ভূমিকা

Ghadir Khum: A Path to the Islamic Unity - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief Ghadir Khum: A Path to the Islamic Unity 2023-07-06 1951 Views Ghadir Khumm , Unity of the Muslim In Islam, the concept of leadership is a fundamental one. This is simply because, of its crucial roles and effects in the reformation of the thoughts and actions of the individuals in the society.

More importantly, based on the divine practice (Sunnah), Allah -right from the first creation- has never left humanity at any point in time without appointing for them designated leaders (i.e., The Prophets of God), whose sole objectives are to guard and guide their respective subjects. Allah says: “You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people” (Qur’an 13: 7) In this article, we shall examine the role of Ghadir Khum in attaining the Islamic unity.

Naturally speaking, human society can never develop nor has any meaningful progress without the institution of leadership. That is the reason why even the secular society sees the need and necessity for the institution of leadership whose aim is to coordinate the affairs of the people.

In light of this, Ghadir Khum [1] was the day the noble Prophet of God -in accordance with a divine command- perfected the issue of leadership of the Muslim community immediately after him by an appointment of a successor. The day came to the limelight in Islamic history during the farewell pilgrimage of the noble Prophet of Islam (PBUHH) on his way back to Madinah.

On this historical day (i.e., 18th of Dhul-Hijjah , 10 A.H), verse 67 of Qur’an 5 (Surah Maidah) was revealed to the Messenger of Allah at Ghadir Khum [2] : “O Apostle! Communicate 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.” Immediately after the revelation of the verse, the Messenger of Allah (PBUHH) commanded the caravan to halt, a pulpit was made for him and he delivered a lengthy sermon which included his famous statement while raising Ali ’s hand “Whoever I am his master (Mawla), ‘Ali is his master (Mawla)” .

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that the authenticity of the event and this Prophetic statement is not contested among the Muslims [3] , but only its interpretation is a source of controversy between the Sunni and Shia scholars.