The Background of Hadith al-Ghadeer
- Anonymous
- May 22
- 16 min read
Updated: Aug 2
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As the event of Ghadeer Khumm is steadily approaching us (June 14th), we have decided to dedicate a short series examining the Hadith and approach the main arguments that concern this event. This series shall be split up into four parts: Authenticity, interpretation, objections and views of the Sahaba. We hope by the end of this series, our readers will attain a better understanding of the one of the most important sermons that the Holy Prophet (saw) offered for the Ummah.
Below is a list of the table of contents:
Where was Hadith al-Ghadeer narrated?
The location of the Prophet’s famous words is well known. We read in Sahih Muslim 2408a:
Yazid b. Hayyan reported, I went along with Husain b. Sabra and 'Umar b. Muslim to Zaid b. Arqam and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him:
Zaid. you have been able to acquire a great virtue that you saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) listened to his talk, fought by his side in (different) battles, offered prayer behind me. Zaid, you have in fact earned a great virtue. Zaid, narrate to us what you heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).
He said: I have grown old and have almost spent my age and I have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), so accept whatever I narrate to you, and which I do not narrate do not compel me to do that. He then said: One day Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina.
He praised Allah, extolled Him and delivered the sermon and. exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.
He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household, I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.
He (Husain) said to Zaid: Who are the members of his household? Aren't his wives the members of his family?
Thereupon he said: His wives are the members of his family (but here) the members of his family are those for whom acceptance of Zakat is forbidden.
And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: 'Ali and the offspring of 'Ali, 'Aqil and the offspring of 'Aqil and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of 'Abbas.
Husain said: These are those for whom the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. Zaid said: Yes.
Note that in this rendition of the tradition, the Prophet (saw) states that he is at the end of his life.
The Chronology of Hadith al-Ghadeer
Now we shall present the sources which show us the chronology of the event of Ghadeer Khumm. It is important to realize that this event is absent from the most famous chronological history books of Islam such as the Sira of Ibn Ishaq and Tarikh al-Tabari, however there is a reference to the event in Tarikh al-Ya'qubi, Vol. 2, pg. 76:
وخرج ليلاً منصرفاً إلى المدينة، فصار إلى موضع بالقرب من الجحفة يقال له: غَدير خم، لثماني عشرة ليلة خلت من ذي الحجة، وقام خطيباً وأخذ بيد علي بن أبي طالب
فقال: «الست أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم؟» قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله قال: «فمن كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه، اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه.»
ثم قال: «أيها الناس إني فَرَطْكُم وأنتم واردي على الحوض، وإني سائلكم، حين تردون علي، عن الثقلين فانظروا كيف تخلفوني فيهما.»
وقالوا: وما الثقلان يا رسول الله ؟ قال: «الثقل الأكبر كتاب الله سبب طرفه بيد الله وطرف بأيديكم ، فاستمسكوا به ولا تضلوا ولا تبدلوا، وعترتي أهل بيتي»
And he departed at night, heading toward Medina. He reached a place near Juhfah called Ghadir Khumm on the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah. He stood to deliver a sermon and took the hand of Ali b. Abi Talib, saying:
"Do I not have greater authority over the believers than they have over themselves?" They replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He then said: "Whomever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla. O Allah, befriend those who befriend him, and oppose those who oppose him."
Then he continued: "O people, I am your predecessor, and you will meet me at the Pond. I will ask you when you come to me about the two weighty things, so see how you uphold them after me."
They asked, "And what are the two weighty things, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "The greater weight is the Book of Allah, a rope whose one end is in Allah’s hand and the other in your hands. Hold firmly to it, do not go astray, and do not alter it. And [the second is] my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt."
To corroborate this, we shall rely on the hadith corpus for attestation of the details of where and when this incident occurred.
Ghadeer occurred after the farewell pilgrimage (10 AH)
Firstly, we must establish when in the lifetime of the Prophet (SAW) the event of Ghadeer took place. According to Zayd b. Arqam al-Ansari (RA), this event took place when the Prophet (SAW) was returning from Mecca to Medina at a place called Khumm.
أخبرنا محمد بن المثنى، قال: حدثنا يحيى بن حماد، قال: حدثنا أبو عوانة، عن سليمان، قال: حدثنا حبيب بن أبي ثابت، عن أبي الطفيل عن زيد بن أرقم، قال:
لما رجع رسول الله ﷺ عن حجة الوداع، ونزل غدير خم، أمر بدوحات، فقُمِمْنَ.
ثم قال: كأني قد دُعِيتُ، فأحبت، إني قد تركت فيكم الثقلين، أحدهما أكبر من الآخر، كتاب الله، وعترتي أهل بيتي فانظروا كيف تخلفوني فيهما، فإنهما لن يتفرقا حتى يردا على الحوض،
ثم قال: إنَّ الله مولاي، وأنا ولي كل مؤمن، ثم أخذ بيد علي، فقال: «مَنْ كنتُ وليه فهذا وليه، اللهمَّ وَالِ مَنْ والاه، وعادِ مَنْ عاداه». فقلت لزيد: سمعته من رسول الله؟ قال: ما كان في الدوحات رجل إلا رأه بعينه وسمعه بأذنه.
Muhammad b. al-Muthanna narrated to us, saying: Yahya b. Hammad narrated to us, saying: Abu Awanah narrated to us, from Sulayman, who said: Habib b. Abi Thabit narrated to us, from Abu al-Tufayl, from Zayd b. Arqam, who said:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage and stopped at Ghadir Khumm, he ordered for some trees to be cleared of thorns.
Then he said: "It is as if I have been called (by my Lord), and I will soon respond. Indeed, I am leaving among you two weighty things: one is greater than the other—the Book of Allah and my 'Itrah, my Ahl al-Bayt. So be mindful of how you uphold them after me, for indeed, they will never separate until they return to me at the Pond (of Kawthar)."
Then he said: "Indeed, Allah is my Master, and I am the master of every believer." Then he took ‘Ali’s hand and said: "Whomever I am his master, this is his master. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, and oppose whoever opposes him."
So I (the narrator) asked Zayd, "Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah?" He said, "There was no man among the trees except that he saw it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears."
This tradition can also be found in the following sources:
Khasa'is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib by al-Nasa'i, pg. 71 - 73, Hadith # 79.
al-Mu’jam al-Kabir Vol. 3, pg. 286 - 287, Hadith # 4837. Al-Haythami graded the tradition in Majma' al-Zawa'id, Vol. 9, pg. 184 - 185, Hadith # 14965.
al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihain Vol. 3, pg. 118, Hadith # 4576. Ibn Kathir records in al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya Vol. 7, pg. 668 that al-Dhahabi affirmed that the tradition is sahih.
The precise date of Hadith al-Ghadeer
The exact date of the event is given in a report transmitted on the authority of Abu Hurayra, as reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in Tarikh Baghdad Vol. 9, pg. 221 - 223, Bio # 4345:
أخبرنا عبد الله بن علي بن محمد بن بشران، قال: أخبرنا علي بن عُمر الحافظ، قال: حدثنا أبو نصر حبشون بن موسى بن أيوب الخلال، قال: حدثنا علي بن سعيد الرملي، قال: حدثنا ضمرة بن ربيعة القرشي، عن ابن شوذب عن مَطَر الوراق عن شهر بن حوشب، عن أبي هريرة، قال:
من صام يوم ثمان عشرة من ذي الحجة كُتِبَ له صيام ستين شهرًا، وهو يوم غدير حم لما أخذ النبي ﷺ بيد علي بن أبي طالب، فقال: «ألستُ ولي المؤمنين؟» قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله قال: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه فقال عمر بن الخطاب: بخ بخ لك يا ابن أبي طالب أصبحت مولاي ومولى كل مسلم، فأنزل الله ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ﴾ [المائدة] ومن صام يوم سبعة وعشرين من رَجَب، كُتِبَ له صيام ستين شهرًا، وهو أول يوم نزل جبريل على محمد بالرسالة.
اشتهر هذا الحديث برواية حبشون، وكان يقال إنه تفرد به، وقد تابعه عليه أحمد بن عبد الله بن النيري فرواه عن علي بن سعيد؛ أخبرنيه الأزهري، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عبدالله ابن أخي ميمي، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن عبدالله بن أحمد بن العباس بن سالم بن مهران المعروف بابن النيري إملاء، قال: حدثنا علي بن سعيد الشامي، قال: حدثنا ضمرة بن ربيعة، عن ابن شوذب، عن مطر، عن شهر بن حوشب، عن أبي هريرة، قال: من صام يوم ثمانية عشر من ذي الحجة، وذكر مثل ما تقدم أو نحوه
Abdullah b. Ali b. Muhammad b. Bishran informed us, saying: Ali b. Umar al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Abu Nasr Habshun b. Musa b. Ayyub al-Khalal narrated to us, saying: Ali b. Sa'id al-Ramli narrated to us, saying: Damrah b. Rabi'ah al-Qurashi narrated to us, from Ibn Shawdhab, from Matar al-Warraq, from Shahr b. Hawshab, from Abu Hurayrah, who said:
"Whoever fasts on the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, it will be recorded for him as the fasting of sixty months. It is the day of Ghadir Khumm, when the Prophet ﷺ took the hand of Ali b. Abi Talib and said: ‘Am I not the guardian (wali) of the believers?’ They replied: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He then said: ‘Whoever's master (mawla) I am, ‘Ali is his master.’
So Umar b. al-Khattab said: ‘Congratulations, congratulations (bakhin bakhin) to you, O son of Abi Talib! You have become my master and the master of every Muslim.’ Then Allah revealed: {Today I have completed your religion for you} [Al-Ma’idah].
And whoever fasts on the twenty-seventh of Rajab, it will be recorded for him as the fasting of sixty months. It is the first day that Jibril descended to Muhammad with the message."
This hadith became well-known through the narration of Habshun, and it was said that he was the only one who transmitted it. However, he was corroborated by Ahmad b. Abdullah b. al-Niri, who narrated it from Ali b. Sa'id.
Al-Azhari informed me, saying: Muhammad b. Abdullah, the nephew of Mimi, narrated to us, saying: Ahmad b. Abdullah b. Ahmad b. al-Abbas b. Salim b. Mihran, known as Ibn al-Niri, narrated to us by dictation, saying: Ali b. Sa'id al-Shami narrated to us, saying: Damrah b. Rabi'ah narrated to us, from Ibn Shawdhab, from Matar, from Shahr b. Hawshab, from Abu Hurayrah, who said:
"Whoever fasts on the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah..." and he mentioned a narration similar to the preceding one or something close to it.
Al-Saduq reported in al-Khisal, Chapter on Four, Hadith # 114.
Narrated to us by Ali b. Ahmad b. Musa (RA), who said: Narrated to us by Muhammad b. Abi Abdillah al-Kufi, who said: Narrated to me by al-Husayn b. Ubaydillah al-Ash‘ari, who said: Narrated to me by Muhammad b. Isa b. Ubayd, from al-Qasim b. Yahya, from his grandfather al-Hasan b. Rashid, from al-Mufaddal b. Umar, who said:
I asked Abu Abdillah (AS), "How many Eids do Muslims have?" He replied, "There are four Eids." I said, "I know of two Eids and Jumu‘ah."
He said to me, "The greatest and most honored of them is the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the day when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) appointed Amir al-Mu’minin (AS) and established him as a guide for the people."
I asked, "What is required of us on that day?"
He replied, "It is obligatory upon you to fast in gratitude and praise to Allah, for He is always deserving of thanks at all times. Similarly, the prophets commanded their successors to fast on the day when the successor was appointed and to consider it a day of Eid. Whoever fasts on this day, it is better than sixty years of deeds."
Then he recited the verse from the words of Allah, the Almighty, to Ibrahim: 'Take four birds and draw them to yourself…'
We also read in al-Amali al-Khameesiyya, Vol. 1, pg. 191, Hadith # 715:
أَخْبَرَنَا الْقَاضِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْوَرَّاقُ الشرُوطِيُّ، بِقرَاءَتِي عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنا الشَّرِيفُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّد بْنِ عَلِيّ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ الشَّعْرَانِيُّ الْفقيهُ، إِمْلَاءً، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَحمدَ الْقُمِّيُّ، قَالَ: حَدثَني عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمَالِكِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ الزِّنَادِيُّ، عَن صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الصَّادِقَ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّد عليهما السلام، يَقُولُ:
«الثَّامِنُ عَشَرَ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ الْأَكْبَرِ مَا طَلَعَت علَيْهِ شَمْسٌ فِي يَوْم أَفْضَلِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْهُ، وَهُوَ الّذِي أَكْمَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ دِينَهُ لِخَلْقِهِ وَأَتَّم عَلَيْهم نِعَمَهُ وَرضِي لَهُمُ الْإسلامَ دِينًا
وَمَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إِلَّا أَقَامَ وَصِيَّهُ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْيَوْمِ وَنَصَّبهُ عَلمًا لِأُمَّتِهِ، فَلْيذْكر اللَهَ شِيعَتُنَا عَلَى مَا مَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِمَعْرفَتِهِ هَذَا الْيَوْم دُونَ سَائِرِ النَّاسِ» قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ: يَابْنَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، فَمَا نَصْنَعُ فِيهِ؟ فَقَالَ: «تَصُومُهُ فَإِنَّ صِيَامَهُ يَعْدِلُ سِتِّين شَهرًا وَتُحْسِنُ فِيهِ إِلَى نَفْسِكَ وَعِيَالِكَ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُك بِما قَدِرْتَ عَلَيْهِ» .
Narrated to us by Judge Abu al-Hasan Ali b. al-Hasan b. Muhammad al-Warraq al-Shuruti read to him by me he said: narrated to us by the noble Abu al-Qasim Ali b. Muhammad ibn Ali b. al-Qasim al-Sha’rani, the jurist, through dictation. He said: narrated to us by Ahmad b. Ali b. Ahmad al-Qummi, who said: Ali b. al-Husayn narrated to me, who said: al-Hasan b. Ahmad al-Maliki narrated to us, who said: al-Husayn b. Zayd al-Zinadi narrated to us from Safwan b. Yahya, who said: I heard al-Sadiq Ja’far b. Muhammad (AS) say:
“The eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah Allah’s greatest eid, no sun has ever risen on a day more virtuous before God than this one. It is the day on which God perfected His religion for His creation, completed His blessing upon them, and was pleased with Islam as their religion.
Never did God send a prophet without appointing his successor on a day like this, establishing him as a guiding sign for his nation. So let our Shia remember and thank God for having granted them the knowledge of this day, unlike the rest of the people.”
He said: I asked, “O son of the Messenger of God, what should we do on this day?”
He replied, “Fast on it for fasting on this day is equal to sixty months and be good to yourself, your family, and those under your care, to the extent that you are able.
What did the Prophet (SAW) say at Ghadeer?
حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ الْغَيْلَانِيُّ، ثنا أَبُو عَامِرٍ، ثنا كَثِيرُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ،
أَنَّ النّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَامَ بِحُفْرَةِ الشَّجَرَةِ بِخُمٍّ، وَهُوَ آخُذٌ بِيَدِ عَلِيٍّ، فَقَال: «أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، أَلَسْتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ رَبُّكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: بَلَى.
قَالَ: «أَلَسْتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أَولى بِكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: بَلَى.
«وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ مَوْلَاكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: بَلَى.
قَالَ: «فَمَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَإِنَّ هَذَا مَوْلَاهُ» .
Sulaiman b. ‘Ubayd Allah al-Ghaylani narrated to us, saying: Abu 'Amir narrated to us, saying: Kathir b. Zayd narrated from Muhammad b. 'Umar b. 'Ali, from his father, from 'Ali:
The Prophet (saw) stood at the place of the tree in Khumm while holding 'Ali’s hand and said, “O people, do you not bear witness that Allah is your Lord?”. They said, “Yes.”
He said, “Do you not bear witness that Allah and His Messenger have more right over you than yourselves?” They replied, “Yes.”
“And that Allah and His Messenger are your guardians?” They said, “Yes.”
He said, “So whoever I am his mawla, then this one [‘Ali] is his mawla.”
Ibn Hajar and al-Busayri both transmitted this tradition with the same chain of transmission in al-Matalib al-’Aliyyah Vol 16 pg. 142, Hadith # 2943 and Ithaf al-Kheera al-Mahra Vol. 7, pg. 210, Hadith # 6683, and both certified it as Sahih.
Oh Allah support those who support him...
حَدَّثَنَا حُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَأَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، الْمَعْنَى، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا فِطْرٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ قَالَ:
جَمَعَ عَلِيٌّ رضي الله عنه النَّاسَ فِي الرَّحَبَةِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُمْ: أَنْشُدُ اللهَ كُلَّ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمَ غَدِيرِ خُمٍّ مَا سَمِعَ، لَمَّا قَامَ، فَقَامَ ثَلَاثُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ: فَقَامَ نَاسٌ كَثِيرٌ، فَشَهِدُوا حِينَ أَخَذَهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَقَالَ لِلنَّاسِ: "أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِم؟"
قَالُوا: نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ.
قَالَ: "مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ، فَهَذَا مَوْلَاهُ، اللهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ وَعَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ"
قَالَ: فَخَرَجْتُ وَكَأَنَّ فِي نَفْسِي شَيْئًا، فَلَقِيت زَيْدَ بْنَ أَرْقَمَ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنِّي سَمعْتُ عَلِيًّا رضي الله عنه يَقُولُ: كَذَا وَكَذَا.
قَالَ: فَمَا تُنْكِرُ؟ قَدْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ.
Husayn b. Muhammad and Abu Nu'aym (in meaning) narrated to us, both said: Fitr narrated to us from Abu al-Tufayl, who said:
Ali (AS) gathered the people in the courtyard and then said to them,
"I call upon every Muslim who heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) on the day of Ghadir Khumm to stand and testify to what he heard."
Thirty people stood up, and Abu Nu'aym said: "A large number of people stood up and testified that when the Prophet took [Ali] by the hand, he said to the people, 'Do you not know that I have more right over the believers than they have over themselves?'
They replied, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.'
He said, 'Whoever I am his master, then this [Ali] is his master. O Allah, support those who support him and oppose those who oppose him.'"
Abu al-Tufayl continued, "I left with a feeling of doubt in my heart, and I met Zayd b. Arqam. I told him, 'I heard Ali say such-and-such.'
He replied, 'What do you doubt? I myself heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say that to him.'"
Al-Haythami certified the tradition in Majma' al-Zawa'id. Vol. 9, pg. 89 Hadith # 14612, commenting that the narrators are authentic per the conditions of Bukhari, except Fitr b. Khalifah who is reliable.
The most complete Sahih tradition of Ghadeer in the Shia corpus
We read in al-Khisal Chapter 81, Hadith # 1:
Muhammad b. al-Hassan b. Ahmad b. al-Walid - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar quoted Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. Abil-Khattab and Ya'qub b. Yazid, on the authority of Muhammad b. Abi Umayr, on the authority of Abdullah b. Sin’an, on the authority of Ma’ruf b. Kharabudh, on the authority of Abu al-Tufayl 'Amir b. Wathila, on the authority of Hudhaifa b. Usayd al-Ghaffari:
“When God’s Prophet (SAW) returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage we were with him. When we reached Al-Juhfa, the Prophet (SAW) ordered his companions to relax. Then the people all settled down. Then they said the call to prayer and the Prophet (SAW) said two units of prayers with his companions. Then the Prophet (SAW) turned towards them and told them, ‘The Graceful, the All-Aware has informed me that I will die and so shall you. Assume that I have answered God’s call. I am held responsible to God regarding what I have delivered to you. Verily, I am leaving behind God’s Book and His Proof. You are held responsible for them. What would you tell your Lord?’
They said, ‘We will say that you fulfilled your mission, gave us advice, and strived. May God grant you the best reward on our behalf.’
Then the Prophet (SAW) asked them, 'Don’t you bear witness that there is no god but One; that I am God’s Prophet sent to you; that Paradise does exist; that Hell does exist; and that there is resurrection after death?'
They replied, 'We bear witness to this.'
The Prophet (SAW) said, 'May God bear witness to what you say. I take you as witnesses and bear witness that God is my Master. I am the Master of all Muslims. Is it not true that my Mastery over the believers is more than that of their own mastery over themselves? Do you believe in this? Will you bear witness to this?'
They replied, 'We bear witness to this.'
Then the Prophet (SAW) said, 'Whoever I am the Master of, Ali is the Master of.'
Then he grabbed ‘Ali’s hand and raised it up along with his own hand in such a way that both their underarms could be seen. Then the Prophet (SAW) said, 'O my God! Please be the friend of his friends and be the enemy of his enemies. Assist whoever assists him, and abandon whoever abandons him. I shall leave and you will meet me again at the Heavenly Pool later. That is a Pool whose width expands from Bosra to Sana'a. There are as many silver goblets in it as there are stars in the sky. Then I shall question you about what you bear witness to today when I meet you at my Pool. I will ask you what you did with the Two Heavy Things and how you dealt with what I left behind when you meet me.'
They said, 'O Messenger of God! What are the Two Heavy Things?' The Prophet (SAW) replied, 'The greater of the Two Heavy Things is the Book of the Honorable the Exalted God. It is a means that is extended from God and I towards you. One side of it is in the Hand of God and the other side is in your hands. The knowledge of the past and what is yet to come up until the arrival of the Hour is in it. And the smaller of the Two Heavy Things is equal to the Quran: It is Ali b. Abi Talib (AS) and his Household. These Two will be inseparable until they come to me at the Heavenly Pool.'"
Ma'ruf b. Kharabudh said: “I quoted this for Abi Ja’far al-Baqir (AS). Then the Imam said, ‘Abu al-Tufayl has told the truth. May God have Mercy upon him. I have seen this in Ali’s book and I know it.'"
A similar tradition has been narrated by my father - may God be pleased with him - who quoted that Ali b. Ibrahim quoted his father, on the authority of Muhammad b. Abi Umayr.
A similar tradition has been narrated by Ja’far b. Muhammad b. Masrur - may God be pleased with him - who quoted al-Husayn b. Muhammad b. 'Amir, on the authority of his uncle Abdullah b. 'Amir, on the authority of Muhammad b. Abi Umayr.
A similar tradition has been narrated by Muhammad b. Musa b. al-Mutawakkil - may God be pleased with him - who quoted Ali b. al-Husayn al-Sa’dabadi, on the authority of Ahmad b. Aba Abdullah al-Barqi, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Muhammad b. Abi Umayr, on the authority of Abdullah b. Sin’an, on the authority of Ma’ruf b. Kharabudh, on the authority of Abu al-Tufayl Amir b. Wathila, on the authority of Hudhayfa b. Usayd al-Ghaffari.
The compiler of the book - may God increase his honor said, “There are many traditions on this issue. I have presented them in the book al-Ma’rifat fi al-Fadha'il.”
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