In this section, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) reminded people about their responsibilities towards the divine commandments which will never change – especially reminding them to never abandon the Hajj and other divine obligations. There are 17 statements in this section in which it is explained that Ameerul Momineen, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and the Imams (peace be upon them) after him have been granted the entire knowledge of divine obligations and they are the expounders of religion. He (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said:
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ الْحَجَّ وَ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ وَ الْعُمْرَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ- فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما الْآيَة
“O people! Surely Hajj, Safaa, Marwah and Umrah are from the signs of Allah. So, whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both. [Surah Baqarah (2): Verse 158]”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ حُجُّوا الْبَيْتَ فَمَا وَرَدَهُ أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ إِلَّا اسْتَغْنَوْا وَ لَا تَخَلَّفُوا عَنْهُ إِلَّا افْتَقَرُوا
“O people! Perform the Hajj and the people of a house do not enter it except that they become self-sufficient and do not desert it except if you are poor.”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ مَا وَقَفَ بِالْمَوْقِفِ مُؤْمِنٌ إِلَّا غَفَرَ اللهُ لَهُ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ إِلَى وَقْتِهِ ذَلِكَ فَإِذَا انْقَضَتْ حَجَّتُهُ اسْتُؤْنِفَ عَمَلُهُ
“O people! A believer does not halt at a station except that Allah will forgive his past sins until that time and when his Hajj is completed, his actions will be renewed.”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ الْحُجَّاجُ مُعَاوِنُونَ وَ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ مُخَلَّفَةٌ وَ اللهُ لا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
“O people! The Hajj pilgrims are helpers and their charity will remain and Allah does not squander the reward of the good doers [Surah Taubah (9): Verse 120].”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ حُجُّوا الْبَيْتَ بِكَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَ التَّفَقُّهٖ وَ لَا تَنْصَرِفُوا عَنِ الْمَشَاهِدِ إِلَّا بِتَوْبَةٍ وَ إِقْلَاعٍ
“O people! Perform the Hajj to the House with the perfection of religion and deep understanding and do not return from the witnessed places except with repentance and forsaking (of sins).”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّكاةَ كَمَا أَمَرَكُمُ اللّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ
“O people! Establish prayers and give charity [Surah Baqarah (2): Verse 43] the way Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has commanded you.”
لَئِنْ طَالَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَصَّرْتُمْ أَوْ نَسِيتُمْ فَعَلِيٌّ وَلِيُّكُمْ وَ يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ الَّذِي نَصَبَهُ اللّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ بَعْدِي وَ مَنْ خَلَقَهُ اللّهُ مِنِّي وَ أَنَا مِنْهُ يُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَا تَسْأَلُونَ عَنْهُ وَ يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
“And if a long time passes for you and you fall short or forget, then (remember that) Ali (a.s.) is your master and he will make it clear for you, the one whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has appointed after me and (he is) the one whom Allah created from me and I am from him. He will inform you regarding whatever you ask him and explain to you what you do not know.”
أَلَا إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ وَ الْحَرَامَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ أُحْصِيَهُمَا وَ أُعَرِّفَهُمَا فَآمُرَ بِالْحَلَالِ وَ أَنْهَى عَنِ الْحَرَامِ فِي مَقَامٍوَاحِدٍ
“Know that surely the permissible and the prohibited are much more than I could enumerate them and introduce them and then command for the permissible and prohibit from the prohibited at one place.”
فَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ آخُذَ الْبَيْعَةَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ الصَّفْقَةَ لَكُمْ بِقَبُولِ مَا جِئْتُ بِهِ عَنِ اللّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي عَلِيٍّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْأَئِمَّةِ مِنْ بَعْدِهٖ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنِّي وَ مِنْهُ أَئِمَّةٌ قَائِمُهُمْ فِيهِمُ الْمَهْدِيُّ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ الَّذِي يَقْضِي بِالْحَقِّ
“So, I have been ordered to take allegiance from you and place your hand by accepting what I have brought from Allah, Mighty, and Majestic be He, concerning Ali Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and the Imams (a.s.) after him, those who are from me and him. The Imams, their Qaim from among them is the Mahdi, until the Day of Judgement, the one who will judge with truth.”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ وَ كُلُّ حَلَالٍ دَلَلْتُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَ كُلُّ حَرَامٍ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَإِنِّي لَمْ أَرْجِعْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَ لَمْ أُبَدِّلْ
“O people! I have indicated all the permissible to you and forbidden for you all the prohibited and surely, I shall never return from this and never change (it).”
أَلَا فَاذْكُرُوا ذَلِكَ وَ احْفَظُوهُ وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِهِ وَ لَا تُبَدِّلُوهُ وَ لَا تُغَيِّرُوهُ
“Beware, remember it, protect it, exhort each other for it, do not change it and do not alter it.”
أَلَا وَ إِنِّي أُجَدِّدُ الْقَوْلَ أَلَا فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّكاةَ وَ أْمُرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ انْهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
“Know that, and indeed I am repeating what was said. Beware, establish prayers, give charity [Surah Hajj (22): Verse 78], enjoin good and forbid evil.”
أَلَا وَ إِنَّ رَأْسَ الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ أَنْ تَنْتَهُوا إِلَى قَوْلِي وَ تُبَلِّغُوهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَحْضُرْهُ تَأْمُرُوهُ بِقَبُولِهِ وَ تَنْهَوْهُ عَنْ مُخَالَفَتِهٖ فَإِنَّهُ أَمْرٌ مِنَ اللّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مِنِّي
“Know that, surely the chief of enjoining good is that you eventually end up at my word and you convey to the one who is not present. You command him to accept it and forbid him from going against it. For surely it is the command from Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He and from me”
وَ لَا أَمْرَ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَ لَا نَهْيَ عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ إِلَّا مَعَ إِمَامٍ مَعْصُومٍ
“And there is no enjoining of good and forbidding of evil except with an infallible Imam.”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ الْقُرْآنُ يُعَرِّفُكُمْ أَنَّ الْأَئِمَّةَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وُلْدُهُ وَ عَرَّفْتُكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ مِنِّي وَ مِنْهُ يَقُولُ اللهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ- وَ جَعَلَها كَلِمَةً باقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ وَ قُلْتُ لَنْ تَضِلُّوا مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا
“O people! The Holy Quran introduces to you that the Imams after him – viz. Imam Ali (a.s.) – are his offspring and I have introduced to you that they are from me and from him when Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says ‘and He made a lasting word in his posterity’ [Surah Zukhruf (43): Verse 28] and I have said that you shall never be deviated if you hold fast unto both of them.”
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ التَّقْوَى التَّقْوَى وَ احْذَرُوا السَّاعَةَ كَمَا قَالَ اللّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ
“O people! Piety! Piety! Be careful of the Hour (Qiyaamah) like Allah, Mighty, and Majestic be He, has said that surely the quaking of the hour is a grievous thing [Surah Hajj (22): Verse 1].”
اذْكُرُوا الْمَمَاتَ وَ الْحِسَابَ وَ الْمَوَازِينَ وَ الْمُحَاسَبَةَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ الثَّوَابَ وَ الْعِقَابَ وَ مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ أُثِيبَ وَ مَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ فِي الْجِنَانِ نَصِيبٌ
“Remember death, accounting, scales, accounting before the Lord of the worlds, reward, punishment and whoever brings a goodness [Surah An’aam (6): Verse 160] will be rewarded and the one who brings evil [Surah An’aam (6): Verse 160] then there is no share for him in Paradise.”
Notes:
- Hajj is to be performed with the perfection of religion and deep understanding i.e. by acquiring knowledge of and performing all its rituals correctly
- Islam was perfected in Ghadeer along with the announcement of the Mastership (Wilaayah) of Ameerul Momineen Imam Ali (peace be upon him)
- It means the true reward of Hajj is only for the one who performs all its rituals correctly while believing in Mastership (Wilaayah) of Ameerul Momineen, Imam Ali (peace be upon him)
- After Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), it is Ameerul Momineen, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them) after him who will explain the permissible and prohibited to everyone
- It means that whoever is in need of guidance related to divine obligations, they must ask Ameerul Momineen (peace be upon him)
- Allegiance to Ameerul Momineen, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was a divine command
- Allegiance to all Imams (peace be upon them) was paid in Ghadeer with a special mention about Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)
- Whatever Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) had made permissible and prohibited, will never change until the Day of Judgement
- The chief of enjoining good is encouraging everyone to pay allegiance to Ameerul Momineen (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them) after him
- It is the responsibility of every individual to pass on this message to whoever is unaware of it
- Only an infallible Imam will inform regarding enjoining good and forbidding evil
References:
- Al-Ehtejaaj by Shaikh Abu Mansoor Ahmad Ibn Ali Tabresi (exp. 548 AH), vol. 1, pp. 64-65
- Al-Adad al-Qawiyyah by Raziuddin Ali Ibn Yusuf Ibn Mutahhar al-Hilli (elder brother of Allamah Hilli), pp. 179-181
- Al-Yaqeen by Sayed Ibn Tawoos (exp. 664 AH), p. 343, chapter 127
- Behaar al-Anwaar by Allamah Majlisi, vol. 37, pp. 214-215, H. 86