Reply: As we already stated, the Shiâah have a firm belief that the position of caliphate is determined through revelation {tansisi} and that after the Holy Prophet (S) the Imamah {leadership} is in some respects like prophethood {nubuwwah}.
Just as the Prophet (S) has to be appointed through Divine decree, the wasi {executor of will} of the Prophet (S) too must be designated by Him, the Glorious and Sublime.
The biography of the Messenger of Allah (S) is a testimony to this belief; for, in many occasions he designated âAli (âa) as his successor {khalifah}. Here, we shall mention only three of these occasions:
1. At the Commencement of the Prophetic Mission
When the Prophet (S) received from God the commission to invite his relatives to the doctrine of monotheism as it is confirmed by the the verse,
ï´¿ Ø§ÙØ£ÙÙÙ’Ø±ÙØ¨ÙÙÙÙ Ø¹ÙØ´ÙÙØ±ÙتÙÙÙ ÙÙØ£ÙÙØ°Ùرْ ï´¾
âWarn the nearest of your kinsfolk,â[43]
he addressed them by saying:
أخ٠ÙÙÙ٠أ٠عÙÙÙ° Ø§ÙØ£Ù…ر ÙØ°Ø§ ÙÙ ÙÙØ§Ø²Ø±ÙÙ ÙÙØ£ÙÙ’ÙÙ…
ÙÙÙÙ…Ø ÙØµÙÙ’Ù Ù Ø®ÙÙÙØªÙ Ù ÙØ²Ùر٠Ù
âWhich of you will assist me in this affair so that he would my brother {akhi}, minister {waziri}, successor {khalifati}, and the executor of my will {wasi} among you?â
The only person who gave a positive response to this heavenly call was âAli ibn Abi Talib (âa). Then, facing his relatives, the Messenger of Allah (S) said:
â.Ø£Ø·ÙØ¹ÙÙ Ù ÙÙ ÙØ§Ø³Ù…Ø¹ÙØ§ ÙÙÙÙ… Ø®ÙÙÙØªÙ Ù ÙØµÙÙ’Ù Ù Ø£Ø®Ù ÙØ°Ø§ Ø¥ÙÙ’â
âVerily, he (âAli) is my brother, the executor of my will and my successor among you. So, listen to him and obey him.â[44]
2. During the Tabuk Expedition
The Prophet (S) said to âAli (âa):
Ø¨Ø¹Ø¯ÙØ ÙØ§ÙبÙÙ’ Ø£ÙÙ’Ù Ø¥ÙØ§Ù’ Ù…ÙØ³ÙÙ° Ù…Ù ÙØ§Ø±ÙÙ Ø¨Ù…ÙØ²ÙØ© Ù…Ùْ٠تÙÙ٠أ٠ترضÙÙ° أما
âAre you not satisfied that you are to me as Harun (Aaron) is to Musa (Moses) except that there will be no prophet after me?â[45]
That is to say, âJust as Harun (âa) is the executor of will and the immediate successor of Musa (âa), you are my successor.â
3. In the 10th Year after Hijrah
On his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage {Hajjah al-Widaâ}, at a place called Ghadir Khumm the Messenger of Allah (S) introduced âAli (âa) before a mammoth assembly (of pilgrims) as the wali {guardian} of the believers, male or female, saying:
â.Ù…ÙÙÙ’ÙØ§ÙÙ٠عÙÙÙÙÙ’Ù ÙÙÙÙ°Ø°ÙØ§ Ù…ÙÙÙØ§ÙÙÙ ÙÙÙْت٠مÙÙÙ’â
âOf whosoever I am master {mawla}, then âAli is also his master {mawla}.â
The important and noteworthy point is that at the beginning of his speech, the Prophet (S) asked:
Ø£ÙÙØ³ÙÙ…Ø Ù…Ù Ø¨ÙÙ… Ø£ÙÙÙÙ° Ø£ÙÙØ³ØªÙ
âHave I more authority over you than you have over yourselves?â
And the Muslims unanimously replied in the affirmative. Therefore, it must be noted here that in this hadith the Prophet (S) meant by the word, âmawlaâ the absolute guardianship over the believers, and we can conclude that the Prophet (S) had established âAli (âa) in the same position which he had. And on that very day Hassan ibn Thabit versified the historic event of Ghadir as follows:
ÙØ¨ÙÙ’ÙÙ… Ø§ÙØºØ¯Ùر ÙÙÙ… ÙÙØ§Ø¯ÙÙÙ…
Ù…ÙØ§Ø¯Ùا Ø¨Ø§ÙØ±Ù’سÙÙ ÙØ§Ø³Ù…ع بخمْ
ÙØ¨ÙÙ’ÙÙ…Ø Ù Ù…ÙÙØ§ÙÙ… ÙÙ…Ù :ÙÙØ§Ù
Ø§ÙØªÙ’Ø¹Ø§Ù…ÙØ§ Ø£ÙÙØ§Ù ÙØ¨Ø¯Ùا ÙÙ… Ù :ÙÙØ§ÙÙØ§
ÙØ¨ÙÙ’ÙØ§ Ø£ÙØª Ù Ù…ÙÙØ§Ùا Ø¥ÙÙÙ°ÙÙ
Ø¹Ø§ØµÙØ§ اÙÙÙØ§ÙØ© ÙÙ Ù…Ùْا تÙÙ ÙÙ… Ù
ÙØ¥ÙÙ’Ù٠عÙÙÙ’ ÙØ§ ÙÙ… :ÙÙ ÙÙØ§Ù
ÙØ§Ø¯Ùا Ù Ø¥Ù…Ø§Ù…Ø§Ù Ø¨Ø¹Ø¯Ù Ù…Ù Ø±Ø¶ÙØªÙ
ÙÙÙÙ’Ù ÙÙØ°Ø§ Ù…ÙÙØ§Ù ÙÙØª ÙÙ…Ù
Ù…ÙØ§ÙÙØ§ صد٠اتباع ÙÙ ÙÙÙÙÙØ§
ÙÙÙÙ’Ù ÙØ§Ù اÙÙÙ’ÙÙ… :دعا ÙÙØ§Ù
Ù…Ø¹Ø§Ø¯ÙØ§ عÙÙْا٠عاد٠ÙÙØ°Ù ÙÙÙ
Their Prophet calls on them on the day of Ghadir Khumm; now, listen to the call of the Prophet:
Then he said to the people: âWho is your Master {mawla} and your guardian {wali}? Then, without showing inattention, they said:
âYour Lord is our Master {mawla} and you are our guardian {wali}, and no one among us today disobeys you.â
Then he said: âStand up O âAli! For, I am indeed well pleased that you are the Imam and guide after me.â
{Then he said:} âTherefore, of whomsoever I am master, âAli is his master also. May you be their true supporters!â
He then prayed, saying: âO Allah! Be Thou a Friend of those who are his (âAli s) friends, and be Thou an Enemy of those who are his enemies.â[46]
The hadith on Ghadir is among the mutawatir[47] hadiths, which is narrated not only by the Shiâah âulamaâ but also by approximately 360 Sunni scholars[48] and the number of transmitters reaches 110 Companions. Twenty six prominent Muslim âulamaâ have written a separate book about the chain of transmission and transmitters of this hadith.
Abu Jaâfar Tabari, the renowned Muslim historian, has compiled the chain of transmission and transmitters of this hadith in two bulky volumes. For further information, one may refer to the book, Al-Ghadir.
— taken from the book “The Shi’ah Rebuts” by Sayyid Rida’ Husayni Nasab. Written under the supervision of Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani
Notes:
[43] Surah ash-Shuâaraâ 26:214.
[44] Tarikh at–Tabari, vol. 2, pp. 62-63; Tarikh al-Kamil, vol. 2, pp. 40-41; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 1, p. 111; Ibn Abiâl-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 13, pp. 210-212.
[45] Sirah Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, p. 520; Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani), As–Sawaâiq al-Muhriqah (Egypt, 2nd Edition), Book 9, Chapter 2, p. 121.
[46] Khwarazmi al-Maliki, Al-Manaqib, p. 80; Sibt ibn Jawzi al-Hanafi, Tadhkirat Khawas al-Ummah, p. 20; Ganji Shafiâi, Kifayah at–Talib, p. 17; and others.
[47] Mutawatir: a tradition from the Prophet (S) or an infallible Imam, repeatedly and widely narrated in an uninterrupted sequence, through successive reliable narrators. {Trans.}
[48] See, for example, Ibn Hajar, As–Sawaâiq al-Muhriqah (Egypt, 2nd Edition), Book 9, Chapter 2, p. 122.
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