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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Ghadir Declaration Preface Today is 18 Dhul-hijjah, the day when the Prophet (SAW) stayed at Ghadīr Khum after his return from Hajjat-ul-wadā‘ to Medina, and surrounded by the (RA), he declared while raising the hand of ‘Alī al-Murtadā (SAW): مَنْ كُنتُ مَولاهُ فعَلِيٌّ مَولاهُ One who has me as his master has ‘Alī as his master This was the declaration of ‘Alī’s spiritual sovereignty and its unconditional acceptance is binding on the believers till the Day of Judgment.

It clearly proves that anyone who denies ‘Alī’s spiritual leadership in fact denies the Prophet’s leadership. This most humble follower of the Prophet (SAW) felt that some people deny this reality partly out of ignorance and partly out of prejudice, which is spreading unnecessary tension in the Muslim community.

Under the circumstances I thought it necessary to write two pamphlets on the issue of sovereignty and leadership: one titled as The Ghadīr Declaration and the other titled The Awaited Imām. The former is designed to clarify the status of ‘Alī (AS) as the opener of the spiritual sovereignty and the latter is designed to describe the status of Imām Mahdī (AS), the seal of spiritual sovereignty.

The main purpose is to remove the doubts that have gathered around the issue and to make the Muslims aware of the reality. The spiritual sovereignty of ‘Alī and Mahdī (عليهما السلام) are proved by the authentic hadīth-books of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah, in the form of continuous traditions, that is, there is uninterrupted evidence to endorse the soundness of the claim. In the first pamphlet I have included 51 traditions which are authentically documented.

The reason for this number is that this year I have completed 51 years of my life. Therefore, I have relied on the relationship of figure to make my humble contribution to the glory of ‘Alī al-Murtadā (AS) and to seek the divine blessing through an expression of my humility. I propose to establish the point that three forms of legacy are derived from the person of the Prophet (SAW): 1- The spiritual legacy of internal (hidden) sovereignty.

2- The political legacy of external (manifest) sovereignty. 3- general legacy of religious sovereignty. The first form of legacy was given to the members of the Prophet’s family. The second form of legacy was given to the rightly-guided caliphs. The third form of legacy was given to the and the (RA).