Ghadir Khumm — The Prophet's Final Declaration and the Foundational Event of Walaya

The Historical Event

On 18 Dhu al-Hijja, 10 AH, the Prophet (SAW) halted the entire caravan returning from the Farewell Hajj — reportedly 70,000 to 100,000 people — at the pool of Khumm. The location is a stopping point before the roads to Medina, Mecca, Yemen, and Iraq diverge. He ordered late arrivals to catch up and early arrivals to wait, ensuring the maximum number of witnesses.

He delivered a sermon. What is not disputed:

1. He praised Allah and gave a lengthy address
2. He declared: “I am leaving among you two weighty things (thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and [my household — Ahl al-Bayt / my Sunnah]” (the exact second element varies by narration)
3. He took Ali ibn Abi Talib by the hand and raised it
4. He declared: “Man kuntu mawlahu fa-‘Ali mawlahu” — “Whoever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla”
5. He made the du’a: “Allahumma wali man walahu wa ‘adi man ‘adah” — “O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, and be an enemy to whoever is his enemy”

Umar ibn al-Khattab (in most narrations) then said to Ali: “Congratulations, O son of Abu Talib — you have become the mawla of every believing man and believing woman.”

The Key Word — Mawla and Its Meanings

Arabic mawla is famously polysemous — it carries multiple meanings:

1. Protector, guardian, patron — someone who has authority over another
2. Friend, ally, supporter — someone who stands with another
3. Freed slave — the person who freed a slave, or the freed slave himself
4. Master, lord — one who commands

The Sunni majority reading: Mawla at Ghadir means friend/supporter. The Prophet was defending Ali’s honor after some companions complained about his decisions in Yemen. The declaration was: “Whoever I am his friend, Ali is his friend” — expressing Ali’s equal standing with the Prophet in terms of loyalty owed to him.

The Shi’a and Ismaili reading: Mawla at Ghadir means wali al-amr — guardian and authority over the community. The elaborate staging (stopping the entire caravan, waiting for all to gather, a formal sermon, raising Ali’s hand) exceeds what would be needed for a mere declaration of friendship. The Quran verse revealed that day — “O Messenger, deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message” (5:67) — is understood as divine pressure to make the announcement of succession.

Eid al-Ghadir — The 18th of Dhu al-Hijja

In the Ismaili and wider Shi’a tradition, 18 Dhu al-Hijja is celebrated as Eid al-Ghadir — a day of significance second only to the two major Eids and the Prophet’s Mawlid. It marks the formal inauguration of Ali’s Imamate and the institutionalization of walaya as the defining commitment of the community.

In the Fatimid and Bohra tradition, this day carries liturgical observance — special prayers, the recitation of relevant Quranic verses, and remembrance of the sermon’s content.

The Ismaili Chain

Ghadir establishes the prophetic wasiyyat (testament of succession). From this point forward, the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt hold not merely religious authority but the same walaya transferred from the Prophet to Ali: the right to interpret the batin, to guide the community, and to receive the mithaq of believers. Each Imam receives this walaya from the preceding one through nass (explicit designation), tracing back to the declaration at Ghadir.

See also: Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Prophet Muhammad, Wasiyyat, Understanding Walayah, Mithaq, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Bohra History, Seerah Death