Ghadeer-e-Khumm is the sacred site where the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) declared: “Whoever I am his master, then Ali (a.s.) is his master.”
Centuries later, Imam Jafar al-Ṣadeq (a.s.) passed through the plains of Ghadeer-e-Khumm and revealed to his companion a hidden truth. How this divine declaration stirred hatred among the hypocrites, a reality even the Quran acknowledges.
Husain Al-Jammal narrates: I took Abu Abdillah, Imam al-Sadeq (a.s.), from Madinah to Makkah. When we reached Ghadeer-e-Khumm, he looked at me and said: “This is the place where the foot of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) stood when he took the hand of Ali (a.s.) and said: ‘Whoever I am master of, Ali (a.s.) is his master.’”
وَ كَانَ عَنْ يَمِينِ اَلْفُسْطَاطِ أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ سَمَّاهُمْ لِي
And to the right of the tent were four individuals from Quraysh, he named them to me.
فَلَمَّا نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ وَ قَدْ رَفَعَ يَدَهُ حَتَّى بَانَ بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ قَالُوا: اُنْظُرُوا إِلَى عَيْنَيْهِ قَدِ اِنْقَلَبَتَا كَأَنَّهُمَا عَيْنَا مَجْنُونٍ
When they saw him raise his hand such that the whiteness of his armpits was visible, they said: “Look at his eyes, they have turned, as though they are the eyes of a madman!”
فَأَتَاهُ جَبْرَئِيلُ فَقَالَ اِقْرَأْ وَ إِنْ يَكٰادُ اَلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصٰارِهِمْ لَمّٰا سَمِعُوا اَلذِّكْرَ وَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ `وَ مٰا هُوَ إِلاّٰ ذِكْرٌ لِلْعٰالَمِينَ
So Jibraeel came to him and said recite: And those who disbelieve would almost smite you with their eyes when they hear the reminder, and they say: Most surely, he is mad. And it is nothing but a reminder to the worlds [Surah al-Qalam (68):51–52]
وَ اَلذِّكْرُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ
And the “Reminder” is Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.)
فَقُلْتُ: اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ اَلَّذِي أَسْمَعَنِي هَذَا مِنْكَ
So I (Husain Al-Jammal) said: “All praise is due to Allah who allowed me to hear this from you.”
فَقَالَ: لَوْ لاَ أَنَّكَ جَمَّالِي لَمَا حَدَّثْتُكَ بِهَذَا لِأَنَّكَ لاَ تُصَدَّقُ إِذَا رَوَيْتَ عَنِّي
Imam (a.s.) replied: “Had you not been my camel-driver, I would not have narrated this to you, for you will not be believed if you report it from me.”
[Reference: Bihaar Al Anwaar, v. 37, pg. 221 narrating from Kanzul Fawaid and Taaweel Al-Aayaat]
Notes
- Imam Sadeq (a.s.) did not stop at Ghadeer-e-Khumm by chance. He deliberately marked the spot by saying: “This is the place where the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) stood.” This statement highlights that Ghadeer is more than just a historic moment, it is a sacred site, a living monument to the divine appointment of Wilayah. Every part of its soil testifies to the selection of Ameeul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) as the rightful leader appointed by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
- The narration further highlights that four named men from Quraysh were visibly disturbed by the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) act of raising Imam Ali’s (a.s.) hand. Their reaction: “Look at his eyes, they have turned, as though they are the eyes of a madman!” This was a classic case of hatred and envy. Rather than submitting to divine instruction, they mocked the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) declaration, branding him as mad, a tactic also used by previous nations who rejected their prophets.