the source of the umma's guidance after the death of the Prophet.

D. Some of Sunni reputable ulema have acknowledged that the primary meaning of "maula" is "master." Among them is Sibt Ibn Jauzi, who after giving ten meanings of the word in his Tadhkira-e-Khawas, ch. 11, p. 20, says that none of them except the tenth one corresponds with what the Holy Prophet meant to say. He says: "The hadith specifically means obedience; so the tenth meaning is correct, and it means 'mastery over others.' Hence, the hadith means 'of whoever I am the 'maula' (master) Ali is also his 'maula' (master)." In the book Maraju'l-Bahrain Hafiz Abdu'l-Faraj Yahya Bin Sa'id Saqafi interprets it in the same way. He narrates this hadith with his own sources from his leaders, who said that the Holy Prophet, holding Ali by the hand, said: "Of whomsoever I am 'wali' or master over him, Ali is also his 'wali' or master." Sibt Ibn Jauzi says, "The saying of the Holy Prophet that Ali has authority or is the master over all the believers clearly proves the Imamate or vicegerency of Ali, and that obedience to him is obligatory."

E. Ali (p.b.u.h.) himself has referred to the tradition of Ghadir to mean master and has emphasized that he was clearly appointed as the vicegerant at Ghadir. Also others have referred to this event in form of reasoning protest or Munashadah (adjuration). Some places where Ali has reminded the event of Ghadir vis-a-vis his appointment as vicegerent are:

(a.) On the day of shura (counsel after Umar's death). (b.) During the days of Uthman’s rule.

(c.) The Day of Rahbah (year 35 AH) when many Companions stood up and bore witness that they attended and heard the tradition of the Prophet directly, twelve of whom were the participants of the Battle of Badr.

(d.) The Battle of al-Jamal, year 36 AH where he reminded T alhah.

(e.) The Day of the Rukban (riders) where several witnesses testified.

(f.) The Day of Battle of Siffin (year 37 AH).

Other members of the Household reminded people: (a.)Ihtejaj by Fatimah al-Zahra'(S.A.)

(b.) Munashadah by ImamHusein( AS.) (c .)Munashadah by ImamHusayn( AS.).

Other munashadahs and ihtejaj: munashadah of youth with Abu Hurayrah; Ihtijaj of Abd Allah b. Ja'far with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj in refutation of Amr b. al- 'Asi; Ihtijaj of Amr b. al-'Asi with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj of Ammar b. Yasir on day of Siffin; Ihitjaj of Asbagh b. Nubata in a sitting with Mu'awiyah; Munashadah of a man with Zayd b. Arqam; Munashadah of an Iraqi man with Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari; Ihtijaj of Qays al-Ansari with Mu'awiyah in Madinah; Ihtijaj Darmiyyah al-Hajwaniyyah with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj of Amr al-Awdi; Ihtijaj of Umar b. Abd al-aziz, the Umayyad caliph; ihtijaj of Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph, with jurists.

The above clearly refutes the second excuse and renders it baseless. Excuse 3: It does not appeal to our common sense that the Holy Prophet appointed Ali as his successor in clear terms and still the companions of the Holy Prophet disobeyed him and after his demise appointed a caliph by themselves.

Rebuttal:

A. This excuse may be common but it is not sense. Common sense does actually accept it very easily that if any leader identifies a vicegerent, and the followers are not entirely sincere, then they will not abide by this appointment.

B. Both sects accept that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) had said to Ali that "You are to me as Aaron was to Moses except that there shall be no prophet after me."

Now let us analyze the similarities between Aaron and Ali so that we come to understand that how it is possible for the companions of a Prophet to disobey and disregard the clear appointment of the vicegerant. The Holy Qur'an states that when Moses appointed Aaron as his successor, he gathered round him the Bani Isra'il (according to some reports, 70,000 people).

Moses emphasized that in his absence they should obey Aaron, his successor. Moses then went up the mountain to be alone with Allah. Samiri incited dissension among the Isra'ilis. He fashioned a golden calf and Bani Isra'il, having left Aaron, gathered round the treacherous Samiri in large numbers. It was a short time before this that the Bani Isra'il had heard Moses say that during his absence Aaron was to be his Caliph and those they should obey him.

Nevertheless, 70,000 people followed Samiri. The Prophet Aaron loudly protested this action and forbade them from indulging in such sinful acts, but no one listened to him. The verse of Chapter A'raf states that when Moses came back, Aaron said to him: "Son of my mother! The people reckoned me weak and had well-nigh slain me..." (7:150). The Bani Isra'il themselves heard the clear instruction from Moses, but when Moses went up to the mountain, Samiri seized his opportunity. He fashioned a golden calf and misguided the Bani Isra'il. Similarly, after the death of the Prophet, some people who had heard him say that Ali was his successor, turned against Ali. Imam Ghazali referred to this fact in the beginning of his fourth treatise in Sirru'l-'Alamin.

He states that some people returned to the state of their former ignorance. In this respect, there is great similarity between the situation of Aaron and that of Ali. Like many of renowned Sunni scholars and historians, Ibn Qutayba Dinawari, the well-known Qazi of Dinawar, in his "AI-ImamaWa Siyasa", (Vol I, P.14) narrates in detail the events of Saqifa. He says that they threatened to burn down Ali's house.

They took him to the mosque by force, and threatened to kill him unless he swore allegiance to them. Ali went to the sacred grave of the Prophet and repeated the same words of the Holy Qur'an which Aaron spoke to Moses: "He (Aaron) said: Son of my mother! Surely the people reckoned me weak and had well-nigh slain me..."(7:150). C. Not all those 120,000 Muslims who were at Ghadir stayed at Madineh. Only a few thousand stayed at Madinah. Out of these, many were bedouins or slaves or poor men. Only a maximum of 100 influential people had gathered at Saqifa. So it will be wrong to say that all 120,000 people presented at the day of Ghadir, conspired and disobeyed the Holy Prophet It should not astonish us that around 100 people went against the verdict of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

D. Communication system and circulation of information was not strong in those days. By the time everyone came to know of the selection of Abu Bakr against the verdict of the Holy Prophet it was too late. Abu Bakr had already become too powerful in material terms. Even if someone tried to oppose the ruling caliph he was silenced either through temptation or through intimidation. The episode of Malik Ibn Nuwayrah is a glaring example in this respect.

E. All the companions were not obedient. There are so many instances to prove the disobedience of the companions.

(a.) During the last days of his blessed life, the Messenger of God prepared an army to do battle with the Byzantines, and he appointed Usamah b. Zayd as its commander. This appointment of a young man, despite the availability of older men, proved displeasing to some of the Companions, and led to an argument among them. Those who strongly opposed to Usamah b. Zayd asked the Prophet to change him, but he paid no attention to their request and commanded Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman to join the Muslim army as it departed from Madinah. However, they not only disregarded military discipline but also disobeyed the categorical command of the Prophet. Instead of proceeding to the front with the army, they split off and returned to Madinah - Ibn Hisham, (alSirah, Vol. IV p. 338), Ya'qubi, "al-Tarikh", (Vol. II, p.92); Ibn Athir, "al-Kamil", (Vol. II, PP. 120-21).

(b.) Some of Sunni historians and hadith scholars have written that when the Prophet decided to write a document that would prevent the Muslims from going astray, 'Umar said: "The Messenger of God has become delirious." Others, however, in order to soften the offensiveness of his words, maintain that he said: "Sickness has overcome the Prophet; you have the Book of God at your disposal, which is enough for us." (Muslem, 'al-Sahih', Vol. Ill, P.

1259); "al-Bukhari, alSahih, (Vol. IV, P.5); Ahmad b. Hanbal, "al-Musnad", hadith no. 2992.), when companions could disobey the Holy Prophet in his presence, they can very easily disobey in his absence after demise. But here it is worth mentioning that there were respectable and independent minded companions, who did not change their position after the death of the Prophet.

They obeyed the appointment of Ali (A.S.) as the vicegerent that took place at Ghadir. Although they were more or less compelled to remain silent, they remained loyal to 'Ali b. Abi Talib, as leader. Among the outstanding personalities belonging to this group were Salman al-Farisi, Abu Dharr al- Ghifari, Abu Ayyub Ansari, Khuzaymah b. Thabit, Miqdad bin Aswad, al- Kindi, 'Ammar b. yasir, Ubayy b. Ka'b, Khalid b. Sa'id, Bilal, Qays b. Sa'd, Aban, Buraydah Ashami, Abu 'l-Haytham b. al- Tayyihan, as well as many others whose names are recorded in Islamic history. Some scholars have listed two hundred and fifty Companions of the Prophet, complete with names and descriptions, as belonging to this class.

Ghadir in the words of Non-Muslim

We have enunciated sufficient reasons to dispel all possibilities for excuses.

Here we would also like to quote an orientalist for sake of reference. Vaglieri has said in the Encyclopedia of Islam about Ghadir Khum: It is certain that Muhammad did speak in this place and utter the famous sentence, for the account of this event has been preserved, either in a concise form or in detail, not only by Ya'kubi, whose sympathy for Ali is well known, but also in the collection of traditions which are considered canonical, especially in the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal; and the hadiths are so numerous and so well attested by the different attributions that it does not seem possible to reject them.

Vaglieri continues, "Several of these hadiths are cited in the bibliography, but it does not include the hadith which, although reporting the sentence, omit to name Ghadir Khum, or those which state that the sentence was pronounced at al-Hudaybiya. The complete documentation will be facilitated when the Concordance of Wensinck have been completely published. In order to have an idea of how numerous these narrations are, it is enough to glance at the pages in which Ibn Kathir has collected a great number of them with their refrences."

Books related to Ghadir:

There are at least 185 Sunni books which have mentioned the event of Ghadir. It is not possible to mention all of them here but we mention just a few:

1. The well known commentator and historian of the fourth century hijri, Abu Ja'far Muharnmad Bin Jarir Tabari (died 310 A.H.), gives complete details of the hadith of Ghadir in his book Kitabu'l- Wilaya and has narrated it through seventy-five chains of transmission.

2. Hafiz Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad Bin Sa'id Abdu'r-Rahman Al-Kufi, popularly known as Ibn Iqda (died 333 A.H.), narrated this holy hadith in his book Kitabu'l- Wilaya through 125 chains on the authority of 125 companions of the Holy Prophet.

3. Ibn Haddad Hafiz Abu'l-Qasim Haskani (died 492 A.H.), in his Kitabu'l- Wilaya, has narrated in detail the event of Ghadir along with the revelation of the verses of the Qur'an.

Similarly some of the many books of Shia authors who have shown the event of Ghadir by providing extensive sunm sources are:

1. Al-Ghadir by Allama Amini - This is apparently the most magnanimous work on the event of Ghadir. This book is in 11 Volumes.

2. Abaqatul Anwar by Mir Hamid Husein - Out of total of 11 Volumes it has 3 bulky volumes dedicated to the subject of ghadir using Sunni references.

3. N afahatul Azhaar by syed Ali Milaani - This is basically explanation of the book Abaqatul Anwar. In this 4 volumes have been dedicated to the event of Ghadir.

4. Ihkaakul Haq by shaheed-e-thalis Qazi Noorullah Shustri - this book has dealt the subject of Ghadir in some of its parts out of a total of 30 huge volumes.

We end our article by quoting the verse of the Holy Quran "And say: The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing)." (17:81)

Zulfiqar Ali (Pakistan)

7- Ghadir in Islamic Traditions

According to the consensus of the narrators of the Islamic traditions, Tabarani and many others have quoted the narration of Zayd Ibn Arqam that:

"The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) once delivered a sermon at Ghadir Khum '0 people! It seems to me that soon I will be called upon and will respond to the call. I have my responsibility and you have yours. So, what do you say?" They said: "We bear witness that you have conveyed the Message, struggled and advised [the nation]; therefore, may Allah reward you with the best of His rewards".

He asked then,: "Do not you also bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, that His Paradise is just and that His Fire is just, that death is just. That the life after death is just; that the last day will undoubtedly arrive; and that Allah shall bring the dead to life from their graves?"

They said: "Yes, indeed, we bear witness to all of that".

He said: "O Mighty Lord! Bear witness that they have," Then he added: "O people! Allah is my Master, and I am the master (Mowla) of the believers. I have3 more authority over their lives than they themselves have 1. Therefore, to whomsoever I have been a master (mowla); this (Ali) is his master (mowla)4 ; "O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be enemy to whoever sets himself as his enemy." Then he said: "0 people! I am to precede you, and you will join me, at the Pool [of Kawsar]... and I shall ask you when you join me, about the Two Precious things, how you shall succeed me in faring with them; the Greater Precious Thing is the Book of Allah, the Omniscient, the Sublime, and the other are is my Ahlul-Bayt, for the most Gracious and Knowing (Allah) has informed me that they shall never part from each other till they join me at the Pool 5 In a section dealing with 'Ali's 3Many have contemplated upon this sermon, giving it due attention, and they have come to know that it is a reference to the fact that 'Ali's wiaiyat is a root of the faith; For the Prophet first put the question: "Do not you bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger?" Then he said:

"The Last Day is approaching; there is no doubt about it, and Allah shall certainly bring to life those who are in the graves," following that with a statement in which he mentioned the wilayat so that it would be understood that the latter bears the same significance like the matters about which he has asked them and to which they have agreed. This is obvious to all those who are familiar with the methods and objectives of speech.

4 His statement: "I am the mawla" is an outspoken testimony to a significant fact. The meaning of "mawla" is: one who is "awla", "has superior authority". Thus, the meaning of his statement is: "Allah is superior to me, and I am superior to the believers, and whoever considers me to be superior to him, must also consider Ali as such." 5 This wording of the hadith is quoted by Tabrani, Ibn Jarir, Hakim Tirmithi, from Zayd ibn Arqam. It is transmitted by 1bn Hajar from Tabrani and others in this exact wording, without questioning its authenticity; so, refer to page 25 of- Sawaiq al-Muhriqa.

virtues in A1Mustadrak, the author indicates that Zayd ibn Arqam6 is quoted through two sources both of which are held reliable by both Shaykhs: Hakim (one of such sources) says that when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, returned from his Farewell Pilgrimage, he camped at Ghadir Khum, and ordered the believers to sweep the area under a few huge trees where a pulpit of camel litters was made for him. He stood and said: "It seems, as if, I have been called upon and responded to the call, and I enjoin you to look after both the Book of Allah and my Progeny; see how you fare with them after me. They will never part from each other till they join me at the Pool."

Then he added: "Allah, the Dear and Mighty, is my Master, and I am the master of every believer".

Then he raised the hand of Ali and said: To whomsoever I am a master, this Ali is his master. 0 Lord! Befriend …..".

The author quotes this lengthy hadith, in its entirety. In his "Talkhis", al- Thahabi quotes it without commenting on it. Hakim Tirmazi, too, quotes it as narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam, in his Al-Mustadtak, admitting its authenticity. In spite of his intolerance Al- Thahabi admits the same in his Talkhis, to which you may refer. Ahmed ibn Hanbal has quoted the same hadith as narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam thus:

"We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah, (peace he upon him and his progeny), when he camped in a valley called Wadi Khum. He ordered everyone to gather for prayers in midday heat. He then delivered a sermon to us under the shade of a robe over a rush tree to protect him from the heat of the sun. He said: Do you know- or do you believe and accept- that I have more authority over the believers than themselves? They answered: "Yes, indeed, you do".

He said: "Whosoever accepts me as his mowla, Ali is his mowla. 0 Lord! Befriend whosoever befriends' Ali and he the enemy of whomsoever opposes Ali."

Nisaei quoted Zayd ibn Arqam saying that when the Prophet returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage and having reached Ghadir Khum he ordered the ground under a few huge trees to be swept clean. He announced: "It looks like I have been invited [to my Lords presence] and I have accepted the invitation. I leave with Y°'! Two Valuable Things; one of them is bigger than the other:

the Book of Allah and my Progeny, my Household. See how you care both of them, for they shall never part from each other till they join me at the Pool." Then he added: "Allah is my Master and I am the Master (mowla) of every 6 Refer to page 21 of AI-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyya, where the Prophet is quoted saying: "To whomsoever I have been the wali, this (Ali) is his wali.

believer ." Taking Ali's hand, he added saying, "To whomsoever I have been a Master, this Ali is his Master; 0 Lord! Befriend those who befriend him, and be enemy of all those who are enemy to him".

Abu- Tufail says: "1 asked Zayd: 'Have you heard these words of the Messenger of Allah, yourself?"7 He answered that all those who were there under the huge trees saw the Prophet with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears. This hadith is recorded by Muslim, in a chapter, on the "virtues of Ali" in his "Sahih" from several different narrators, ending with Zayd ibn Arqam; but he abridged it, and cut it short- and so do some people behave.

Ahmed Ibn Hanbal has recorded this hadith from Bora ibn Azib.8 Nisa'i has quoted, "Ayesha daughter ofSa'd said that she heard her father saying: "I heard the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him and his progeny), on the Day of Juhfa, he took "Ali's hand arid delivered a sermon, praised and adored Allah", then said: "0 people! I am your Leader". They said: "You have said the truth." Then he raised Ali's hand and said: "This is my Leader unto you, he will discharge the responsibilities of my religion on my own behalf, and I support whoever supports him, and I am enemy of whosoever who chooses to be his enemy.

Sa'd is also quoted saying: "We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah, when he arrived at Ghadir Khum. Those who went ahead of him returned to join him, while he waited for those who lagged behind, till all people assembled. Then he said: "0 people! Whois your Master and Leader?" They answered: "Allah and His Messenger." Then he took "Ali's hand, made him rise and said: 'Whoever has taken Allah and His Messenger as his Master, this (Ali) is his Master; O Lord! Befriend whoever be friends him, and be enemy of whoever chooses to be his enemy."

7Abu- Tufayl's question is obviously indicative of his amazement at this nation's overlooking this matter regarding 'Ali in spite of the hadith he narrates from the Prophet in his honor on the day of the Ghadir. As if suspicious of the accuracy of the narrated hadith, he went ahead and inquired of Zayd, having heard him narrate the same, "Did you hear it from the Messenger of Allah?!" His tone is that of someone amazed, and skeptical. Zayd answered him that all individuals present under those trees had, indeed, seen the Prophet with their eyes and heard him with their ears; so, Abul- Tufayl then knew that the matter was just as Kumait, may Allah be merciful unto his soul, says: .

On the day of the dawh, the dawh of the Ghadir,Caliph.!lte was made for him manifest and clear, Only if the throngs opted to obey;

Yet I have never seen such a day,

Nor have I seen such right

Trampled upon, discarded outright;

But the men had sold it, and I never sawSuch a precious thing to sale would go...

8This occurs on page 281 of his AI-Khasa'isal- Alawiyya, in a chapter dealing with Ali's status in the eyes of Allah, the Exalted, the omni-Scient, and also on page 25 of another chapter enjoining acceptance of his wilayat and warning against bearing animosity towards him.

The books of traditions recording this incident are numerous and cannot be all counted here. They all contain explicit texts indicating that Ali is the Prophet's successor, just as Fazl Ibn Abbi, Abu Lahab has said:9 The one to be recognized as the successor, generation after generation, After Muhammad, is 'Ali since for he was his companion in every occasion.

Hamid Famagh (Iran) 9These are among poetic lines composed as the answer of Walid ibn 'Uqbah ibn Abu Ma'it, quoted by Mohammad Mahmud Rafi'i in his Introduction to Sharh al-Hashemiyyat, page 8.

Geographical location of Ghadir

Ghadir literary means small lake or pond. Ghadir is the name of a place that comes on the way from Mecca to Medina. It is 3 miles further than Johfa towards Medina. Though geographically it exists on the way to Medina but this place acted as an exit point for all the people going out from Mecca for all the other places. When the Holy Prophet halted at this place after his last pilgrimage to make his all-significant announcement it was extremely hot at that time, and it was close to mid-day. There was no shelter present over there at that time. In fact there existed merely small minor patches of shades provided by a few acacia trees.

Date:

The date is 18th Zilhajjah of the year 10 AH. (10 March 632) Event Backdrop:

The Holy Prophet asked his companions to call the Muslims in general to attend for a pilgrimage to the Holy Kaaba. The Holy Prophet specified that he himself would also be there to attend for the pilgrimage and teach the Muslims the rituals of the pilgrimage and convey his significant messages directly to all. The call for the pilgrimage was made. On his way to Makkah more than 70,000 Muslims joined him. By the fourth of Zilhajjah more than 120,000 Muslims had collected for the Haj with the Holy Prophet.

After the Last pilgrimage:

After completing the last pilgrimage the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) along with the Muslims set out of Mecca. On their way back the Muslims reached a place called Ghadir-e-khumm. The following verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet: "0 Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your God; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people..." ( Quran 5:67) Delivery of the sermon:

On receiving the above verse, the Holy Prophet stopped at that very place called Ghadir-e-khum. He ordered his companions to call back those of the Muslims who had gone ahead. He waited for those Muslims who had remained behind to join them. He ordered Salman to prepare for a pulpit with the help of rocks and camel tooling. It was prime noontime and Muslims had covered their heads and legs on account of the heat. Muslims sat near the temporary pulpit. The Holy Prophet was at this place for about 5 hours. He recited nearly 100 verses of the Holy Quran most of which were in the praise of Ali. Seventy three times he reminded and admonished the Muslims about their deeds and future.

The following is a part of the lengthy speech of --the Holy Prophet which has also been narrated by the Sunni scholars repeatedly:

"It seems the time has approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things. And if you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny that is my Ahlul Bayt.

These two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)." Then the Holy Prophet in an attempt to remind Muslims of his own authority over them said: "Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" Muslims answered unanimously "Yes, 0' Messenger of God". This served as a stepping stone for the announcement of his successor and vicegerent. The Holy Prophet held out the hand of Ali (p.b.u.h.) and said: "For whomever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)." The Holy Prophet then continued to say: "0' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him." Revelation of the verse 5:3

Once the Holy Prophet completed his speech this verse of the Holy Quran was revealed to him: "Today I have peifected your religion and completed my favour upon you, and I am satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3). This verse explicitly mentions that only along with this express announcement of the vicegerancy by the Holy Prophet the religion of Islam can be considered complete and perfect. Without this announcement or because of the disregard of this announcement, the religion of Islam will be merely half truth. As indicated earlier, many times half truths are more dangerous than full falsehoods. No doubt if the Muslims disregard this announcement, they will have to endure oppression and hardship both materially and spiritually.

Hessan Bin Thabit's poetry:

Immediately after completion of the sermon Hessan Bin Thabit sought the permission of the Holy Prophet to convey to the audience his poetry which he had instantaneously composed regarding this event of ghadir. The Holy Prophet told him "Say with the blessings of Allah". He then conveyed the following poem to the audience:

"He calls them, (on) the day of Ghadir, their ProphetIn Khum so hear (and heed) the Messenger's call, He said: "Who is your guide and leader? (mawlakum wa waliyyukum )" They said, and there was no apparent blindness (clearly): “You're God, our guide, and you are our leader And you won't find from among us, in this, any disobedient,” He said to him: "Stand up 0' Ali, for I am Pleased to announce you Imam and guide after me (min ba'di imam wa hadi),

So whomever I was his leader (mawla), then this is his leader (mawla)So be to him supporters in truth and followers,"

Oath of allegiance:

The Holy Prophet according to his long term merciful nature towards the people did not get satisfaction only on this announcement. He wanted this announcement to take the shape of appropriate action from the side of the Muslims. He ordered the Muslims to meet Ali and give oath of allegiance to him. Umar Bin Khattab came first to Ali, gave oath of allegiance to Ali and said "Well done Ibn Abi Talib! Today you became the Leader (mawla) of all believing men and women." After Umar were Abu Bakr, Uthman, Talha and then others. The entire process of giving allegiance to Ali by the present 120,000 people took 3 days.

Revelation of the verse 70:1-3:

The news about the above announcement and the subsequent oath of allegiance given by the Muslims to Ali (p.b.u.h.) spread across both the urban and rural areas. This event was so significant that it touched the Muslims all across the globe. In this process Harith Ibn Nu'man alFahri (or Nadhr Ibn Harith according to another tradition) came to know about this. He hurriedly came to Medina and started disputing with the Holy Prophet on the issue of appointment of Ali (A.S.) as the vicegerant. He told the Holy Prophet "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to perform the prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Makkah and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all these and raised your cousin upon us as our master by saying 'Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla.' Is this imposition from, Allah or from you?"

The Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only deity, this is from Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious. ".

On hearing this while going back to his camel Harith said "0 Allah! If what Muhammad said is correct" then fling on me a stone from the sky and subject me to severe pain and torture." He had not even reached his camel that Allah flung a stone on him who struck him on his head and penetrated his entire body and he was instantaneously left dead. At this the following verse was revealed "A questioner questioned about the punishment to fall. For the disbelievers there is nothing to avert it, from Allah the Lord of the Ascent." (Quran 70:1-3).

We have mentioned above the entire episode of the Ghadir. But unfortunately, even after knowing and understanding the entire truth we see heads move in rejecting the truth. There are basically 3 excuses which the opponents offer. Though these excuses are self-evident to be no more than futile excuses, but we will deal with them in detail so that the opponents are left with no shelter place.

Excuses:

1., The tradition of Ghadir is not reliable and authentic.

2. The word Mawla used in the tradition does not imply master, but it means friend. Hence the Holy Prophet actually announced about the friendship of Ali (AS.) on the day of Ghadir and not about mastership of him.

3. It does not appeal to our common sense that the Holy Prophet appointed Ali (AS.) as his successor in clear terms and still the companions of the Holy Prophet disobeyed him and after his demise appointed a vicegerent by themselves.

We will deal with the above excuses separately and in such details as to dispel all doubts and lay bare the mischief of the mischief makers. Excuse 1: The tradition of Ghadir is not reliable and authentic Rebuttal:

A. Sunni references for the verse 5:67 revealed in relation and just before the tradition of Ghadir. Though there are at least 69 chains of transmitters present for this from Sunni sources, but due to lack of space we will mention only 9 books:

1. "Yanabi' al-mawaddah" - Khajah Kalan Sulayman bin Ibrahim, al- Husayni al-Balkhi al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi.

2. "Arbaein fi faza'il Amir al-Mu'minin" - lamal aI-Din 'Ata' Allah b. Fazl Allah, al-Husayni al-Shirazi.

3. "AI-Durr al-Manthur" - al-Suyuti, lalal aI-Din 'Abd alRahman b. Kamal aI-Din Abi Bakr, al-Shafiei.

4. "Tafsir Kashf ol-bayan" - AI-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nisaburi.

5. "Asbab al-Nuzul" - Wahidi, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Mattawayh, alNayshaburi.

6. "Dirayah fi Hadith al- Wilayah" (Kitab al-wilayah) Mas'ud b. Nasir b. 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad, Abu Saeid Sijzi( al -Sijistani).

7. Shawahid al-tanzil - Ibn Haddad Haskani, 'Ubayd Allah b. 'Abd Allah, Abu al-Qasim al-Hakim alNishaburi al-Hanafi.

8. Mafatih al-Ghayb (Tafsir al-kabir) - Fakhr aI-Din Razi, Muhammad b. 'Umar b. al-Hasan, Abu 'Abd Allah alShafiei.

9. Matalib Osul fi manaqib Ale Rasul - Muhammad b. Talhah, Abu Salim al-Qarashi al-Nasjbi Shafiei.

B. Sunni references regarding the tradition of Ghadir. Here it is more than sufficient to mention that Allama Amini has mentioned this tradition from 110 companions of the Holy Prophet and 84 second generation (Ta'bei) and 360 Sunni scholars. In fact at other places, other 200 Sunni ulema references are given which takes the number of Sunni ulema to have related the tradition of Ghadir to at least 560! Due to lack of space again here we will mention only 9 references from Sunni sources who have related the tradition of Ghadir and have specifically mentioned the words of "For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla).":

1. AI-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah fi Ta'rikh - Ibn Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al-Qarashi alDimashqi.

2. Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani al-Marwazi.

3. AI-Musnad - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani Marwazi.

4. Kanz al- 'ummal fi sunan al-aqwal wa'l afal - Nur alDin 'Ali b. 'Abd al- Malik Husam aI-Din al-Muttaqi Hindi.

5. Sunan - Ibn Majah, Muhammad b. Yazid, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Qazwini. 6. AI-Musannaf - Ibn Abi Shaybah, 'Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. 'Uthman, Abu Bakr al-'Absi al-Kufi.

7. al-'Iktifa fi fadl al-'arba'ah al-khulafa' - Ibrahiin b. 'Abd Allah, al-Wassabi al-Yamani al-Shafi'i. , 8.AI-Khasa'is fi fadl 'Ali b. Abi Talib - al-Nasa'i, Ahmad b. Shu'ayb b. 'Ali b. Sinan b. Barn, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Khurasani al-Nasa'i.

9. Miftah al-naja fi manaqib Al al-'aba - Mirza Muhammad b. Mu'tamad Khan al-Harithi al-Badakhshi (al- Badakhshani).

C. Sunni references about the verse 5:3 being revealed immediately after the sermon of Ghadir. Again here we can provide at least 35 chains of transmitters but due to lack of space we will mention only 9 Sunni books to confirm:

1. Manaqib 'Ali Ibn. Abi Talib - Ibn al-Maghazili, 'Ali b. Muhammad, Abu al-Hasan al-Tayyib al-Jullabi al-Shafi'i. 2. Miftah al-naja fi manaqib ab - Mirza Muhammad b. Mu'tamad Khan al-Harithi al-Badakhshi (al- Badakhshani).

3. Ma nazala min ai-Qur'an fi 'Ali - Abu Nu'aym, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, al 'Isfahani.

4. Manaqib 'Ali b. Abi Talib - Ibn al-Maghazili, 'Ali b. Muhammad, Abu al Hasan al- Tayyib al-Jullabi al-Shafi'i. 5. al-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyyah - Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Ibrahim, Abu al-Fath al-Natanzi.

6. Kitab al-Manaqib - Khatib al-Kharazmi, Muwaffaq b. Ahmad, Abu al- Mu'ayyad al-Makki, known as Akhtab alMuwaffaq.

7. AI-Duff al-Manthur - al-Suyuti, Jalal aI-Din 'Abd alRahman b. Kamal aIDin Abi Bakr, al-Shafi'i.

8. Fara'id al-samtayn fi fada'il al-Murtadawa al-batul wa al-sibtayn - al- Juwayni, Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. alMu'ayyad, Sadr aI-Din Abu al-Majami' al-Hamawayni or al-Hamawi al-Shafi'i.

9. Tafsir aI-Qur'an al-'Azim - Ibn.Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al-Qarashi alDimashqi.

D. References of Hessan Bin. Thabits poetry:

1. Ma nazala min aI-Qur'an fi 'Ali - Abu Nu'aym, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, aI- 'lsfahani.

2. Fara'id al-samtayn fi faza'iI al-Murtadawa aI-batuI wa aI-sibtayn - aIJuwayni, Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. aI Mu'ayyad, Sadr aI-Din Abu al-Majami' al-Hamawayni or al-Hamawi al-Shafi'i.

3. Kashf al-ghamma fi ma'rifat al-A'immah - al-Irbili, 'Ali b. 'Isa b. Abi al- Fath, Abu al-Hasan al-'Irbili.

4. al-'Azhar fi ma 'aqdahu al-shu'ara' min al-'ash'ar - alSuyuti, lalal aI-Din 'Abd al-Rahman b. Kamal ai-Din Abi Bakr, al-Shafi'i.

5. Kifayat al-Talib - Muhammad b. Yusufb. Muhammad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Kanji al-Shafi'i.

6. al-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyyah - Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Ibrahim, Abu al-Fath al-Natanzi. 7. Tazkirat khawass al-'ummah fi ma'rifat al-a'immah Sibt b. al-lawzi, Shams aI-Din Yusufb.Qizughli, Abu alMuzaffar.

E. References of Oath of allegiance as mentioned above:

1. AI-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah fi al- Ta'rikh - Ibn Kathir, 'Imad aI-Din Isma'il b. 'Umar b. Kathir b. Daw', al.: Qarashi al-Dimashqi.

2. Manaqib 'Ali Ibn. Abi Talib - Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal b. Hilal b. Asad, Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shaybani al-Marwazi. 3. AI-Musannaf - Ibn Abi Shaybah, 'Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. 'Uthman, Abu Bakr al- _Absi al-Kufi.

4. Fada'il 'Ali - 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al- Shaybani.

5. al-Fusul al-muhimmah li ma'rifat al-a'immah - Ibn alSabbagh, Nur aI-Din 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad, alGhazzi al-Maliki.

6. Manaqib Al Abi Talib - Ibn Shahrashub, Muhammad b. 'Ali, Abu la'far. 7. Sharaf al-Mustafa - 'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad, AbuSa'd al-Wa'iz al- Nisaburi al-Kharkushi (al-Khargushi).

8. Tafsir Kashf wa'l-bayan - AI-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nisaburi.

9. Riyad al-Nadirah - Muhibb aI-Din Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah, Abu al- 'Abbas al-Tabari al-Makki al-Shafi'i. Again due to paucity of space we limit to 9 books refferences. There are otherwise at least 76 chains of narrators mentioned in books for this.

F. The revelation of the verse 70: 1-3 is regarding the event of the dispute of Harith as mentioned earlier. References for this are:

1. al-'Arba'in fi faza'il Amir al-Mu'minin - Jamal aI-Din 'Ata' Allah b. Fazl Allah, al-Husayni al-Shirazi.

2. Tafsir Kashf wa'l-bayan - Al-Tha'labi, Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Ishaq al-Nishaburi.

3. Tadhkirat khawass al-'ummah fi ma'rifat al-a'immah Sibt b. al-Jawzi, Shams aI-Din Yusufb.Qizughli, Abu alMuzaffar.

4. al-'Iktifa fi fadl al-'arba'ah al-khulafa' - Ibrahim b. 'Abd Allah, al-Wassabi al-Yamani al-Shafi'i.

5. Hidayat al-su'ada' - Shihab aI-Din Ahmad b. Shams alOin 'Vmar, Malik al- 'Vlama' al-Zawali al-Dawlatabadi. 6. Ma'arij al-wusul - al-Zarandi, Jamal ai-Din Muhammad b. Yusuf b. al-Hasan al-Madani al-'Ansari alHanafi. .

7. Wasilat al-ma'al fi 'add manaqib al-'AI - Ba Kathir alMakki, Ahmad b. al- Fadl b. Muhammad, al-Shafi'i. '

8. Jawahir al'iqdayn fi fadl al-sharafayn sharaf al- 'ilm aljali wa al-nasab al- 'ali - al-Samhudi, Nur aI-Din 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah b. Ahmad, al-Hasani al-Shafi'i. 9. al-Fusul al-muhimmah li ma'rifat al-a'immah - Ibn alSabbagh, Nur aIEssays Din 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Ahmad, alGhazzi al-Maliki.

Again we are unable to mention other sources due to paucity of space. There are atleast 31 chains of transmitters for this.

Excuse 2: The word Maula used in the tradition does not imply master but it means friend. Hence the Holy Prophet actually announced about the friendship of Ali on the day of Ghadir, and not about mastership of Ali (p.b.u.h.).

Rebuttal:

Though multitude of reasons could nullify the above excuse we will mention only 5 of them:

A. The first proof is the Holy Qur'an and the revelation of the verse: "0 Apostle! Deliver which has been revealed to you from your God; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people." (5.67)

Qazi in "Kashf Ghumma" gives a report from Razi Bin Abdullah: "In the days of the Holy Prophet we" used to read this verse thus: '0 our Prophet (Muhammad) deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord, that' is, Ali is the master of the believers. If you do not, then you have not delivered His message." Also Suyuti in his Durru'l-Mansur from Ibn Mardawiyya, Ibn Asakir and Ibn Abi Hatim from Abu Sa'id Khadiri, Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (one of the writers of Divine - revelations) and Qazi Shukani in Tafsir-e-Fathu'l- Ghadir narrate that in the day of the Holy Prophet. In short, the warning contained in this verse says: "If you do it not then (it will be as if) you have not delivered His message (at all)..." shows that the message which the Holy Prophet had been ordered to deliver was of great importance. It was in fact essential to the completion of Prophethood itself. Therefore, the issue in question was surely the matter of the imamate, the conferring of authority on one who would guide the people according to the tenets of Islam after the death of the Holy Prophet. This important issue cannot be the friendship of someone by any stretch of imagination.

B. Second proof is the revelation of the verse "This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed my favor on you and chose for you Islam as a religion."

(5:3). Scholars trusted by sunnis, such as Jalalu'd-din Suyuti in Durru'l- Mansur, vol. II, p. 256 and Itqan, vol. I, p. 31; Imamu'l-Mufassirin Tha'labi in Kashfu'l-Bayan; Hafiz Abu Nu'aim Ispahani in Ma Nusala Mina'l-Qur'an Fi Ali; Abu'l-Fatha Nazari in Khasa'isu'l-Alawi; Ibn Kathir Shami in Tafsir, vol. II, p. 41, following Hafiz Ibn Mardawiyya: Muhammad Bin Jarir Tabari, scholar, commentator and historian of the 3rd century A.H. in Tafsir-e- Kitabu'l- Wilaya; Hafiz Abu'l-Qasim Haskani in Shawahid-ut- Tanzil; Sibt Ibn Jauzi. in Tadhkira-eKhawasu'l-Umma, p. 18; Abu Ishaq Hamwaini in Fara'idus- Simtain, ch. XII; Abu Sa'id Sijistani in Kitabu'lWilaya; AI-Khatib-e- Baghdadi in Ta'rikh-e-Baghdad, vol. VIII, p. 290; Ibn Maghazili Faqih Shafi'i in Manaqib, ch. XIV and Maqtalu'l-Husain, ch. IV, all have written that on the day of Ghadir-e-Khurn the Holy Prophet appointed Ali by divine order to the rank of wilaya (Vicegerent). He told the people whatever he was ordained to say about Ali and raised his hands so high that the white of both his armpits was visible. He addressed the people thus: "Salute Ali because he is the amir (master) of the believers. The whole Community complied with his order. They had not yet departed from one another when the aforesaid verse was revealed." The Holy Prophet was highly pleased with the revelation of this verse. So, addressing the people, he said: "Allah is Great, He Who has perfected for them their religion and has completed His favor on them, and is satisfied with my Prophethood and Ali's vicegerency after me." C. In that hot desert, where there was no protection for the travelers, the Holy Prophet gathered the whole nation (umma). People sat in the shade of the camels, with their feet covered, in the scorching heat of the sun. In these conditions, the Prophet delivered a long address, which Kharizmi and Ibn Mardawiyya in their Manaqib and Tabari in his Kitabu'l- Wilaya and others have narrated.

Does it make sense to think that the Prophet would require thousands of his followers to spend three days in the blazing desert to swear allegiance to Ali merely to indicate that Ali was their friend? It is reasonable to conclude therefore, that these arrangements were made not merely to indicate that people should befriend Ali. The event, in fact, marked the completion of the Prophet's message; the establishment of the Imamate, the source of the umma's guidance after the death of the Prophet.

D. Some of Sunni reputable ulema have acknowledged that the primary meaning of "maula" is "master." Among them is Sibt Ibn Jauzi, who after giving ten meanings of the word in his Tadhkira-e-Khawas, ch. 11, p. 20, says that none of them except the tenth one corresponds with what the Holy Prophet meant to say. He says: "The hadith specifically means obedience; so the tenth meaning is correct, and it means 'mastery over others.' Hence, the hadith means 'of whoever I am the 'maula' (master) Ali is also his 'maula' (master)." In the book Maraju'l-Bahrain Hafiz Abdu'l-Faraj Yahya Bin Sa'id Saqafi interprets it in the same way. He narrates this hadith with his own sources from his leaders, who said that the Holy Prophet, holding Ali by the hand, said: "Of whomsoever I am 'wali' or master over him, Ali is also his 'wali' or master." Sibt Ibn Jauzi says, "The saying of the Holy Prophet that Ali has authority or is the master over all the believers clearly proves the Imamate or vicegerency of Ali, and that obedience to him is obligatory."

E. Ali (p.b.u.h.) himself has referred to the tradition of Ghadir to mean master and has emphasized that he was clearly appointed as the vicegerant at Ghadir. Also others have referred to this event in form of reasoning protest or Munashadah (adjuration). Some places where Ali has reminded the event of Ghadir vis-a-vis his appointment as vicegerent are:

(a.) On the day of shura (counsel after Umar's death). (b.) During the days of Uthman’s rule.

(c.) The Day of Rahbah (year 35 AH) when many Companions stood up and bore witness that they attended and heard the tradition of the Prophet directly, twelve of whom were the participants of the Battle of Badr.

(d.) The Battle of al-Jamal, year 36 AH where he reminded T alhah.

(e.) The Day of the Rukban (riders) where several witnesses testified.

(f.) The Day of Battle of Siffin (year 37 AH).

Other members of the Household reminded people: (a.)Ihtejaj by Fatimah al-Zahra'(S.A.)

(b.) Munashadah by ImamHusein( AS.) (c .)Munashadah by ImamHusayn( AS.).

Other munashadahs and ihtejaj: munashadah of youth with Abu Hurayrah; Ihtijaj of Abd Allah b. Ja'far with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj in refutation of Amr b. al- 'Asi; Ihtijaj of Amr b. al-'Asi with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj of Ammar b. Yasir on day of Siffin; Ihitjaj of Asbagh b. Nubata in a sitting with Mu'awiyah; Munashadah of a man with Zayd b. Arqam; Munashadah of an Iraqi man with Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari; Ihtijaj of Qays al-Ansari with Mu'awiyah in Madinah; Ihtijaj Darmiyyah al-Hajwaniyyah with Mu'awiyah; Ihtijaj of Amr al-Awdi; Ihtijaj of Umar b. Abd al-aziz, the Umayyad caliph; ihtijaj of Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph, with jurists.

The above clearly refutes the second excuse and renders it baseless. Excuse 3: It does not appeal to our common sense that the Holy Prophet appointed Ali as his successor in clear terms and still the companions of the Holy Prophet disobeyed him and after his demise appointed a caliph by themselves.

Rebuttal:

A. This excuse may be common but it is not sense. Common sense does actually accept it very easily that if any leader identifies a vicegerent, and the followers are not entirely sincere, then they will not abide by this appointment.

B. Both sects accept that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) had said to Ali that "You are to me as Aaron was to Moses except that there shall be no prophet after me."

Now let us analyze the similarities between Aaron and Ali so that we come to understand that how it is possible for the companions of a Prophet to disobey and disregard the clear appointment of the vicegerant. The Holy Qur'an states that when Moses appointed Aaron as his successor, he gathered round him the Bani Isra'il (according to some reports, 70,000 people).

Moses emphasized that in his absence they should obey Aaron, his successor. Moses then went up the mountain to be alone with Allah. Samiri incited dissension among the Isra'ilis. He fashioned a golden calf and Bani Isra'il, having left Aaron, gathered round the treacherous Samiri in large numbers. It was a short time before this that the Bani Isra'il had heard Moses say that during his absence Aaron was to be his Caliph and those they should obey him.

Nevertheless, 70,000 people followed Samiri. The Prophet Aaron loudly protested this action and forbade them from indulging in such sinful acts, but no one listened to him. The verse of Chapter A'raf states that when Moses came back, Aaron said to him: "Son of my mother! The people reckoned me weak and had well-nigh slain me..." (7:150). The Bani Isra'il themselves heard the clear instruction from Moses, but when Moses went up to the mountain, Samiri seized his opportunity. He fashioned a golden calf and misguided the Bani Isra'il. Similarly, after the death of the Prophet, some people who had heard him say that Ali was his successor, turned against Ali. Imam Ghazali referred to this fact in the beginning of his fourth treatise in Sirru'l-'Alamin.

He states that some people returned to the state of their former ignorance. In this respect, there is great similarity between the situation of Aaron and that of Ali. Like many of renowned Sunni scholars and historians, Ibn Qutayba Dinawari, the well-known Qazi of Dinawar, in his "AI-ImamaWa Siyasa", (Vol I, P.14) narrates in detail the events of Saqifa. He says that they threatened to burn down Ali's house.

They took him to the mosque by force, and threatened to kill him unless he swore allegiance to them. Ali went to the sacred grave of the Prophet and repeated the same words of the Holy Qur'an which Aaron spoke to Moses: "He (Aaron) said: Son of my mother! Surely the people reckoned me weak and had well-nigh slain me..."(7:150). C. Not all those 120,000 Muslims who were at Ghadir stayed at Madineh. Only a few thousand stayed at Madinah. Out of these, many were bedouins or slaves or poor men. Only a maximum of 100 influential people had gathered at Saqifa. So it will be wrong to say that all 120,000 people presented at the day of Ghadir, conspired and disobeyed the Holy Prophet It should not astonish us that around 100 people went against the verdict of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

D. Communication system and circulation of information was not strong in those days. By the time everyone came to know of the selection of Abu Bakr against the verdict of the Holy Prophet it was too late. Abu Bakr had already become too powerful in material terms. Even if someone tried to oppose the ruling caliph he was silenced either through temptation or through intimidation. The episode of Malik Ibn Nuwayrah is a glaring example in this respect.

E. All the companions were not obedient. There are so many instances to prove the disobedience of the companions.

(a.) During the last days of his blessed life, the Messenger of God prepared an army to do battle with the Byzantines, and he appointed Usamah b. Zayd as its commander. This appointment of a young man, despite the availability of older men, proved displeasing to some of the Companions, and led to an argument among them. Those who strongly opposed to Usamah b. Zayd asked the Prophet to change him, but he paid no attention to their request and commanded Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman to join the Muslim army as it departed from Madinah. However, they not only disregarded military discipline but also disobeyed the categorical command of the Prophet. Instead of proceeding to the front with the army, they split off and returned to Madinah - Ibn Hisham, (alSirah, Vol. IV p. 338), Ya'qubi, "al-Tarikh", (Vol. II, p.92); Ibn Athir, "al-Kamil", (Vol. II, PP. 120-21).

(b.) Some of Sunni historians and hadith scholars have written that when the Prophet decided to write a document that would prevent the Muslims from going astray, 'Umar said: "The Messenger of God has become delirious." Others, however, in order to soften the offensiveness of his words, maintain that he said: "Sickness has overcome the Prophet; you have the Book of God at your disposal, which is enough for us." (Muslem, 'al-Sahih', Vol. Ill, P.

1259); "al-Bukhari, alSahih, (Vol. IV, P.5); Ahmad b. Hanbal, "al-Musnad", hadith no. 2992.), when companions could disobey the Holy Prophet in his presence, they can very easily disobey in his absence after demise. But here it is worth mentioning that there were respectable and independent minded companions, who did not change their position after the death of the Prophet.

They obeyed the appointment of Ali (A.S.) as the vicegerent that took place at Ghadir. Although they were more or less compelled to remain silent, they remained loyal to 'Ali b. Abi Talib, as leader. Among the outstanding personalities belonging to this group were Salman al-Farisi, Abu Dharr al- Ghifari, Abu Ayyub Ansari, Khuzaymah b. Thabit, Miqdad bin Aswad, al- Kindi, 'Ammar b. yasir, Ubayy b. Ka'b, Khalid b. Sa'id, Bilal, Qays b. Sa'd, Aban, Buraydah Ashami, Abu 'l-Haytham b. al- Tayyihan, as well as many others whose names are recorded in Islamic history. Some scholars have listed two hundred and fifty Companions of the Prophet, complete with names and descriptions, as belonging to this class.

Ghadir in the words of Non-Muslim

We have enunciated sufficient reasons to dispel all possibilities for excuses.

Here we would also like to quote an orientalist for sake of reference. Vaglieri has said in the Encyclopedia of Islam about Ghadir Khum: It is certain that Muhammad did speak in this place and utter the famous sentence, for the account of this event has been preserved, either in a concise form or in detail, not only by Ya'kubi, whose sympathy for Ali is well known, but also in the collection of traditions which are considered canonical, especially in the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal; and the hadiths are so numerous and so well attested by the different attributions that it does not seem possible to reject them.

Vaglieri continues, "Several of these hadiths are cited in the bibliography, but it does not include the hadith which, although reporting the sentence, omit to name Ghadir Khum, or those which state that the sentence was pronounced at al-Hudaybiya. The complete documentation will be facilitated when the Concordance of Wensinck have been completely published. In order to have an idea of how numerous these narrations are, it is enough to glance at the pages in which Ibn Kathir has collected a great number of them with their refrences."

Books related to Ghadir:

There are at least 185 Sunni books which have mentioned the event of Ghadir. It is not possible to mention all of them here but we mention just a few:

1. The well known commentator and historian of the fourth century hijri, Abu Ja'far Muharnmad Bin Jarir Tabari (died 310 A.H.), gives complete details of the hadith of Ghadir in his book Kitabu'l- Wilaya and has narrated it through seventy-five chains of transmission.

2. Hafiz Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad Bin Sa'id Abdu'r-Rahman Al-Kufi, popularly known as Ibn Iqda (died 333 A.H.), narrated this holy hadith in his book Kitabu'l- Wilaya through 125 chains on the authority of 125 companions of the Holy Prophet.

3. Ibn Haddad Hafiz Abu'l-Qasim Haskani (died 492 A.H.), in his Kitabu'l- Wilaya, has narrated in detail the event of Ghadir along with the revelation of the verses of the Qur'an.

Similarly some of the many books of Shia authors who have shown the event of Ghadir by providing extensive sunm sources are:

1. Al-Ghadir by Allama Amini - This is apparently the most magnanimous work on the event of Ghadir. This book is in 11 Volumes.

2. Abaqatul Anwar by Mir Hamid Husein - Out of total of 11 Volumes it has 3 bulky volumes dedicated to the subject of ghadir using Sunni references.

3. N afahatul Azhaar by syed Ali Milaani - This is basically explanation of the book Abaqatul Anwar. In this 4 volumes have been dedicated to the event of Ghadir.

4. Ihkaakul Haq by shaheed-e-thalis Qazi Noorullah Shustri - this book has dealt the subject of Ghadir in some of its parts out of a total of 30 huge volumes.

We end our article by quoting the verse of the Holy Quran "And say: The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing)." (17:81)

Zulfiqar Ali (Pakistan)

7- Ghadir in Islamic Traditions

According to the consensus of the narrators of the Islamic traditions, Tabarani and many others have quoted the narration of Zayd Ibn Arqam that:

"The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) once delivered a sermon at Ghadir Khum '0 people! It seems to me that soon I will be called upon and will respond to the call. I have my responsibility and you have yours. So, what do you say?" They said: "We bear witness that you have conveyed the Message, struggled and advised [the nation]; therefore, may Allah reward you with the best of His rewards".

He asked then,: "Do not you also bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, that His Paradise is just and that His Fire is just, that death is just. That the life after death is just; that the last day will undoubtedly arrive; and that Allah shall bring the dead to life from their graves?"

They said: "Yes, indeed, we bear witness to all of that".

He said: "O Mighty Lord! Bear witness that they have," Then he added: "O people! Allah is my Master, and I am the master (Mowla) of the believers. I have3 more authority over their lives than they themselves have 1. Therefore, to whomsoever I have been a master (mowla); this (Ali) is his master (mowla)4 ; "O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends him, and be enemy to whoever sets himself as his enemy." Then he said: "0 people! I am to precede you, and you will join me, at the Pool [of Kawsar]... and I shall ask you when you join me, about the Two Precious things, how you shall succeed me in faring with them; the Greater Precious Thing is the Book of Allah, the Omniscient, the Sublime, and the other are is my Ahlul-Bayt, for the most Gracious and Knowing (Allah) has informed me that they shall never part from each other till they join me at the Pool 5 In a section dealing with 'Ali's 3Many have contemplated upon this sermon, giving it due attention, and they have come to know that it is a reference to the fact that 'Ali's wiaiyat is a root of the faith; For the Prophet first put the question: "Do not you bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger?" Then he said:

"The Last Day is approaching; there is no doubt about it, and Allah shall certainly bring to life those who are in the graves," following that with a statement in which he mentioned the wilayat so that it would be understood that the latter bears the same significance like the matters about which he has asked them and to which they have agreed. This is obvious to all those who are familiar with the methods and objectives of speech.

4 His statement: "I am the mawla" is an outspoken testimony to a significant fact. The meaning of "mawla" is: one who is "awla", "has superior authority". Thus, the meaning of his statement is: "Allah is superior to me, and I am superior to the believers, and whoever considers me to be superior to him, must also consider Ali as such." 5 This wording of the hadith is quoted by Tabrani, Ibn Jarir, Hakim Tirmithi, from Zayd ibn Arqam. It is transmitted by 1bn Hajar from Tabrani and others in this exact wording, without questioning its authenticity; so, refer to page 25 of- Sawaiq al-Muhriqa.

virtues in A1Mustadrak, the author indicates that Zayd ibn Arqam6 is quoted through two sources both of which are held reliable by both Shaykhs: Hakim (one of such sources) says that when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, returned from his Farewell Pilgrimage, he camped at Ghadir Khum, and ordered the believers to sweep the area under a few huge trees where a pulpit of camel litters was made for him. He stood and said: "It seems, as if, I have been called upon and responded to the call, and I enjoin you to look after both the Book of Allah and my Progeny; see how you fare with them after me. They will never part from each other till they join me at the Pool."

Then he added: "Allah, the Dear and Mighty, is my Master, and I am the master of every believer".

Then he raised the hand of Ali and said: To whomsoever I am a master, this Ali is his master. 0 Lord! Befriend …..".

The author quotes this lengthy hadith, in its entirety. In his "Talkhis", al- Thahabi quotes it without commenting on it. Hakim Tirmazi, too, quotes it as narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam, in his Al-Mustadtak, admitting its authenticity. In spite of his intolerance Al- Thahabi admits the same in his Talkhis, to which you may refer. Ahmed ibn Hanbal has quoted the same hadith as narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam thus:

"We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah, (peace he upon him and his progeny), when he camped in a valley called Wadi Khum. He ordered everyone to gather for prayers in midday heat. He then delivered a sermon to us under the shade of a robe over a rush tree to protect him from the heat of the sun. He said: Do you know- or do you believe and accept- that I have more authority over the believers than themselves? They answered: "Yes, indeed, you do".

He said: "Whosoever accepts me as his mowla, Ali is his mowla. 0 Lord! Befriend whosoever befriends' Ali and he the enemy of whomsoever opposes Ali."

Nisaei quoted Zayd ibn Arqam saying that when the Prophet returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage and having reached Ghadir Khum he ordered the ground under a few huge trees to be swept clean. He announced: "It looks like I have been invited [to my Lords presence] and I have accepted the invitation. I leave with Y°'! Two Valuable Things; one of them is bigger than the other:

the Book of Allah and my Progeny, my Household. See how you care both of them, for they shall never part from each other till they join me at the Pool." Then he added: "Allah is my Master and I am the Master (mowla) of every 6 Refer to page 21 of AI-Khasa'is al- 'Alawiyya, where the Prophet is quoted saying: "To whomsoever I have been the wali, this (Ali) is his wali.

believer ." Taking Ali's hand, he added saying, "To whomsoever I have been a Master, this Ali is his Master; 0 Lord! Befriend those who befriend him, and be enemy of all those who are enemy to him".

Abu- Tufail says: "1 asked Zayd: 'Have you heard these words of the Messenger of Allah, yourself?"7 He answered that all those who were there under the huge trees saw the Prophet with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears. This hadith is recorded by Muslim, in a chapter, on the "virtues of Ali" in his "Sahih" from several different narrators, ending with Zayd ibn Arqam; but he abridged it, and cut it short- and so do some people behave.

Ahmed Ibn Hanbal has recorded this hadith from Bora ibn Azib.8 Nisa'i has quoted, "Ayesha daughter ofSa'd said that she heard her father saying: "I heard the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him and his progeny), on the Day of Juhfa, he took "Ali's hand arid delivered a sermon, praised and adored Allah", then said: "0 people! I am your Leader". They said: "You have said the truth." Then he raised Ali's hand and said: "This is my Leader unto you, he will discharge the responsibilities of my religion on my own behalf, and I support whoever supports him, and I am enemy of whosoever who chooses to be his enemy.

Sa'd is also quoted saying: "We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah, when he arrived at Ghadir Khum. Those who went ahead of him returned to join him, while he waited for those who lagged behind, till all people assembled. Then he said: "0 people! Whois your Master and Leader?" They answered: "Allah and His Messenger." Then he took "Ali's hand, made him rise and said: 'Whoever has taken Allah and His Messenger as his Master, this (Ali) is his Master; O Lord! Befriend whoever be friends him, and be enemy of whoever chooses to be his enemy."

7Abu- Tufayl's question is obviously indicative of his amazement at this nation's overlooking this matter regarding 'Ali in spite of the hadith he narrates from the Prophet in his honor on the day of the Ghadir. As if suspicious of the accuracy of the narrated hadith, he went ahead and inquired of Zayd, having heard him narrate the same, "Did you hear it from the Messenger of Allah?!" His tone is that of someone amazed, and skeptical. Zayd answered him that all individuals present under those trees had, indeed, seen the Prophet with their eyes and heard him with their ears; so, Abul- Tufayl then knew that the matter was just as Kumait, may Allah be merciful unto his soul, says: .

On the day of the dawh, the dawh of the Ghadir,Caliph.!lte was made for him manifest and clear, Only if the throngs opted to obey;

Yet I have never seen such a day,

Nor have I seen such right

Trampled upon, discarded outright;

But the men had sold it, and I never sawSuch a precious thing to sale would go...

8This occurs on page 281 of his AI-Khasa'isal- Alawiyya, in a chapter dealing with Ali's status in the eyes of Allah, the Exalted, the omni-Scient, and also on page 25 of another chapter enjoining acceptance of his wilayat and warning against bearing animosity towards him.

The books of traditions recording this incident are numerous and cannot be all counted here. They all contain explicit texts indicating that Ali is the Prophet's successor, just as Fazl Ibn Abbi, Abu Lahab has said:9 The one to be recognized as the successor, generation after generation, After Muhammad, is 'Ali since for he was his companion in every occasion.

Hamid Famagh (Iran) 9These are among poetic lines composed as the answer of Walid ibn 'Uqbah ibn Abu Ma'it, quoted by Mohammad Mahmud Rafi'i in his Introduction to Sharh al-Hashemiyyat, page 8.