The Khutba at Khum Ghadiar
When the last straggler had closed up and the assembly was complete, the Holy Prophet made his camel kneel, descended and then, using the saddle as a pulpit began to address the multitude with¹ words to this effect:-
“Ye Men! I first thank God for those blessings which are latent in myself. I seek His help for those ordeals and sufferings which are to befall my grand-children and my family, and for the fatal privations of the world and the inevitable sorrows of the Day of Resurrection. Then I stand to witness that there is none worthy of worship except the one God Who has neither taken a wife or son to Himself nor a friend or a helper. I am also one of His creations. He has sent me to mankind for conveying His message that those who are doomed may be condemned after due warning and those who are to be saved may get salvation after due intimation. God has given me superiority over all those who inhabit the world, and they include all the past and future generations. He gave me the keys of His treasures and He asked me to confirm the solemn pledges which I have made with him. He confided his secret in me and gave me. help so that I have been enlightened. Thus, I have made the beginning and thus shall I set the final seal. No one can derive power except from the Holy person of God.-O ye mankind! Fear God as he deserves to be feared. Do not wage war except in the path of Islam and remember God encompasses every thing. Verily nations will come after me that will wilfully accuse me and people will believe in those insinuations. But I seek the help of God that I should say nothing but what is absolutely true and right and shouldnot add or utter a word against His orders. I shall not convey any other orders to you except those that God has given me. I do not invite you to anything else but towards God. Those who are tyrants or the transgressors will soon know how they are taken to task.”
Then The Holy Prophet had proceeded this far in his Oration when Abdah ibn Samat stood up and asked, “O Apostle of God. Tell us when this will happen and who are those people, so as to enable us to recognise them and avoid them.” The Holy Prophet then continued, “There are some persons whose inimical attiude towards me from the very beginning has been an open secret. “Then pointing towards his throat he said, “When this breath (ghost) of mine will reach this point, these persons will show their appearance.” Ibada asked, “When such a situation should arise, then tell us, to whom shall we turn?” The Holy Prophet then replied,” You should obey and follow those who are the members of my family. Undoubtedly they are fore-runners in receiving the light of my prophet- hood. They will check you from going astray and will lead you to the path of virtue. These members of my family are the followers of righteousness and the source of truth. They will preserve the Holy Book and keep alive my traditions, and will save you from apostacy and innovations that lead people astray. They will humiliate the evil doers with the force of truth and they will never lend ear to any ignorance. O ye people! God has created me and my family from the same clay and He did not create any one else from it. We are the first of creation and after God created us He dispelled the darkness with our light and revived everything with the fine qualities of our character.” He then remarked, “Verily these people constitute the best of “Ummah” (community). They are the recipients of My knowledge, keepers of my secrets and leaders of the dwellers of this world. They invite others towards truth, and are intimate with righteousness. Their minds are not invaded by doubts and scepticism. They never retrace a step from the path of God and never break their pledge with God. They are the “Pious Imams” or the leaders who have been enlightened. Those who come to me with their obedience and saintly qualities will be considered to have true light and those who come to me with enmity towards them are those who have lost the right path. Their love is Faith, their hostility verily a dis- These Imams who put men on the right path hold firm the strings of the order of God. All noble deeds receive completion through them, and God takes a pledge of their love from all the past and future generations. It is by these pious souls that God has sworn in the holy Qur’an. God orders me that those believers in faith, who ask questions about my blood relations, should be warned of God’s wrath. Verily Allah is a true Guide. Then God, through this revelation has called upon you to love them. God has ordered me to inform you that He does not ask for any other returns excepting that ye people should love the members of my family. These are the people whom God has absolved from all evils and purified them; when they speak they utter nothing save truth, and when they are questioned about anything they display knowledge and wisdom, when anything is deposited with them in trust, they protect it. There are ten qualities of character in the members of my family which could not be found together in any one single person, namely tolerance, knowledge, prophethood, saintliness, generosity, bravery, truthfulness, purity, charity, and resignation to God’s will. They are the utterances of virtue and the means of enlightment, the height of rationality and means of salvation of mankind. These people are your leaders, according to the order of God and what I say is the order of God.” Then the Apostle, of God caught hold of Ali’s arm and raising it up high, said, “Ali is to me what Aaron, was to Moses. Whoever takes me as his “Moula” master) should also take Ali as his “Moula”. O Almighly
God! be a friend to his friends and a foe to his foes; help those who help him, and frustrate the hopes of those who make little of him.”
According to the Shia chroniclers it was after this oration that the Holy Prophet received the following revelation:-
“This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion, so fear them not, fear me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed my favour unto you and have chosen for you al-Islam as a religion.”
(Qur’an 5:3)
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 