The Most Glorious Eid of Islam

Salaam and heartiest felicitations to you on a very auspicious day. In fact, today, the 18th of Zil-Hijjah is the Greatest Eid of Islam, since it was on this day that God Almighty perfected faith on this day after ordering Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) to publicly proclaim his divinely-designated successor in order to save humanity from wondering in the dark.

Before we present you an exclusive article on this glorious occasion, which is known as Eid Ghadeer, we recite for you ayah 59 of Surah al-Ma’edah as food for thought:

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those vested with authority among you. And if you dispute concerning anything, refer it to Allah and the Prophet…”

The words of Almighty Allah are crystal clear. Believers are commanded to be obedient to Him concerning whatever He has made obligatory and whatever He has prohibited through revelation to His Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), whose words, deeds, way of life, and legacy are brilliant manifestation of Divine Will, including his delegating of authority to whomever he deemed worthy.

Since the ayah doesn’t name the person or persons vested with authority after the Prophet, whom should Muslims obey?

Should they follow the leaders they themselves have chosen, or should they be obedient to only those whom God and the Prophet have designated as Imams?

Except for the Prophet’s contemporaries, Muslims of subsequent generations including those who continue to become part of the Islamic Ummah, never saw the Seal of Messengers, hence they didn’t see with their physical eyes anyone vested with authority by the Mercy unto the whole creation.

So, did Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) name anyone as divinely-designated Leader (Imam) after him, or he left it to the Ummah to select as caliph whomever they fancied for whatever reason?

If the Prophet named any vicegerent then who is he, and whether we follow him as the divinely-designated leader?

If the Prophet didn’t specifically name anyone then it means (God forbid), he didn’t completely carry out the mission entrusted to him by the Almighty.

If such is the case, then Islam is an incomplete creed, since the leaderless Muslims after the Prophet had no other choice but to select a fallible and an ex-idolater neo Muslim from amongst themselves as caliph whose legacy over time and the subsequent centuries till our own days, has seen hypocrites, tyrants, debauchees, and even atheists masquerading as caliphs and tarnishing the image of Islam.

These questions are indeed food for thought, and the correct answer determines one’s faith or lack of it pertaining to the above-mentioned.

Glory to God, and our sincere salutations to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) for his complete obedience to the commandments of the One and Only Creator.

In 10 AH, after having performed his Farewell Hajj Pilgrimage during which he gave tidings to the Muslims in his memorable sermon from atop Jabal ar-Rahma (or Mount Mercy) at the Plain of Arafaat on the 9^th of Zi’l-Hijjah that he was leaving for their guidance the “Thaqalayn” (that is, the Holy Qur’an and his progeny the Ahl al-Bayt), he halted immediately in the wilderness of Khom near Juhfa beside a pond (or Ghadeer) when Archangel Gabriel descended with ayah 67 of Surah al-Ma’edah as the express commandment of the Lord Most High:

“O Prophet! Convey that which has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, you will not have communicated His message, and Allah shall protect you from the people. Indeed Allah does not guide the faithless lot.”

On revelation of this divine commandment, As books of hadith and history of both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims testify, the Prophet assembled at this place all those pilgrims that had parted ways, including those gone ahead or those lagging behind, and delivered a historic sermon on the 18^th of Zi’l-Hijjah to a huge gathering of 120,000 people.

He outlined the fruits of his 23-year mission and asked the congregation whether he is superior to them than their own selves. When the reply came in the affirmative, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) raised his dear cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), whom on a number of occasions right since his public announcement of the message of Islam, he had called “Wasi” (or testamentary legatee) and “Khalifa” (caliph or successor), he pronounced the immortal phrase that perfects religion:

“Man kunto Mowlahu fa haza Aliyun Mowla”

It means: For whomsoever I am Master, this Ali is his Master.

On this glorious announcement, as the huge gathering of pilgrims jostled with each other to congratulate Imam Ali (AS) on his divinely-designation as Leader of the Ummah after the Prophet with the words “bakhin bakhin yabna Abi Taleb anta Mowlana wa Mowlal momineen” (meaning: Felicitations to you O Son of Abu Taleb, you are our Master and the Master of all true believers), Archangel Gabriel descended with tidings from the Divine Court by announcing to the Prophet ayah 3 of Surah al-Ma’eda, which reads:

“Today the faithless have despaired of your religion. So do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion.”

Zil-Hijjah 18 in the year 10 AH, was indeed the most glorious day in the history of mankind. It took three days for the whole congregation to pledge allegiance to Imam Ali (AS) as the Prophet’s Divinely-Designated Vicegerent.

Several exegetes from among our Sunni brethren have narrated that since the Prophet commanded the gathering of Ghadeer to convey the appointment of Imam Ali (AS) to their respective communities, the news spread quickly all over urban and rural areas of the Arabian Peninsula.

When a certain person named Hareth Ibn Nu'’an al-Fahri (or Nadhr Ibn Hareth according to another narration) heard about this, he mounted his camel, rode to Medina and approaching Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), said: “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 instructed us to observe fasts during the month of Ramadhan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to offer pilgrimage to Mecca 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. Is this imposition from Allah or from you?”

The Prophet replied: “By Allah who is the only God! This is from Him, the Almighty and the Glorious.”

On hearing this Hareth fumed, turned back and proceeded towards his camel saying: “O Allah! If what Muhammad has said is correct then fling on us a stone from the sky and subject us to severe pain and torture.”

He had not reached his mount when on God’s commandment, a bird dropped a pebble upon him which struck his head, penetrated his body and passed out through his lower parts, leaving him dead on the spot. It was on this occasion that Allah, the Exalted, revealed ayahs 1 to 3 of Surah al-Ma’arej:

“An asker asked for a punishment about to befall; Which none can avert from the faithless; From Allah, Lord of the lofty stations.”

Thus the Day of Ghadeer (18 Zil-Hijjah 10 AH), and God’s commandment to the Prophet to publicly proclaim Imam Ali (AS) as his vicegerent, followed by the prompt revelation from the ethereal heavens of the ayah confirming perfection of faith, completion of divine favours, decreeing of Islam as the universal religion of mankind, and the frustration of all disbelievers, is without the least doubt the greatest Eid of all true believers.

AS/MG