Salamun alaykum,
This week we celebrated the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Ghadeer. It commemorates the event which took place on the 18th Dhulhijjah 10 A.H, when the Noble Prophet made the formal declaration of appointment of Amiral Muminin Imam Ali bin abi Talib as mawla –master-of all the believers.
The Noble Prophet is interrogated:
After this important message had been delivered by the Noble Prophet at the junction of Ghadeer Khum, the news of this blessed declaration spread quickly all over urban and rural areas.
When Harith ibn Nu’man al-Fahri came to know of it, he rode his she-camel and sprinted to Madina to see the Noble Prophet. On reaching Madina he approached the Noble Prophet and said: "You commanded us to testify that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to say five prayers a day and we obeyed. You directed us to pay charity and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during Ramadan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to perform pilgrimage to Kabah and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin by the hand and imposed him upon us as our master by saying: 'Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla'. Is this imposition from you or from Allah?"
The Noble Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only God, this is from Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious."
He asked for a chastisement:
On hearing this Harith turned back and proceeded towards his she-camel saying, "O Allah, if what Muhammad says is true, then fling on us a stone from the sky and make us suffer severe pain and torture."
What happened?
He had not yet reached his she-camel when a stone came at him and struck him on his head, penetrating into his body leaving him dead.
“He (the questioner) demanded a chastisement which must befall.” (70:1). It was on this occasion that these verses of Suratul Ma’arij were revealed.
The foregoing outlines how the news of declaration at Ghadeer Khum was taken by Harith.
How do you take the news?
We are fortunate indeed to once again celebrate the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Ghadeer in our lifetime. Bihamdillah, it is an invaluable blessing for us to be from the ummah which has received the news of Ghadeer.
We do hold dearly to the message of wilayah and celebrate this in our daily lives.
How do we affirm wilaya?
One way of reviving this news of wilayah in our daily lives is the recitation of the shahada of Amiral Muminin in the Kalimah, Adhan, and Iqamah. In our gatherings, the majlis is adorned with the remembrance of the virtues of Imam Ali. Numerous manqabat/ qasida poems are passionately recited and accompanied with loud slogans of Naare Hydery.
What are the other ways of celebrating and affirming the message of wilayah?
The questions: How do you take the news of Ghadeer?
Some points to reflect upon are:
What is the essence of the Divine message of Ghadeer?
What impact should this news have upon a believer?
Is the declaration of shahada of Amirul Muminin and celebrations of Eid ul Ghadeer only that is required from us?
What more is expected of one who submits to news of Ghadeer to be led in one’s daily life?
How do you act upon the instruction of the Noble Prophet to convey this message?
Alhamdulillahil ladhi ja’alana minal mutamassikina bi wilayati amiril m’uminina wal aimmati ‘alayhimus salaam.
(All praise is due to Allah for having enabled us to be from those who hold to the leadership of Amirul Muminin and the Imams a.s.)
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah,
Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat