And whatever I do not narrate, do not compel me to do that.

And whatever I do not narrate, do not compel me to do that.” He then said: “One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood up to deliver a sermon at a watering place known as (Ghadir) Khumm situated between Makkah and Madinah. He praised Allah and extolled Him, and advised (us), and reminded us (of Allah and His revelations). Then, he said: ‘Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e.

the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death). But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light. So hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.” So, he exhorted (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and encouraged concerning it. Then, he said: “and my . I remind you, with Allah, of my ! I remind you, with Allah, of my !

I remind you, with Allah, of my !” So, Hasin said to him, “So, who are his ? O Zayd, are his wives not from his ?” He (Zayd) replied, “His wives are from his . But, his are (also) those to whom sadaqah is forbidden apart from him.” He (Hasin) asked, “And who are those?” He (Zayd) replied, “They are the family of ‘Ali, the family of ‘Aqil, the family of Ja’far, and the family of ‘Abbas”. He (Hasin) said, “Sadaqah is forbidden for all these people?” He (Zayd) answered, “Yes”.[^1] Imam Ahmad (d.

241 H) has recorded this same exact report[^2], and Shaykh al-Arnaut has this comment about it: إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم Its chain is sahih upon the standard of Muslim. ^3 So, there is no doubt about the authenticity of the riwayah. There is however a crucial fact about it that must be taken into consideration in understanding its meaning. There is an interpolation by Yazid b.

Hayyan into the text of the Prophet’s words in the hadith: أما بعد ألا أيها الناس فإنما أنا بشر يوشك أن يأتي رسول ربي فأجيب وأنا تارك فيكم ثقلين أولهما كتاب الله فيه الهدى والنور فخذوا بكتاب الله واستمسكوا به فحث على كتاب الله ورغب فيه ثم قال وأهل بيتي أذكركم الله في أهل بيتي أذكركم الله في أهل بيتي أذكركم الله في أهل بيتي “Then, verily, O mankind! I am only a human being. The messenger of my Lord (i.e. the angel of death) will soon reach me and I will answer (the call of death).

But, I am leaving behind over you Two Weighty Things (thaqalayn). The first of them is the Book of Allah. In it there is guidance and light.