After performing the Ziyarat of Holy Medina in 1383 A.H., and after some discussions with Ahle Sunnat people in the Baqi cemetery, at that same place, through the blessings of the oppressed Holy Imams (a.s.), I decided to prepare a selection of Al-Ghadeer, so that students of religion, respected scholars and other people can use its information.
It can also prove useful during missionary trips in the holy month of Ramadhan, in the first ten days of Mohurrum, in the ten days of Safar and ten days of Fatima.
In this way, the book of Al-Ghadeer will not remain cryptic and confined to libraries. On the contrary, its information would be available for students, missionaries and the public in general.
Our Style in selection and research
Selections from this book is based on four methods:
1. The late Allamah Amini, in addition to excellence and condemnations, has mentioned 105 poets of Ghadeer. We have also mentioned all 105 poets from the eleven volumes of the book published so far.
Our selection is that we have mentioned only verses related to Ghadeer from all the verses mentioned in the book, which sometimes runs into tens of pages. Except the verses, which the Allamah has explained and commented on, or mentioned verses of Quran or traditional reports in their explanation. When the late Allamah has written the biography of poets running into tens of pages, we have condensed it for our purpose.
2. In the part about excellence [of Ahle Bayt (a.s.)], we have not expunged any of their merits. In case an excellence is narrated in numerous versions, we have mentioned the version, which is most inclusive.
3. In sections about the defects of the enemies of Ahle Bayt (a.s.), we have mentioned most of the important defects and the rest are omitted. For example to prove the ignorance of the second Caliph, there is a section: ‘Miscellaneous reports about the knowledge of Umar’, in which a hundred stories are mentioned, but we have selected only 55 important ones. Also, we have mentioned them in summarized form and similarly regarding other defects.
4. With attention to the excessive number of narrators in different discussions, we have chosen prominent personalities from different centuries and from various schools of thoughts.