Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

5- "Allegiance" of people with Imam Ali (A.S.) in Ghadir tradition

"[O MESSENGER!] PROCLAIM THE MESSAGE THAT HAS BEEN SENT DOWN TO YOU FROM YOUR CREATOR & NURTURER. AND IF YOU DID NOT, THEN YOU WOULD NOT HA VE FULFILLED YOUR DUTY AS ALLAH'S MESSENGER? [KNOW THAT] ALLAH WILL PROTECT YOU FROM [THE MISCHIEVOUS] PEOPLE. VERITY, ALLAH DOES NOT GUIDE THE DISBELIEVERS." (Quran 5:67)

Ghadir is one of the two most important historical events in the history of Islam, the other being Mubahela.

Like all other historical events of national importance, the tradition of Ghadir has ever since been the talk of the entire Muslim nation, and has been consecutively transmitted to this day.The Prophet (p.b.u.h), made extraordinary arrangements for the transmission of this tradition. The occasion was the return journey from his last pilgrimage, ten years after the migration. The messenger of Allah ordered his close followers to call all the different people from different places to join them in his last pilgrimage, whereby he taught them how to perform the pilgrimage in a correct and unified way.

This was the first time that the Muslims, with the magnitude, gathered in one place in the presence of their leader, the messenger of Allah. On his way to Mecca more than seventy thousand people followed Prophet (p.b.u.h). By the fourth day of Dhul hajjah, more than one hundred thousand people had entered Mecca. Ali (a.s) also joined the Holy Prophet.

On their return journey, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was leaving Mecca towards Medina, where he and the crowd of people reached to a place called GHADIR KHUM (which is close to today’s Johfah). It was a place where people from different provinces and countries said good bye to each other and took different routes for their homes.

It was in this place that the above verse of the Quran was revealed. The Prophet spent approximately 5 hours addressing the people out of which three hours were on the pulpit. He recited nearly 100 verses from the Holy Quran, and reminded and warned the people of their deeds and future. Then he gave a long speech. The following is a part of the speech as narrated by Sunni traditionists. The Messenger of Allah declared:

"O People! Know that Gabriel came down to me several times bringing me an order from the Lord, the merciful; that I should stop at this place and inform you. Behold! It is as if the time has approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer. "O people! Don't you witness that there is no diety but Allah, Muhammed is his servant and his apostle, paradise is truth and that the Day (of judgment) shall certainly arrive, and Allah shall raise people from the graves?" People replied "Yes we believe in them".

The Prophet then said "Behold! I am leaving among you two precious symbols, that if you adhere to them, you shall never go astray after me. Each of these two surpasses the other in its grandeur."

The Prophet then said "One of them is the book of Allah and the other one is my selected progeny (itrat) that is family (Ahlul Bayt)." "Behold" he said, "I am your predecessor at the pool (of Paradise), and 1 shall be a witness over you. Thus be careful how you treat these two precious things after me. Do not stray away from them, for you will perish".

Then he grasped the hand of Ali (a.s) and raised it and said:

"WHOEVER I AM HIS MASTER, ALl IS HIS MASTER (repeating three times). O, God! Love those who love him. Be hostile to those who are hostile to him. Help those who help him, and keep the truth with him wherever he turns. "

"Ali, the son of Abu Talib is my brother, my executor (WASI), my successor (caliph), and the leader (Imam) after me. His position to me is the same as the position of Haroon to Moses, except there shall be no Prophet after me. He is your Master. "

"O, people! Verily Allah has appointed him to be your Imam and ruler. Obedience of him is obligatory for all immigrants (Muhajerin) and helpers (Ansars), those who follow virtues, the dwellers of the cities and the nomads, the Arabs and the non Arabs, the freeman and the slave, the young and the old, the noble and the poor, the white and the black."

"His command should be obeyed, and his word is binding. His order is obligatory on everyone who believes in one God. Cursed is the man who disobeys him, and blessed is the one who follows him. He who believes in him is a true believer. His WALlYAH (belief in his mastery) has been made obligatory by Allah, the powerful, the exalted."

He then went on to talk about the Holy Quran and to reflect on the verses and not to presume the meanings by saying "by Allah, nobody can explain them to you, the warnings and its meanings, except me and this man(i.e Ali) whose hand I am lifting up in front of myself."

After that he went on to talk about the 11 successors after Ali (p.b.u.h.) "O People! This is the last time I shall stand in this assembly. Therefore listen to me and obey and submit to the command of God. Verily Allah, He is your Lord and God. After Him, his Prophet Muhammed who is addressing you is your master. Then after me, this Ali is your master and leader (Imam) according to Allah's command. Then after him leadership will continue through some selected individuals in my descendents till you meet Allah and his Prophet".

"Behold! Certainly you shall meet your Lord and he will ask you about your deeds. Beware! Do not become infidels after me by striking the neck of one another. It 'is incumbent upon those who are present to inform what I said, to those who are absent; perhaps the informed one might comprehend it (understand it) better than some of the present audience. Behold! Haven't I conveyed the Message of Allah to you?" People replied: "Yes" The Prophet said "O God bear witness."

("A'alam al Wara" P.132-133, "Tazkirat al Khawas", Sibt Ibn al Jawzi al Hanafi pp28-33, "al sirah al Halabiyyah", by Noor al Din al Halabi v3, p273) Revelation of Qur'anic Verse 70:1-3

Some Sunni commentators further report that the first three verses of the chapter of al-Ma'arij (70:1-3) were revealed when a dispute arose after the Prophet's speech.

When Harith Ibn Nu'man al-Fahri (or Nadhr Ibn Harith according to another tradition) came to know of this appointment, he went to the Messenger of Allah and said to him: "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 this, and you raised your cousin by your hand and imposed him upon us as our master by saying' Ali is the mowla of whom I am mowla.' 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 Harith turned back and proceeded towards his camel saying: "O 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 reached his camel, when Allah, who is above all defects, flung at him a stone which struck him on his head, penetrated his body and passed out through his lower body and left him dead. It was on this occasion that Allah, the exalted, caused to descend the following verses:

"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) However some people did try to interpret the tradition in a different way. They particularly tried to translate the words WALl (master), MOWLA (master/ leader), and WILA Y AH (mastery/leadership) as friend and friendship.

Dictionaries give 20 meanings for the Arabic word WALl, depending on context, most have to do with the position of leadership. Only in one instance it could mean a friend. According to them, the meaning of the tradition is: “Whoever I am his friend, Ali is his friend.”

There was no doubt that Imam Ali had a very high status in comparison with all other people. He was the first male who embraced Islam (Sahih Tirmidhi) He received the title of "brother" of Prophet He was the one for whom Prophet said: "Ali is the friend of believers!"

Moreover, how can we justify the revelation of Verse 5:67 which were revealed before the speech of the Prophet in which Allahsaid:

"0 Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; 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).

Is it logical to say that Allah warned his Prophet that if he does not convey the message of "friendship of Ali", he has spoiled all he has done?! Also what danger can be imagined for Prophet if he states "Ali is the friend of believers"? Then what danger from the side of people is the above verse referring to?

Furthermore, how can the phrases "Ali is the friend of believers" complete the religion? Is the verse of completeness of religion (5:3) which was revealed after the speech of Prophet suggesting that without saying "Ali is the friend of believers" the religion is not complete?

Also, as we quoted in the first part, Umar and Abu Bakr congratulated Ali by saying: "Congratulations 0 son of Abu Talib! Today you became my MOWLA, and the MOWLA of all believing men and women.“If, here, the word MOWLA means friend then why the congratulations? Were the other people over there enemy of believers at that time, so that Umar said that "you BECAME the friend of them?!”

In fact, every WALl is a friend, but the reverse is not always true. This is why the Arabs use "Wali al-Amr" for the rulers, meaning the master of the affairs. Thus, logically speaking, the word MOWLA can not be interpreted as friend, and we should rather use its other more-frequently- used meanings which are Leader and chief.

Perhaps one would ask why Prophet didn't .use other words to further explain his intention. In fact, people asked him the same question, and the following Sunni documentations are the answers of the Prophet: 1. When the Messenger of Allah was asked about the meaning of "whoever I am his MOWLA then Ali is his MOWLA". He said:

"Allah is my MOWLA, more deserving of me (my obedience) than me, I do not dispute him. I am the MOWLA of the believers, more deserving in them than themselves, they do not dispute me. Therefore, whomever I was his MOWLA, more deserving in him than himself (and) does not dispute me, then Ali is MOWLA, more deserving in him than himself, he does not dispute him."

2. During the reign of Uthman, Ah protested by reminding people the following tradition. Also, he reminded it again during the war of Siffin. When the Messenger of Allah spoke of (Tradition of Ghadir)..., Salman stood up and said: "0' Messenger of Allah! What does W AL mean? And how?" Prophet replied: "In the same way that I am your WALl (Wala-un ka wala'i). Whoever (considered me) I have more authority over him than himself; then Ali has more authority over him than himself."

3. Ali Ibn Abi Talib was asked about the saying of the Messenger of Allah "Whoever I am his MA WLA then Ali is his MA WLA". He said: "He erected me chief. To the time I am up there, whoever opposes me, and then he is misguided in religion."

4.On the commentary of Verse: "And stop them, they are to be asked (Quran 37:24)", Daylami narrated that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: The Messenger of Allah said: "And stop them, they will be asked of Leadership of Ali;"

Also, Hafiz al-Wahedi commented on the above verse saying: "This WILAYAH that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) affirmed to Ali will be asked about on the Day of Judgment. It is said that WILA Y AH is what Allah meant in the verse 37:24 of Quran, where He said: "And stop them, they are to be asked /37:24J". This means that they will be asked about the WILA Y AH of Ali. The meaning is: They will be asked if they truly accepted him as their WALl as they were instructed by the Prophet? Or did they loose and ignore it?"

Countless scholars of Quran, Arabic grammar, and literature have interpreted the word MOWLA as "Awla" which means "having more authority." '

Thus the word WALl or MOWLA in the tradition of Ghadir Khum does not mean a simple friend; rather it means master and guardian, whohas more authority over believers than what they have over themselves as Prophet himself mentioned by saying "Don't I have more authority (Awla) on believers than what they have over themselves?” At least 64 Sunni traditionists have quoted this preceding question of the Prophet. Among them are Tirmidhi, Nisa'i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Therefore, the opinion of the above Sunni scholars accords with what Prophet said by using the word Awla before the word MOWLA. In fact, when a word has more than one meaning, the best way to find out its true connotation is to look it in the context. The word Awla (having more authority) used by the Prophet gives a good association for the word MOWLA.

The pray of Prophet after his declaration in which he said:

"0' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him. Help those who help him, and forsake those who forsake him", shows that Ali on that day was entrusted with a responsibility (Leadership) which, by its nature, some people will become his enemy, and in carrying out that responsibility he would need some helpers and supporters. Are helpers ever needed to carry on a "friendship"?

Moreover, the declaration of Prophet that "It seems the time is approached when I will be called away (by Allah) and I will answer that call" clearly shows that he was making arrangements for the leadership of Muslims after his death.

Also when at the end of his speech, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said twice: "Behold! Haven't I conveyed the message of Allah?" or "It is incumbent upon every one who is present to inform the absent for they may understand it better than those who are present" shows that the Prophet was conveying a very important message which was going to be transferred to all coming generations. This matter could not have been a simple friendship. .

It is worth mentioning that Prophet did use the word Caliph in his speech in Ghadir Khum, but it does not appear in the majority of Sunni documents since there is no way to tamper the meaning of that word. However the Prophet also used the word MOWLA in his speech to survive this event from being wiped up from the historical records with no trace.

It is interesting to note that the words WALl and MOWLA are also used in Quran frequently with the meaning of master and guardian. For instance, the Holy Quran states:

"Allah is the WALl of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness (and takes them) into light." (Quran 2:257)

The above verse does not mean that Allah is just a friend of believers; since a simple friend who has no authority can not move anybody into light. Rather it means Allah is the Master of believers and that is why He moves them from darkness to light. In another verse Allah said: "Surely the AWLlYA of Allahhave no fear, nor do they grieve." (Quran 10:62)

The word A WLIY A is the plural form of WALL Thus "WALl of Allah" is a person who has totally submitted his affairs to Allah.

Thus the verse (5:55) is actually saying that ONLY Allah is your W ALl, and then Prophet Muhammad, and Imam Ali. Thus we can conclude that the WILA Y AH (mastership/ leadership) of Imam Ali is the same as that of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) since Allah put them beside each other. The authority of Prophet Muhammad is explained by the following verses of Quran:

"The Prophet has a greater priority/authority (Awla) over the believers than what they have over themselves" (Quran 33:6) or:

"0' you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those from among you, who are given authority (by Allah)." (Quran 4:59) Ali came to the plain of Rahbah, and some people told him "Peace on you 0' our MOWLA!" Ali replied: "How can I be your MOWLA while you are free men?" They said: "We heard the Messenger of Allah on the day of Ghadir Khum who said: 'Whoever I was his MOWLA, Ali is his MOWLA.' If MOWLA means friend, then why was Ali asking the above question? Was friendship new to Arabs? In fact Imam: Ali asked this question to reiterate the importance of the word MOWLA, and showing that people at that time did not mean it friend for him, and that what they meant is master of the believers.

Concluding the above discussion, it is clear that any individual who tries to trivialize the tradition of Ghadir Khum by saying that Prophet just wanted to say "Ali is the friend of believers", is neglecting the abovementioned traditions of prophet in which he explained what he meant by WALl, and also neglecting the abovementioned verses of Quran (those which were revealed in Ghadir Khum and those which explain the importance of WALl). Finally, the following tradition from S'unni references further illuminates the fact that WALl means Imam since the tradition uses the phrase "follow them" and "Imam". Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

"Whoever wishes to live and die like me, and to abide in the Garden of Eden after death, should acknowledge Ali as WALl after me, and should follow the Imams after me. For they are my Ahlul-Bayt; and are created from my clay, and are gifted with the same knowledge and understanding as myself. Woe unto those who deny their virtues and those who disregard their relationship and affinity with me, for my intercession shall never reach them."

Sukaina N Gulamhusein (Kenya)

6- Importance of "Ghadir" in our Islamic ideology

At the very outset we are faced with a stark reality. We are compelled to ask ourselves two questions. What status did Islam want the Muslims to achieve?

What status have the Muslims actually achieved? The answer to the first question is comparatively much easy to digest. Three times does the Holy Quran repeats: "Allah is the One Who has sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to over shine all religions by it, though the polytheists may dislike it." (Quran 9:33, 48:28, 61:9). Also the Holy Quran enunciates:

"Surely the land is Allah's; He causes His servants to inherit it as He pleases" (7:128) But the answer to the second question hits the belly - and indeed hits it hard. Today's Muslim does not stand anywhere near victory. Success reaches every house but somehow manages to escape the thresholds of Muslims. The parable of the Muslim is that of a football, being kicked from one end to another. Some do kick to get material benefits. Majority are the people who seek pure entertainment by being the spectators and at times the cheerleaders. This reality slaps, smack, on our faces.

The somberness of this fact burns our hearts. It persuades us to do the much needed research in order to comprehend the underlying fundamentals to this stark variation - What the Quran explicitly mentions to what we observe in the socio-political transnational personality of the contemporary Muslim. In this research, to pursue the reality, we promise ourselves to uphold and follow the genuine research 'wherever it leads to'.

Pursuit for truth without the sincere intent and the firm resolve has no meaning. Before we venture out in the realm of sincere research and quest for truth we take caution and endeavor to improve our resolve with these words "There arefew nudities as objectionable, as the naked truth Agnes Replier. Further we sincerely pray that we take our faith seriously, and not to be included in those who have been mentioned with the words" He wears his faith, but as the fashion of his hat - William Shakespeare. We take courage in these words "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642). And also "Truth is generally the best vindication against slander - Abraham Lincoln.

Let us first analyze where the Muslims went wrong in their vast history presently spread over more than 14 centuries. Where did the first falsehood creep into the history of the Muslims? We will not leave any- stone unturned and any page unread, to locate this falsehood and ultimately eliminate it.

There are two ways to this analysis. First we initiate from the contemporary to the life of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.). Second is we initiate from the life of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to the contemporary. We know that if there was a false in the past, then it had been multiplied with time. Therefore, we take the second option, starting from the life of the Holy Prophet to the present. It would have been an increasingly ardous affair to analyze the complex form of the false in the recent times without analyzing the comparatively bare and raw form of the false in the previous times. When we mention I bare form of the falsehood' we definitely have taken great pains in comprehending what a 'falsehood' means and implies. This indicates that there exist different forms of falsehood. There are 2 kinds of falsehoods. One is in its bare status, which is in its nascent elementary form, and the other is the falsehood garbed with truth that is the complicated form. The Holy Quran says: "Do not mix the truth with the falsehood "(2:42). In this verse the Holy Quran exhorts the people not to mix truth and falsehood together. Simply speaking the Holy Quran could have asked us to leave falsehood. But it is needless to mention here that the Holy Quran wants to specify here the second form of falsehood that is more dangerous than simple elementary form of falsehood. This falsehood is the complex form of falsehood that is mixed with truth and is perceived as truth at the outset.

Only when a person ponders over the reality of this he comes to understand that it is, in reality, a falsehood and not truth. But the more simple minded people and those who do not ponder a lot get hooked and start considering this falsehood as being the real form of truth. These people start believing this complex form of false as truth in such a way that they are more than willing to sacrifice their lives for this complex false, of course, under the impression that this is truth by itself. There is another group of people who are impure at heart. They are quite aware about this complex false and comprehend that this is false but chooses to stick by this false rather than the truth.

Beginning from the life of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), first, we are sure that nothing went wrong in the time when the Holy Prophet was alive. Since we know that the Holy Prophet was at the helm of the affairs of the Muslims and no mistakes could be attributed to him. It is sufficient to say that no Muslim believes that the Holy Prophet committed any mistake that ultimately has caused such tragic oppressions of the Muslims. Also, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has received a certificate from Allah (S.W.T.) that he will not err in the affairs of the Muslims in the following verses of the Holy Quran:

"Your companion does not err, nor does he go astray; nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but a revelation that is revealed "(53: 2, 3, & 4). Also the Holy Quran certifies all his actions by asking everyone to follow each and every action of him without any exception. This verse has been repeated tens of times in the Holy Quran: “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet” (3:32, 3:132, 4:59, 8:1, 8:20,8:46 ). Our journey for seeking truth has started from the life of the Holy Prophet and is supposed to terminate at the contemporary. So the next stage which should not miss our stringent perusal is the period immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet. .

Immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet, we envisage heavy differences taking place amongst the Muslims. We can proffer many examples displaying the terrible differences that had occurred. But since the scope of this document is highly limited, just to indicate the extent of differences taking place after the Holy Prophet it is sufficient to enunciate the following points: 1. Abu Ja'far Baladhuri, a reliable traditionalist and historian according to the Sunnis, writes in his "History" that when Abu Bakr called Ali to swear allegiance, Ali refused. Abu Bakr sent Umar, who went with a torch to set fire to Ali's house. Fatima came to the door and said: "0 son of Khattab! Have you come to set my house on fire?" He said: "Yes, this is more effective than anything your father did."

2. Sharhe Nahju'l-Balagha, Volume Ill, page 351. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid wrote that he told his teacher, Abu Ja'far Naqib, that when the Prophet was told that Hubbar Bin Aswad had attacked his daughter Zainab's litter with a lance, because of which Zainab suffered a miscarriage, the Prophet allowed him to be put to death. Abu Ja'far said: “Had the Prophet of Allah been alive, he would have surely ordered the death penalty for him also who had frightened Fatima so much that her child, Muhsin, died in miscarriage.”

Hazrat Hussein (AS.) the grandson of the Holy Prophet was martyred along with his family members.

3. When Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud learned that, like other copies of the Holy Quran, his copy had been burnt, he was much aggrieved. In social and religious gatherings, he narrated the condemnatory tradition that he knew about Othman. When this news reached Othman, he had Ibn Mas'ud so severely beaten by his slaves that his teeth were broken, and he was confined to bed. After three days he succumbed to his injuries. Ibn Abi'l-Hadid writes in detail about these facts in Volume I, pages 67 and 226 of Sharh Nahju'l- Balagha (printed in Egypt) under "Ta'n VI".

4. Both Shia and Sunni scholars narrate that, when Umayyad oppressions increased, some companions of the Prophet wrote to Othman, asking him to relent. They said that if he continued to assist his cruel Umayyad Governors, he would not only be harming Islam, but he would himself be subjected to serious consequences. They asked Ammar Yasir to deliver the petition since Othman himself had acknowledged Ammar's virtue. They had often heard Othman say that the Prophet said that faith was blended with the flesh and blood of Ammar. So Ammar took the letter to Othman. When he arrived, Othman asked him, "Do you have business with me?" He replied: "I have no business of a personal nature. But a group of the Prophet's Companions have written in this letter some suggestions and advice for your welfare. They have sent it to you, through me." After reading a few lines, Othman threw the letter down. Ammar said: "It was not good of you. A letter from the companions of the Holy Prophet of Allah deserves respect. Why did you throw it on the ground? It would be proper for you to have read it and replied to it?" "You are lying!" Othman shouted. Then he ordered his slaves to beat him, and Othman himself kicked him in the stomach.

5. Othman was also cruel to Abu Dharr Ghifari, one of the intimate companions of the Holy Prophet and a learned man. Great traditionalists and historians of both sects have reported that this ninety-year-old man was unjustly exiled from place to place with utmost ignominy - from Medina to Syria, to Medina again, and then (from Medina to the desert of Rabza in Lebanon. He rode on a naked camel accompanied by his only daughter. He died in Rabza in penury and neglect.

Sunni prominent ulema and historians, including, Ibn Sa'd, in his Tabaqat, Volume IV, page 168; Bukhari in Sahih, Kitab-e-Zakat; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid in his Sharhe Nahju'l-Balagha, Volume I, page 240 and Volume II, pages 375-87, Yaqubi in his History, Volume II, page 148; Abu'l-Hasan Ali Bin Husain Mas'udi, the famous traditionalist and historian of the fourth century in his Muruju'dh-Dhahab, Volume I, page 438, and many others have recorded Uthman's cruelty. It has been widely reported how he mistreated the pure-hearted Abu Dharr, the loved one of the Holy Prophet, and also how Abdullah Bin Mas'ud, the hafiz and recorder of holy Quran, who was given forty lashes because he bid farewell to Abu Dharr Ghifari. Insulting treatment was likewise shown to Ali for the same reason. 6. The wife of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) came out to fight against the Holy Imam Ali (p.b.u.h.).

7. Ayesha went to Basra city. Uthman Bin Honaif, a great companion of the Prophet and governor of Basra appointed by Ali, was captured there. His hair and beard were pulled out; he was tortured and driven out. More than 100 innocent, helpless Muslims were killed. Ibn Athir, Mas'udi, Muhammad Bin Jarir Tabari, Ibn Abi'lHadid, and others have written in detail about this event. 8. Abu'l-Faraj Ispahani in his Maqatilu't- Talibin, Ibn Abdu'l-Ber in his Isti'ab, Mas’udi in his Isbatu'l-Wasiyya, and many other ulema have reported that Asma Ju'da, by order and promise of Mu'awiya, gave poison to Abu Muhammad Hasan Ibn Ali. Ibn Abdu'l-Bar and Muhammad Bin Jarir Tabari have also reported that when Mu'awiya was informed of the demise of the holy imam, he shouted takbir ("Allah isGreat ").

9. When Amr Bin As and Mu'awiya Bin Khadij conquered Egypt; the supply of water was cut off to Muhammad Bin Abu Bakr. When he had nearly died of thirst, he was killed. He was then enclosed in the skin of an ass and the bundle was thrown into a fire. When Mu'awiya learned of this, he was very pleased.

10. Sunni eminent ulema and historians, including Yusuf Sibt Ibn Jauzi in his Tazkira Khawasu'l-Umma, p.122; Allama Mas'udi, author of Muruju'z- Dhahab, in Isbatu'lWasiyya, p.136; Ibn Abi'l-Hadid in Sharh-e-Nahju'l- Balagha, vol. IV, p.18, reporting from Abu'l-Faraj and Yahya Bin Hasan, author of Kitabu'n-Nasab; Muhammad Khwawind Shah in his Rauzatu's-Safa, and many others have written that when the corpse of Imam Hasan was being transported to Medina, A'yesha, mounted on a mule and accompanied by a group of the Bani Umayya and their slaves, stopped the group with Imam Hasan's body. They said that they would not let Imam Hasan be buried by the side of the Holy Prophet.

According to _the report of Mas'udi, Ibn Abbas said: "It is strange of you, A'yesha! Was not the Day of Jamal, that is, your entering the battlefield mounted on a camel, sufficient for you? Now should the people also keep in memory the Day of Baghl? 11. Differences in the four schools of Jurisprudence namely shaafei, Maaliki, Hanbali and hanafi, which appeared after the Holy Prophet, had been so intense that they used to go to the extent of calling each other infidels.

The above cases show that there didexist tremendous differences and an increasingly pathetic state of affairs of the Muslims right after the demise of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.). It will be absolutely wrong to endeavor and find out the roots to the causes of the plight of the contemporary Muslim without actually finding out the roots to the pathetic status of the Muslims immediately after the Holy Prophet. But the big question is - How do we find the truth? How do we analyze the events taking shape after the demise of the Holy Prophet? The Ahle sunnat people come up with a theory of Ijma (General Approval). They boldly mention that in spite of the differences among the Muslims, they were all united on one platform. It is like saying that the pant has 40,000 holes in it but still it is perfect - You can wear it! They were not united on anyone aspect. Let us not beat behind the bushes.

Let us not follow the words "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. If we ponder on this, and sincerely endeavor to seek the truth we will understand that these kinds of disturbances were not exclusive to the Muslim society. Any community which has so many resources under it and has huge power will get involved in this kind of strife, if one single leader is not designated by the previous leader. If the previous leader leaves the community without designating his successor for the community and the community, has such resources, it can be predicted that enormous strife and disturbances will follow in the community. Hence this ultimately devolves on the Holy Prophet. If the Holy Prophet had to avoid disturbances after him then he had to appoint his successor. There was absolutely no chance that the Muslim community would have remained safe from disturbances and internal strife, if there was no one single person appointed as the Holy Prophet's successor and appointed before the demise of the Holy Prophet. If a person says that the Holy Prophet did not appoint anyone as his successors throughout his lifetime, then he is most certainly attributing an error, short sightedness and a shortcoming on the Holy Prophet. Hence, after all the pains we have taken, we have at least understood the following:

1. Plight of the present day Muslims are not related purely to the present day problems, but are inherited from the past that is ultimately inherited from the problems faced by Muslims immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet.

2. The problems of the Muslims immediately after the Holy Prophet was because they were not united under one single banner of TRUTH.

3. The Muslims after the Holy Prophet were not united 1 under one banner of truth because the Holy Prophet did not identify this banner of truth by not appointing 'his successor. Thus the root cause of all the problems faced by the Muslims throughout so many centuries is the error of the Holy Prophet - May Allah (S.W.T.) protects us from such wild and false imaginations. The other possibility is that the Holy Prophet did appoint his successor and vicegerent, but the majority of the Muslims disregarded it. Thus all the problems faced by the Muslims throughout so many centuries whether it be spiritual or material has to be attributed to this disregard.

If it is true that the Holy Prophet appointed a successor after him but the majority of the Muslims disregarded it then we should try to find this appointment by the Holy Prophet. Let us utilize all the latest tools available to mankind to scan and find out the moment in the life of the Holy Prophet when he appointed his successor and vicegerent. If we study the life of the Holy Prophet we will find out that we do not require any tools to locate where and how did the Holy Prophet appoint his successor. In fact his life is full of small and big incidents wherein he has announced his successor. He has not hidden these events anywhere, and has not made this appointment ambiguous. These kinds of repeated announcement by the holy Prophet of his successor are abundant and clear in his life time. The Holy Prophet was too merciful to have possibly concealed the appointment. The Holy Quran says: " Certainly an apostle has come to you, from among yourselves; grievous to him is your falling into distress, excessively solicitous respecting you; to the believers (he is) compassionate, merciful." (9:128)

Amongst all the instances wherein the Holy Prophet has mentioned the appointment of his successor, the event of Ghadir is the biggest occasion.

After completion of the last pilgrimage of the Holy Prophet he collected all the Muslims available at a place called Ghadir-e-khum, and then vehemently announced the appointment of Ali (p.b.u.h.) as his successor and vicegerent in clear terms. Since whatever we have discussed till now is focused on this event of Ghadir, we need to elaborate this event in a greater detail.