We mentioned previously that: Allah, the Mighty and the High desired that the tradition of Ghadeer should remain ever fresh and the passage of time should not make it obsolete.
Therefore He revealed verses regarding that, so that people recite it day and night; as if every time Allah, the Mighty and the High calls the attention of the reader to the verses of Ghadeer and places divine obligation in the matter of greater Caliphate in his heart.
Verse of announcement
Among the verses of Ghadeer is the statement of the Almighty Allah in Surah Maidah:
يأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَغْتَ رسَالَتَهُ وَاللهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَفِرِينَ
“O Apostle! deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people.”1
This verse was revealed on 18th Zilhajj, 10 A.H. when the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) reached Ghadeer Khum and five hours of the day had passed.
Jibraeel came down with this verse and said:
“O Muhammad, the Almighty Allah sends you His greetings and says: Convey to the people what is revealed to you regarding Ali (a.s.); and if you don’t fulfill this, it would be as if you have not conveyed your message (Islam).”
There were a hundred thousand or more persons in the caravan. They halted at a place called Johfa and Almighty Allah commanded the Prophet:
“Call back those, who have gone ahead and wait for those, who are following you; to appoint Ali as the leader and guide of people; and to make this divine announcement to them.”
Jibraeel informed him that Allah will protect him from the harm of people. Shia have consensus on all these points, but we will reason this here through Ahle Sunnat traditions.
In the book of Al-Ghadeer,2 the late Allamah Amini has presented thirty Ahle Sunnat traditions on this point, from which we present a few over here:
1. Hafiz Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari (d. 310 A.H.)
In the book of Al-Wilayah, which he has written about the chains of narrators of the tradition of Ghadeer, he has narrated through his chains from Zaid bin Arqam that when the Prophet, on his return from Farewell Hajj, reached Ghadeer Khum, and it was noon and it was extremely hot climate, he ordered them to clean and sweep the place below some trees (so that some space is created).
Call for prayers was announced and after the prayer, the people gathered around the Prophet and the latter delivered a lengthy sermon and said:
Almighty Allah revealed the verse of:
يأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رسالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ
“O Apostle! deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people.”3
…on me and Jibraeel conveyed to me the command of Allah that I should stand here and announce to all of you: Indeed, Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) is my brother, my successor, my Caliph and Imam on you after me. I requested Jibraeel to ask Allah to excuse me from this duty, because I know that there are very few pious persons and those want to cause harm to me, are many. There are too many, who severely oppose my conduct and attention to Ali, and they have named me as ‘the ear’ and Almighty Allah revealed this verse:
وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيِّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ قُلْ أَذُنٌ خَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
“And there are some of them who molest the Prophet and say: He is one who believes everything that he hears; say: A hearer of good for you (who) believes in Allah and believes the faithful and a mercy for those of you who believe; and (as for) those who molest the Apostle of Allah, they shall have a painful punishment.”4