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How did the Sahaba understand Ghadeer Khum?

  • Writer: Anonymous
    Anonymous
  • Jun 2
  • 11 min read

Updated: Aug 6


After examining the background of Hadith al-Ghadeer, it's context and refuting the connection between it and the Yemen expedition, we are left with our other major objection: How did the Sahaba understand Ghadeer Khum? Did all of them manage to misinterpret it? The answer is no, they did understand the meaning of Ghadeer and this is highlighted by the fact that they all congraluated Imam Ali (as) for this

And this fact shows that the meaning of the Prophet’s words was immediately understood by those present there. If this had been merely a statement of affection or friendship, there would have been no reason for public congratulations since people don’t offer formal congratulations for being called a "friend". This fact of Umar and other Sahabah acknowledging Ali (as) as the mawla of all believers shatters any claim that Ghadeer was ambiguous. It was understood as a formal announcement of Imam Ali's (as) authority over the whole of ummah, and this understanding did not come later, but rather immediately by those present.

Umar congratulates Ali on the day of Ghadeer

The well-recorded fact that Umar ibn al-Khattab congratulated Ali (as) on the day of Ghadeer is extremely important. Umar stepped forward and congratulated Ali (as) by saying “Congratulations, O son of Abu Talib! You have become the mawla of every believing man and woman.”

The first of those who narrate this is al-Bara' b. Azib. We read in Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal Vol 14, pg. 185 - 186, Hadith # 18391:

حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْن زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ قَالَ:
كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي سَفَرٍ، فَنَزَلْنَا بِغَدِيرِ خُمٍّ، فَنُودِيَ فِينَا: الصَّلَاةُ جَامِعَةٌ، وَكُسِحَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَحْتَ شَجَرَتَيْنِ، فَصَلَّى الظُّهْرَ، وَأَخَذَ بِيَد عَلِيٍّ رضي الله عنه، فَقَالَ: " أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسهِمْ؟ " قَالُوا: بَلَى، قَالَ: " أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى بِكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ نَفْسهِ؟ " قَالُوا: بَلَى. قَالَ: فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِ عَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ: " مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ، فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ، اللهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ، وَعَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ ". قَالَ: فَلَقِيَهُ عُمَرُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: هَنِيئًا يَا ابْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، ‌أَصْبَحْتَ ‌وَأَمْسَيْتَ مَوْلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمنٍ ومُؤْمِنة
A'fan reported to us, he said: Hammad b. Salamah informed us, he said: Ali b. Zayd informed us, from ‘Adi b. Thabit, from al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib, who said:

We were with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) during a journey. He said: “We will stop at Ghadir Khumm.”

Then the call to prayer was made: prayer is now due, and a place for prayer was cleared for the Messenger of Allah (SAW) under a tree, and he prayed the noon prayer.

Then he took Ali by the hand and said: “Do you not know that I have more right to the believers than they do themselves?”

They said: “Yes.”

He said: “Do you not know that I have more right to every believer than he has to himself?”

They said: “Yes.”

Then he took Ali by the hand and said: “O Allah, whoever I am his master, then Ali is his master. O Allah, be a supporter of whoever supports him, and be an enemy of whoever opposes him.”

Then Umar met him after that and said: “Congratulations, O son of Abi Talib! You have become the master of every male and female believer.”

Umar congratulates Ali on Ghadeer

This report can also be found in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba Vol 18, pg. 74, Hadith # 34290 and a cut version in Sunan Ibn Majah 116, where ‘Umar congratulating ‘Ali was removed.

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The tradition was weakened due to the presence of ‘Ali b. Zayd b. Jud’an; however, we are only citing this tradition as corroboration. Furthermore, al-Albani noted that ‘Ali b. Zayd’s traditions can also be taken as corroboration. We read in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahiha Vol. 7, pg. 60:

‌وعلي ‌بن ‌زيد- ‌وهو ‌ابن ‌جدعان- ‌ضعيف؛ ‌لكن ‌لا ‌بأس ‌به ‌في ‌الشواهد

Ali b. Zayd — and he is Ibn Jud‘an — is weak; however, there is no harm in using him in supporting narrations (shawahid).

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Now we shall show a corroborating report via the tradition related by Abu Hurayrah. We read in Tarikh Baghdad Vol. 9, pg. 221 - 223, Bio # 4345 (also see here):

أنبأنا عبد الله بن علي بن محمد بن بشران أنبأنا علي ابن عمر الحافظ حدثنا ضمرة بن ربيعة القرشي عن ابن شوذب عن مطر الوراق عن شهر بن حوشب عن أبي هريرة قال:
من صام يوم ثمان عشرة من ذي الحجة كتب له صيام ستين شهراً وهو يوم غدير خم لما أخذ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بيد علي بن أبي طالب فقال: ”ألست 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: ” اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم“
Abdullah b. Ali b. Muhammad b. Bishran narrated to us, who said: Ali b. Umar al-Hafiz narrated to us, who said: Dumrah 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 is recorded for him as the fasting of sixty months. It is the Day of Ghadir Khumm, when the Prophet (SAW) took the hand of Ali b. Abi Talib and said: "Am I not the guardian of the believers?"

They said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

He said: "Whoever I am his master, then Ali is his master."

Then Umar b. al-Khattab said, "Congratulations, congratulations to you, O son of Abi Talib. You have become my master and the master of every Muslim."

Then Allah revealed: {Today I have perfected your religion for you (Quran 5:3)}

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As for the authenticity of this chain of narration:

Despite this, Bashar ‘Awad Ma’ruf commented on the tradition saying:

(١) إسناده ضعيف، فإن شهر بن حوشب ومطر الوراق ضعيفان إلا عند المتابعة، ولم يتابعا.

(1) Its chain of transmission is weak, because Shahr b. Hawshab and Matar al-Warraq are both weak narrators unless supported by corroborating reports, and here they have not been corroborated.

We say: Shahr and Matar are both Seduq as per Ibn Hajar, but even then this report is in fact corroborated by the tradition of al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib. 

Thus the two traditions corroborate each other, and this makes the tradition acceptable.

Abu Ayyub affirms that Ali became Mawla at Ghadeer

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَنَشُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ لَقِيطٍ النَّخَعِيُّ الْأَشْجَعِيُّ، عَنْ رِيَاحِ بْنِ الحارثِ، قَالَ:
جَاءَ رَهْطٌ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ بالرَّحْبَةِ فَقَالُوا: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مَوْلَانَا
قَالَ: كَيْفَ أَكُونُ مَوْلَاكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ قَوْم عَرَبٌ؟
قَالُوا: سَمِعْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ غَدِيرِ خُمٍّ يَقول: " مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا مَوْلَاهُ "
قَالَ رِيَاحٌ: فَلَمَّا مَضَوْا تَبِعْتُهُمْ، فَسَأَلْتُ مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ قَالُوا: نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فِيهِمْ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ الْأَنْصَارِيّ 
Yahya b. Adam narrated to us, Hanash b. al-Harith b. Laqit al-Nakha‘i al-Ashja‘i narrated to us, from Riyyah b. al-Harith, who said:

A group of people came to ‘Ali at al-Rahbah and said, “Peace be upon you, O our mawla.”

He replied, “How can I be your master while you are Arab men?”

They said, “We heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) on the Day of Ghadir Khumm saying: ‘Whoever I am his mawla, this Ali is his mawla.’”

Riyyah said: When they left, I followed them and asked, “Who are these people?”

They said, “A group from the Ansar, among them Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.”

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Ahmad Shakir certified the tradition as Sahih, as did al-Haythami in Majma' al-Zawa'id by al-Haythami, Vol. 9, pg. 88, Hadith # 14610.

A similar tradition can be found in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba, Vol 18, pg. 57, Hadith # 34244.

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حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله الحضرمي، حدثنا علي بن حكيم الأودي، ثنا شريك، عن حنش بن الحارث، وعن الحسن بن الحكم، عن رياح بن الحارث، ح وحدثنا الحسين بن إسحاق، ثنا يحيى الحماني، ثنا شريك، عن الحسن بن الحكم، عن رياح بن الحارث النخعي، قال:
كنا قعودا مع علي رضي الله عنه، فجاء ركب من الأنصار عليهم العمائم، فقالوا: السلام عليك يا مولانا،
فقال علي رضي الله عنه: أنا مولاكم وأنتم قوم عرب؟
قالوا: نعم سمعنا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: «من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه» وهذا أبو أيوب فينا،
فحسر أبو أيوب العمامة عن وجهه، قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: «من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه، اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه»
Muhammad b. Abdullah al-Hadrami narrated to us from Ali b. Hakeem al-Awdi, from Sharik, from Hanash b. al-Harith and from al-Hasan b. al-Hakam, from Riyah b. al-Harith. And al-Husayn b. Ishaq narrated to us from Yahya al-Himmani, from Sharik, from al-Hasan b. al-Hakam, from Riyah b. al-Harith al-Nakha’i, who said:

We were sitting with Ali (AS) when a group of the Ansar arrived, wearing turbans. They said: “Peace be upon you, O our Mawla!”

Ali (AS) replied: “I am your Mawla even though you are Arabs?”

They said: “Yes. We heard the Prophet (SAW) say: ‘For whoever I am his Mawla, Ali is his Mawla. O Allah, support those who support him and oppose those who oppose him.’ And here is Abu Ayyub among us.”

Then Abu Ayyub unveiled the turban from his face and said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say: ‘For whoever I am his Mawla, Ali is his Mawla. O Allah, support those who support him and oppose those who oppose him.’”

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This tradition shows that the Sahaba understood Mawla on the day of Ghadir to mean  Master, as the companions responded to Ali’s question by affirming, “We heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say on the day of Ghadeer Khumm: ‘Whoever I am his Mawla, Ali is his Mawla.’

This implies that Ali became their Mawla that day, proving that Mawla here cannot mean something regarding ‘Ali that already applied to ‘Ali before Ghadeer. If it did, this would mean that the Prophet (SAW).

Furthermore, the Shia interpretation aligns perfectly with this tradition; if the tradition is read to say “Master” for Mawla, there is no contradiction.

Abu al-Tufayl’s curious reaction to Hadith al-Ghadeer

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.'"

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Al-Haythami certified the tradition in Majma' al-Zawa'id. Vol. 9, pg. 89 Hadith # 14612, commenting:

Narrated by al-Bazzar and Ahmad, and his narrators are authentic per the condition of Bukhari, other than in the case of Fitr b. Khalifa, who is considered reliable.

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This tradition can also be found in al-Ihsan fi Taqrib Sahih Ibn Hibban, Vol 15, pg. 375 - 377, Hadith # 6931 with an important addition:

قال أبو نعيم: فقلتُ لفطر: كم بين هذا القول وبين موته؟ قال: مئة يوم.

Abu Nu'aym said: "So I asked Fitr, 'How long was there between this statement and his death?' He replied: 'One hundred days.'"

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We shall let our readers judge; does it make sense for Abu al-Tufayl to react in such a way, feeling immense discomfort and doubting what he heard from dozens of companions of the Prophet (SAW), when the announcement was just an announcement of support? We ask the reader to recall the fact that Abu al-Tufayl was with ‘Ali in all of his battles, as recorded by al-Dhahabi in Tarikh al-Islam Vol 6 pg. 527:

كَانَ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ عَلِيٍّ رضي الله عنه، وحضر معه حروبه.

Abu al-Tufayl was among the supporters of Ali (AS) and he was present with him in his battles.

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Sa’ad b. Abi Waqqas cited Ghadeer to prove Ali’s authority

We read in al-Baladhuri's Ansab al-Ashraf Vol 5, pg. 87 - 88:

حدثني أبو مسعود الكوفي عن ابن الكلبي عن عوانة عن أبيه قال:
قال سعد بن أبي وقاص لمعاوية في كلام جرى: قاتلت عليا وقد علمت أنه أحق بالأمر منك،
فقال معاوية: ولم ذاك؟
قال: لأن رسول الله ﷺ يقول: «من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه، اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه»، ولفضله في نفسه وسابقته،
قال: فما كنت قط أصغر في عيني منك الآن، قال سعد: ولم؟
قال: لتركك نصرته وقعودك عنه وقد علمت هذا من أمره.
Abu Mas'ud al-Kufi narrated from Ibn al-Kalbi, from Awana, from his father, who said:

Sa'ad b. Abi Waqqas said to Mu'awiya during a conversation: "You fought against Ali, even though you knew he was more deserving of the matter (caliphate) than you."

Mu'awiya replied, "And why is that?"

Sa'ad said: "Because the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'Whoever I am his mawla (master), Ali is his mawla. O Allah, support those who support him, and oppose those who oppose him.' And due to his virtue and precedence (in Islam)."

Mu'awiya then said, "Never have you been smaller in my eyes than you are now."

Sa'ad asked, "Why?"

Mu'awiya responded, "Because you abandoned supporting him and refrained from standing by him, despite knowing this about him."

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We ask our readers: If the Hadith of Ghadeer has nothing to do with authority, why would Sa’ad cite it as proof that ‘Ali was worthier of leadership than Mu’awiya?

Sa’id b. Jubayr’s Concealment of Hadith al-Ghadeer

حدثنا عبد الله قال: حدثني أبي، قثنا محمد بن جعفر قال: نا شعبة، عن سلمة بن كهيل قال: سمعت أبا الطفيل يحدث، عن أبي سريحة، أو زيد بن أرقم، شعبة الشاك،
عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: «من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه» .
فقال سعيد بن جبير: وأنا قد سمعت مثل هذا عن ابن عباس، قال محمد: أظنه قال: فكتمته
Abdullah narrated to us, saying: My father told me, Muhammad b. Ja'far narrated to us, saying: Shu’bah narrated to us, from Salamah b. Kuhayl, who said: I heard Abu al-Tufayl narrating from Abu Surayhah or Zayd ibn Arqam (Shu’bah was uncertain), that

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever I am his mawla (master), Ali is his mawla."

Sa’id ibn Jubayr said: "And I also heard something similar to this from Ibn Abbas." Muhammad said: "I think he (Sa’id ibn Jubayr) said: 'But I concealed it.'"

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We ask our readers: If the Hadith of Ghadeer has nothing to do with authority, why would Sa’id b. Jubayr (RA) feel the need to conceal it?

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