Ghadeer Sermon – Section 3
There are approximately 34 statements in this section of the Ghadeer sermon. Before announcing and openly declaring the mastership (Wilaayah) of Ameer al-Momineen Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.), the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) officially declared Allah’s decree regarding the appointment of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the pure Imams (a.s.) after him. He then enumerated some of the virtues of Imam Ali (a.s.), his rights, and the duties of people regarding him.
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ فَضِّلُوا عَلِيّاً فَإِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ النَّاسِ بَعْدِي مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَ أُنْثَى
O people! Consider Ali superior to others, for he is the best of the people after me, from among both men and women,
بِنَا أَنْزَلَاللّهُ الرِّزْقَ وَ بَقِيَ الْخَلْقُ
Through us Allah sends down His sustenance and the creation survives.
مَلْعُونٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَغْضُوبٌ مَغْضُوبٌ مَنْ رَدَّ قَوْلِي هٰذَا وَ لَمْ يُوَافِقْهُ
Accursed, accursed, wrathful, wrathful, is the one who rejects this statement of mine and does not agree with it.
إِلَّا أَنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ خَبَّرَنِي عَنِ اللّهِ تَعَالىٰ بِذٰلِكَ وَ يَقُولُ مَنْ عَادَى عَلِيّاً وَ لَمْ يَتَوَلَّهُ فَعَلَيْهِ لَعْنَتِي وَ غَضَبِي
Certainly, Jibraeel (a.s.) has informed me of this on behalf of Allah, the High, and He has said: Whoever bears enmity with Ali and refuses his authority, upon him shall be My curse and My wrath.
Then the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) recited Surah Hashr (59): Verse 18
وَ لْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ ما قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَ اتَّقُوا اللهَ أَنْ تُخَالِفُوهُ
‘Then each soul must look at what it has sent forth for tomorrow (Qiyaamah) and fear Allah’ from opposing him viz. Ali (a.s.)
فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِها إِنَّ اللهَ خَبِيرٌ بِما تَعْمَلُونَ
‘lest the feet slip after being firm, surely Allah is aware of what you do.’
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ إِنَّهُ جَنْبُ اللهِ الَّذِي نَزَلَ فِي كِتَابِهِ يَا حَسْرَتَى عَلَى مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللهِ
O people! He is the Side of Allah about whom He revealed in His Book: ‘O woe to me! for what I fell short of my duty to Allah’ [Surah Zumar (39): Verse 56]
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ تَدَبَّرُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَ افْهَمُوا آيَاتِهِ وَ انْظُرُوا إِلَى مُحْكَمَاتِهِ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا مُتَشَابِهَهُ
O people! Reflect upon the Holy Qur’an, understand its verses, look at its clear verses, and do not pursue its ambiguous ones.
فَوَ اللهِ لَنْ يُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ زَوَاجِرَهُ وَ لَا يُوَضِّحُ لَكُمْ تَفْسِيرَهُ إِلَّا الَّذِي أَنَا آخِذٌ بِيَدِهِ وَ مُصْعِدُهُ إِلَيَّ وَ شَائِلٌ بِعَضُدِهِ وَ مُعْلِمُكُمْ
By Allah, none will clarify its prohibitions for you, nor will anyone make its interpretation known to you except the one whose hand I am holding, whom I am raising towards me, and whose arm I am lifting, the one about whom I inform you
أَنَّ مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ
That of whomsoever I the Master, then this Ali is his master.
وَ هُوَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ أَخِي وَ وَصِيِّي
He is Ali Ibn Abi Talib, my brother, my successor.
وَ مُوَالاتُهُ مِنَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْزَلَهَا عَلَيَّ
And his authority has been revealed to me by Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He.
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ عَلِيّاً وَ الطَّيِّبِينَ مِنْ وُلْدِي هُمُ الثِّقْلُ الْأَصْغَرُ وَ الْقُرْآنُ هُوَ الثِّقْلُ الْأَكْبَرُ
O people! Indeed, Ali and the purified ones from my offspring are the second precious thing, and the Holy Qur’an is the first precious thing.
وَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مُنْبِئٌ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ وَ مُوَافِقٌ لَهُ
Each of them informs of the other and agrees with it.
لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ
These two shall never separate (from each other) until they return to me at the Pond (of Kausar).
أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ أُمَنَاءُ اللهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ وَ حُكَمَاؤُهُ فِي أَرْضِهِ
Know that! They are the trustees of Allah among His creation and His wise ones upon His earth.
أَلَا وَ قَدْ أَدَّيْتُ
Know that! I have conveyed.
أَلَا وَ قَدْ بَلَّغْتُ
Know that! I have delivered.
أَلَا وَ قَدْ أَسْمَعْتُ
Beware! I have made you hear.
أَلَا وَ قَدْ أَوْضَحْتُ
Behold! I have made clear.
أَلَا وَ إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَالَ وَ أَنَا قُلْتُ عَنِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ
Know that! Surely Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, has said, I have said on behalf of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He.
أَلَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرَ أَخِي هَذَا
Beware! There is no Commander of the Faithful (Ameer al-Momineen) except this brother of mine.
وَ لَا تَحِلُّ إِمْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَعْدِي لِأَحَدٍ غَيْرِهِ
And none apart from him has the right to be called the commander of the faithful after me.
ثُمَّ ضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ عَلَى عَضُدِهِ فَرَفَعَهُ وَ كَانَ مُنْذُ أَوَّلِ مَا صَعِدَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ص دَرَجَةً دُونَ مَقَامِهِ
Then he (s.a.w.a.) struck his hand upon Ali’s (a.s.) arm and raised him. And he had, from the very beginning, ascended up to a step below the position of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).
فَبَسَطَ يَدَهُ نَحْوَ وَجْهِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ص وَ شَالَ عَلِيّاً حَتَّى صَارَتْ رِجْلُهُ مَعَ رُكْبَةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ص ثُمَّ قَالَ
Then he (a.s.) stretched his hand toward the face of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a), and he (s.a.w.a.) raised Ali (a.s.) until his foot aligned with the knee of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) and then said.
مَعَاشِarرَ النَّاسِ هَذَا عَلِيٌّ أَخِي وَ وَصِيِّي وَ وَاعِي عِلْمِي وَ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَى أُمَّتِي وَ عَلَى تَفْسِيرِ كِتَابِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ
O people! This is Ali, my brother, my legatee, the retainer of my knowledge, and my successor over my nation and over the interpretation of the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He.
وَ الدَّاعِي إِلَيْهِ وَ الْعَامِلُ بِمَا يَرْضَاهُ وَ الْمُحَارِبُ لِأَعْدَائِهِ وَ الْمُوَالِي عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَ النَّاهِي عَنْ مَعْصِيَتِهِ
And (he is) the one who calls towards Him, acts according to His pleasure, fights His enemies, is loyal in obeying Him, and forbids disobedience to Him.
خَلِيفَةُ رَسُولِ اللهِ وَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْإِمَامُ الْهَادِي
Successor of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), Commander of the Faithful, and the guiding Imam.
وَ قَاتِلُ النَّاكِثِينَ وَ الْقَاسِطِينَ وَ الْمَارِقِينَ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ
The one who will fight the oath-breakers, the unjust, and the renegades, by Allah’s command.
أَقُولُ ما يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّي أَقُولُ
I am saying what cannot be changed by me, I say is by the command of my Lord.
اللَّهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالاهُ وَ عَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ وَ الْعَنْ مَنْ أَنْكَرَهُ وَ اغْضَبْ عَلَى مَنْ جَحَدَ حَقَّهُ
O Allah! Accept him as a slave who accept him – Ali (a.s.) – as his master, and be the enemy of whoever bears enmity with him. Curse the one who rejects him, and be angry with whoever denies his right.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْزَلْتَ عَلَيَّ أَنَّ الْإِمَامَةَ لِعَلِيٍّ وَلِيِّكَ
O Allah! You have revealed to me that the Imamate belongs to Ali, Your Vicegerent.
عِنْدَ تِبْيَانِي ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ نَصْبِي إِيَّاهُ بِمَا أَكْمَلْتَ لِعِبَادِكَ مِنْ دِينِهِمْ وَ أَتْمَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ نِعْمَتَكَ وَ رَضِيتَ لَهُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِيناً
My explanation of this will be (an argument) against them and my appointment of him is as per what You completed for Your servants from their religion and perfected for them Your bounties, and You became satisfied for them with Islam as a religion.
فَقُلْتَ وَ مَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلامِ دِيناً فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَ هُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخاسِرِينَ
And You have said: ‘And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.’ [Surah Aal Imran (3): Verse 85]”
Notes:
• This section of the Ghadeer sermon has the maximum number of statements.
• No other section of this sermon has as many statements as this one.
• Imam Ali (a.s.) is explicitly declared by the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as the most virtuous after him
• Whoever doesn’t consider him to be the most superior is cursed by Allah and the Messenger (s.a.w.a.)
• Opposing Imam Ali (a.s.) brings divine curse and wrath.
• Failing to accept the Mastership (Wilaayah) of Imam Ali (a.s.) is identified as falling short in performing one’s duties to Allah as referenced in the Surah Zumar (39): Verse 56.
• Authority of interpretation and clarification of the Holy Quran solely lies with Imam Ali (a.s.).
• Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) declared Imam Ali (a.s.) as his brother, executor, and rightful successor.
• Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) publicly raised the hand of Imam Ali (a.s.), confirming him as the Master (Maula) of all believers.
• Imam Ali (a.s.) and the purified progeny of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) are equated with the Holy Quran as the two precious things (Thaqalayn), which will never separate from each other.
• By narrating Hadith al-Thaqalayn in the sermon of Ghadeer, Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had ensured that people clearly understand their responsibilities vis-à-vis the Holy Quran and Ahle Bait (a.s.)
• Imam Ali (a.s.) is the only legitimate Commander of the Faithful (Ameer al-Momineen).
• Oath-breakers (Naakeseen), unjust (Qaaseteen), and renegades (Maareqeen) are three groups with whom Imam Ali (a.s.) fought in the battles of Jamal, Siffeen and Nahrwaan, respectively.
• It means that with all the virtues which Imam Ali (a.s.) possessed, anyone who fought with him or opposed him at any point in time, whether in the past or until the day of judgement, will never be on the right path.
• Prayers of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) will always be answered and thus he invoked divine support for those who support Imam Ali (a.s.), and divine curse on those who deny him.
• The Imamate of Ali (a.s.) is framed as divinely ordained, forming part of the completion of religion and perfection of divine bounties.
References:
• Al-Ehtejaaj by Shaikh Abu Mansoor Ahmad Ibn Ali Tabresi (exp. 548 AH), vol. 1, p. 60
• Al-Adad al-Qawiyyah by Raziuddin Ali Ibn Yusuf Ibn Mutahhar al-Hilli (elder brother of Allamah Hilli), p. 174
• Al-Yaqeen by Sayed Ibn Tawoos (exp. 664 AH), p. 343 onwards, chapter 127
• Behaar al-Anwaar by Allamah Majlisi, vol. 37, pp. 208-209, H. 86