9- The Ghadir Mosque
Today, what is the state of the holy land where Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib was bestowed with the Mastership and Authority by the honorable Prophet (p.b.u.h.) during his farewell pilgrimage in 10 A.H.?
Has it been lost in the dust of hostility? Should not this valley be a pilgrimage site for not only the Shiites but rather for all the Muslims of the world? Has not this fragrant and sweet odour soil safeguarded the message and authority within itself after a period of fourteen centuries? Has not the marks of the holy steps of the Prophet and Hazrat Ali been engraved on it? Has not this soil and sand been a witness to that grand event? Does not the relieving voice of the Holy Prophet echo' in the scorching airwaves of Ghadir? At present, are the pilgrims to Baitul Haraam (the Sacred Mosque) allowed to pass through this pure land thus giving vigour and freshness to their souls and body where the heavenly voice of the Holy Prophet was raised on the 18th day of Zilhaj, 10 A.H.?
Short History of the Ghadir Mosque10
Since the day the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) appointed Hazrat Ali as the Imam in Ghadir Khum, the valley gained a fresh sanctity. The three-day ceremony on that land with the presence of the holy Prophet, Hazrat Ali, Fatemeh, Hasan and Hussein (p.b.u.h.) had its effect. It imparted such a life and spirit to that place that in the length of fourteen centuries it became popular as "The Prophet's mosque in Ghadir" and millions of pilgrims to and from Ka'ba visited this sacred place and worshipped at that site seeking proximity to Allah.
The Ahlul Bait strictly recommended their followers not to neglect visiting the Ghadir mosque. Imam Husain (p.b.u.h.) had made a stop at this site on his way from Mecca to Karbala. Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq had visited this mosque and explained to their followers every spot of the Ghadir ceremony.
Eminent scholars and traditionists too used to visit Ghadir to pay their respects. Ali Bin Mahziyar Ahwazi belonging to the 3rd century A.H., on his journey to Hajj had visited the mosque of Ghadir. From the writings of Sheikh Toosi (from the sixth century AH.), Ibn Hamzah (from the seventh century AH.), and Shahid Awwal and Alamma Hilli (from the eight century) we can read about the Ghadir mosque and the fact that signs of this mosque had 10 Bihar oI-Anwar, VoI 8, old edition, p. 225, VoI 37, p. 201, VoI 52,p. 5, hadith 4, VoIIO0, p. 225; Esbath aIHuda, VoI 2, p. 17, hadith 67, p. 21, hadith 87, p. 199, hadith 1004; Mu'jam aI-BaIadan, VoI2, p. 389; Mesbah aI-Mutahajjed, p. 709; AI-WasiIah (Ibne-Hamzah), p. 196; AI-Ghaibah (Shaikh Tusi), p. 155; AI-Durus, p. 156; Mazaraat (shrines of) AhI aI-bayt (a.s.) and Tarikh (history) of (Sayed JaIaIi), p.42.remained
intact during their times.In the year 1250 A.H. (1830 A.D.)
Syed Kazemi had informed about the presence of this mosque saying that even though Ghadir was far away from the roadside, yet this mosque was famous. In 1300 A.H. (1880 A.D.), Mohadeth Nouri informed about the existence of the Ghadir mosque and he had personally visited and performed rites in it.
Demolition of the Ghadir Mosque by theenemies11 :
Just like [Ghadir], a banner raised high in the history of Islam, and from which the green light of "Ali W aliullah" shines. Similarly, the mosque of Ghadir was.like an arrow in the eyes of the enemies of Wilayah, since its construction in the heart of the desert, is a living proof of the Ghadir event. For this reason, the revengeful enemies of Hazrat Ali and their followers could not tolerate to see the existence of this historical and ideological construction.
The signs of this mosque which was marked by the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and his companions, for the first time was destroyed and wiped out by Omar Ibn Khatab. The mosque was revived during Hazrat Ali’s time. After his demise, Moawiya sent a camel driver along with two hundred persons to pull down the mosque to the ground. After a lapse of years, the mosque was again rebuilt” and considering that it was located along side the road to Hejaz, it became so famous that historians and geography writers, from the Sunni sect too, have made mention of this Mosque and its exact location. The Ghadir mosque existed until a century ago. Although it was located in an opposition region, officially, it was a site of worship and was famous as the Ghadir Mosque. However, the Wahabis who undertook two spiteful steps for its destruction inflicted the final blow. On one hand, they destroyed the Mosque and its signs and on the other hand, they changed the course of roadway in such a way that a vast distance was created between the roadway and Ghadir territory.
The Geographical location of Ghadir Khum:
The territory of Ghadir is situated in a flooded area where floods reach Johfah from Ghadir, and thereafter joins the red sea. Hence the yearly floods route into the sea. Such routes are known in Arabic as "Wadi" (valley).
Thus, in depiction of Ghadir in geographical terms, we can say: The Johfah valley is an inundated route that leads into the sea. On this route a natural pool has emerged where in the post flood period, water collects in such a pool. Such a pool is called 'Ghadir' in Arabic. At various places, there exist many Ghadirs in the course of flowing floods and each one is distinguished from the other by a specific name. In order to be distinguished from the others, this 11 Mataleb ol-Navaseb (Ibne Shahr-Aashoub), p. 63 Ghadir too has been given a name viz, Ghadir-Khum.
The name of Ghadir Khum has' remained unchanged during the last fourteen centuries and in the historical and geographical books and dictionaries, his name has been used for this specific place throughout the centuries.
The exact position of this place has also been determined and the distances from all four sides of this place have been clearly stated. In this regard, one can refer to the following books:
Mu'jam Mastu'jem, Vo12, p. 368,492, and 510
Lisan aI-Arab, word Khamam and Ghadar
Mu'jam al-Holdan, Vol 2, p 350, 389, Vol 3, p 159, Vol 4, p 188, V 01 6, word Ghadir.
Mu'jam Ma'alem al-Hejaz, Voll, p 156 Taj al-Aroos, word Khamam and Ghadar.
Al-Nihayah (Ibne-Athir), word Khamam.
Al-Rauzal Ma'thar, Vol156 Wafa al-Wafa, Vo12, p 298 Sefato Jazirat-ul Arab, p 259
Taking into consideration that a geographical territory is known as various names on different grounds, GhadirKhum too has been called by different territorial names in history from geographical aspects.
In some cases it is remembered as "Johfeh" because it is located in the Johfeh valley. In other cases it is called as "Kharrar" which is the name of the route the floods flow from Ghadir to Johfeh. In other instances, it was called as "Ghorabeh", because it is the name of a territory adjacent to Ghadir Khum, and both of these are located in the same valley.
Considering that Ghadir and Johfeh lie fromEast
to West, in flood flowing region, the more it proceeds towards the sea, it becomes winder. .
People, who wanted to determine the distance from Johfeh to Ghadir, have measured the distance from different angles. Thus, the distance till Johfeh has been measured as three miles, and at times two miles. On the other side, with the passage of time, the geographical condition of the region has changed, especially considering that the area is an inundated region. For this reason, in the portrayal of Ghadir-Khum, its vital and natural aspects have undergone a change right from the time of the holy Prophet until now, as follows:
The Ghadir pool is a water spring that flows and leads into Ghadir. The water of this spring would at times decrease, or even dry out, and at times change its course and flow to another direction due to natural phenomenon. The spring was surrounded by densely grown trees, creatinga green
and beautiful scenery. At times, the trees would get destroyed as a result of floods and at times would lose their green lustre or wither away due to scarcity or lack of water.
Besides the Ghadir pool, there were some very old and wild trees below which the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) would deliver speech. These trees, too, have either dried out due to their long old life, or were destroyed by floods. The Ghadir pool itself has undergone a lot of change with respect to its length, breadth and depth because of the floods covering it in the length of so many years. But, the main venue has not changed at all, and throughout history, this venue has remained famous as Ghadir-Khum right until today.
The current location of the Ghadir Mosque12 At present, Ghadir is in the form of a desert, having a pool and a water spring. The Mosque, (where today, no signs of it can be seen), was located between the pool and the spring. This territory is located 200 kilometres away from Mecca, next to the city of Rabegh, and besides the village of Johfeh, which is a gathering point for the hajj pilgrims. At present, it is famous by the name of Ghadir, and the local people are well acquainted of its exact location and name. They are also aware that Shiite community often visit and question about this place.
As a live witness, we present below, the research report prepared by two experts who had visited the Ghadir territory:
1- ATEQ BIN GHAITH BELADI
He is a Sunni scholar, who from 1393 to 1398 A.H. (1972- 1977), made three well-planned exploratory journeys, for determining the route of the holy Prophet's hijrat (migration). He has identified the entire cities, villages, deserts, springs and all other details of the region from Mecca to Medina and has also specified the places that have now lost their existence.
He has recorded these matters in his two books viz, "Alaa Tariq al-hijrah" P. 6067 and "Moajam Ma lem al-Hijaz" Pg 3-159 supported with several maps. He describes his journey to Ghadir Khum and the geographical situation as under: "I came from Johfeh to Qasr Olya, where I met an inhabitant of that place and questioned him about the spring of Ghadir Khum. He pointed out to some date trees towards the west and said: "There lies Ghorabeh". He meant the same Ghadir Khum, which is nowadays called by this name too. After travelling 8 Km from Qasr Olya,"I reached Ghadir Khum; some 26 kilometers east of Rabegh. The pool is on the western side of the plain and about 150 date trees stands erect besides it. In the past, this plain was named "Khomar" and inundated by flood, but now, small hills have emerged at this place preventing 12 Torathna Magazine: Number 21, P 5-22.
floods
. On the eastern side of the pool is the "Khaneq" plain where water from the mountains of "Sheraa" flows the distance of 25 kilometres into this pool thus leading to the survival of this historical pool. This pool is permanent and never dries up even at times of drought.
On the south of this pool is the "Wabriyah" desert and besides it lies "Owairezeh". On the west and north-west direction of Ghadir Khum, one can see the signs of an ancient city, that had fortifications and is clearly noticeable mainly the three tall buildings or forts that have been ruined.
Three reasons can be cited to highlight the fact that a number of people were residing at this place in an urban or vital rural form:
1- The spring of Ghadir, like any other spring in Hijaz, has in itself, a village set-up.
2- After the demise of Amir-ul-Momeneen, the offspring of Sahabah, the Ansar and the Quriash dispersed in the plains of Hijaz and built gardens and habitable villages for themselves. History stipulates that this region lies on the surrounding areas of Ghadir Khum. Thus it is not improbable that they must have settled in this very Ghadir and flourished its surrounding areas, especiqlly that the holy Prophet's presence in that place, too, is an established fact.
3- All the surrounding lands of Ghadir fall in low mountainous regions and plains, and according to the local residents, the entire region had been covered by palm groves.
These three reasons prove that Ghadir Khum, which today is inhabited by a few nomads only, was once a populated city.13To
the north-east of Ghadir lies the black "Zuwaiban" desert and in the north-west direction is the "Romeh" desert that is covered by a jungle of Samor14 trees.
In the north is a vast plain named "Zahr valley" and is so densely covered by Samor trees that makes passing very difficult.
We stopped for rest in an even ground adjoining Ghadir where a shepherd had brought his herd of sheep for drinking water.
Thereafter, the author of the book discusses the matter of Ghadir and sets forth its past historical records and says: On return from the farewell pilgrimage, at this very place, the Holy Prophet said about Hazrat Ali (p.b.u.h.):
"Ali is the master of those of whom I am the master, after me. Oh Allah! Love those who love Ali, and hate those who hate Ali. "
13From the Shiite viewpoint, another reason substantiates the above matter and that is the explicit historical evidence proving the existence of the Ghadir mosque in that place.
The aforesaid conjunctions also firmly prove the existence of the mosque as naturally, due to the plying of Haj pilgrims, there did exist settlement in that area. 14The Samor tree is a type of tree especially found in desert and beaches and grows to great heights. The leaves and branches of this tree .are very lush and are very much similar to the plane tree. The tree also provides good shelter in the dry desert.
The famous sermon of Ghadir was delivered besides this very spring and in the eyes of the Shiites, it serves as the proof for Ali-ibn-Abi Talib's Wilayah.15
2- ALLAMA DOCTOR SHEIKH ABDUL HAD I FAZLI
He is an eminent Shiite scholar from the eastern part of Saudi-Arabia. He has travelled twice to the territory of Ghadir Khum once in 1402 A.H. and next in 1409 AH. By virtue of the past historical and geographical records that have come down in Shiite and non-Shiite sources, he set to explore Ghadir Khum. Consequently, he has presented a detailed article on Ghadir territory in magazine, "Turathona" No 21, p 8-33. Below, we set forth a short summary of this article:
I left for Johfeh from Jeddah accompanied with three persons and when we reached the Miqaat mosque (where pilgrims wear their special pilgrim garb) in Johfeh, we questioned the servant of the mosque about the way to Qasr Olya.
Thereafter, we travelled five kilometres until we reached Qasr Olya. There, the roadway deviated to the right side of Mecca, parallel to the mountains. The route in the extensive desert took various courses and they gradually disappeared under the pebbles. We saw a shepherd and questioned him about the way to "Ghorabeh," which is another name for Ghadir. He pointed out a way and said, 'There, you will find a vast plain on top of which you shall see the palm graves of Ghorabeh'. In the middle of the desert, we saw an old man in an automobile accompanied by a youth. We asked the old man about his homeland and he replied, 'We reside just not far from Ghorabeh'.
I told him, 'Our destination is the same'. He asked, 'Do not you come from the eastern province and are not you looking for Ghadir!! I said, ,
Yes'. He replied, 'Ghadir lies in the lower section of the plain towards the right side of the road. After farewell, we went in that particular direction and reached the Ghadir valley by Divine Grace.
The desert was very vast and Samor trees were scattered here and there. This desert was located between two mountain ranges situated in the north and south direction. In its inundated area, three sets of palm trees could be seen each one about 20 meters apart from the other.
At the western end of the Ghadir desert there were some trees, and at its centre a flowing spring. In probability, this is the same historical spring of Ghadir.
In our second trip in 1409 A.H. to Ghadir, we travelled the same route as our previous journey until we reached Ghadir. There, we witnessed the geographical conditions of the area had undergone a drastic change due to 15Historical verification of Ghadir-Khum by a non-Shiite expert, not only as a mere analysis but also as an exploratory and research expedition possesses a high value and serves a vital evidence and proof for a Shia.floods
and a number of date trees had been destroyed. Except for a few trees, all the other trees that surrounded the spring had become extinct. We also saw the Ghadir spring flowing to another direction towards the trees that were about 20 kilometres away from the spring.
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Author: Naba Cultural Organization
