The Day That Changed Everything
On the 18th of Dhul Hijja, 10 AH (March 632 CE), Rasulullah Mohammed (SAW) was returning from his final pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida’) with an enormous caravan of pilgrims — numbering, by most accounts, over 100,000 and up to 120,000 companions.
At a place called Ghadeer Khum — a pond near the crossroads where the roads to Mecca, Medina, Yemen, and Iraq diverged — Jibreel descended with a divine command:
“O Messenger! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do not, then you have not delivered His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.” — Quran 5:67
The Prophet stopped the entire caravan. It was a hot noon in the desert of the Hijaz. Camels’ loads were stacked as a platform (minbar). When the caravan had gathered, the Prophet mounted the minbar and delivered his last great khutba (sermon).
The Declaration
After praising Allah and recalling the fundamentals of the deen, Rasulullah (SAW) turned to the question that the verse had commanded him to address. He asked: “Am I not more entitled to authority over you than your own souls?” The people replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He then took the hand of Imam Ali (AS) and raised it, declaring:
“Man kuntu mawlahu fa-hādha ‘Aliyyun mawlāh” مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلاَهُ فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلاَهُ
“Whoever I am his Mawla — his master, guardian, and authority — then this Ali is his Mawla.”
He then added:
“O Allah, love those who love him. Be the enemy of those who are his enemy. Help those who help him and abandon those who abandon him. Let the truth revolve with him wherever he turns.”
After this declaration, Jibreel descended again with the verse:
“This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you, and I am pleased with Islam as your religion.” — Quran 5:3
Imam Ali (AS) was greeted by the companions, including Umar ibn al-Khattab, who said: “Congratulations, O son of Abu Talib — you have become, this morning, the mawla of every believing man and woman.” This greeting is itself narrated in the primary hadith collections.
What “Mawla” Means
The word mawla in Arabic carries a rich field of meaning: master, guardian, one who has authority (wali al-amr), patron, helper, and intimate friend. In the context of the declaration — preceded by the question “Am I not more entitled to authority over your own souls?” — the Fatimid, Ismaili, and Dawoodi Bohra tradition understands mawla in its fullest sense: authority, guardianship, and succession.
Ghadeer is not simply a day of friendship. It is the day of the nass — the explicit divine appointment of Imam Ali (AS) as successor to the Prophet. This is the cornerstone of the walayah theology that runs through all of Bohra faith.
Eid-e-Ghadeer in the Bohra Community
For Dawoodi Bohras, Eid-e-Ghadeer is observed as the greatest of the four Eids — greater even than Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. The four Eids in the Bohra tradition are:
- Eid ul-Fitr (1st Shawwal)
- Eid ul-Adha (10th Dhul Hijja)
- Eid-e-Ghadeer (18th Dhul Hijja) — greatest
- Eid-e-Nawroze (optional in some communities)
The day is observed with:
- Special namazes and dua — including Dua Nudba
- Iftitah and Ziyarat of Imam Ali (AS) if possible
- Congregational gatherings with waaz recounting the Ghadeer event
- Acts of joy and sharing — food, celebration, greetings with “Eid Mubarak”
- Renewal of walayah — conscious recommitment to the love and obedience of the Imam
The Text of the Ghadeer Hadith
The Ghadeer hadith is one of the most widely transmitted hadiths in Islamic history. It has been narrated by hundreds of companions and is preserved in both Sunni and Shia collections.
Key sources include:
- Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad
- al-Tirmidhi’s Sunan
- ibn Maja’s Sunan
- al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak (rated sahih)
- And the entire corpus of Fatimid/Ismaili primary sources
The theologian al-Hakim al-Naysaburi called it mutawatir — narrated by so many chains that forgery is inconceivable.
Ghadeer and the Concept of Wilayah
The declaration at Ghadeer is the textual foundation of wilayah — the love, loyalty, and obedience owed to the Ahl al-Bayt and their appointed representatives. In Bohra theology:
- The wilayah of Imam Ali (AS) was declared by divine command
- The imamate continued through the 12 Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt
- With the occultation of Imam al-Tayyib (AS), the line of Duat Mutlaqeen carry the walayah forward
- The believer’s walayah toward the living Dai is the living expression of the Ghadeer covenant
The Dua Nudba — recited on the four Eids including Ghadeer — begins by recalling this chain and calling out to the hidden Imam, asking when the promise of Ghadeer will be fully realized.
The Ghadeer Sermon (Summary)
In the full khutba of Ghadeer, the Prophet (SAW):
- Reminded the community that he was leaving them two things: the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt
- Warned that those who fail in their duty to the Ahl al-Bayt will be refused intercession
- Declared the wilayah of Ali (AS) explicitly and publicly
- Invoked blessings on those who love Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt
- Asked the crowd to pass this on to those not present
The two weighty things (al-thaqalayn) — Quran and Ahl al-Bayt — are inseparable: the Quran is the written, the Imams are the living exposition.
The dua for Eid-e-Ghadeer is Dua Nudba — see the Duas section. The Mazaraat section contains information on Masjid Ghadeer and the shrine of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf.