II
THE PROPHET SERMON ON THE
DAY OF THE FAREWELL'S PILGRIMAGE

Further evidence is presented in this section in support of the Shiite argument that the imamate is a prophetic mandate and a responsibility which the Prophet fulfilled by shaping and defining the concept of the imamate and preparing the faithful intellectually and psychologically to apply it after his death. This effort culminated in the farewell pilgrimage, on the 18th of the month of Al-Hijra when the pilgrims were convened at a place known as Ghadir Khum (Khum's pond).

On this solemn occasion the prophet conveyed to the nation his last covenant. The following account of this historical event was reported by Ahmed ibn Hanbal whose sources were two chains of narrators quoting the prophet companion Al-Bura' ibn Azib":⁽²⁰⁾

We were with the prophet under the shade of trees and after performing the noon prayer he took Ali's hand and said: 'Don't you know that I am more heedful of the faithful than their selves'? and they [the congregation] said: Yes [we do], and he said: 'Don't you know that I am more heedful of every faithful than his self? And they said: Yes, he then held Ali's hand and said: 'Whomever I have been his leader Ali is his leader, may God lead those who follow him and oppose those who oppose him. Afterwards, Omar [ibn al-Khatab] met Ali and said to him: 'congratulations, son of Abi Talib! you have become the leader of every faithful man and woman'.

Al-Nassaii reports a similar account of this event and the Prophet speech as witnessed by the companion Zaid ibn Arqam:⁽²¹⁾

On the return journey from the farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet stopped at Khum pond and said: 'It seems that God has called me unto himself and I must obey his call, but I leave 'two great things' [al-Thuqalain] with you - one of them is greater than the other, God's book and my Household, my posterity, be careful how you attend to them for the two will be inseparable until they come to me at the pool [Hauz al-Kawthar or al- Kawthar pool in Paradise], then he said: 'God is my lord and I am the lord of every faithful, and taking Ali's hand he added: 'whomever I have been his leader, then Ali is his leader, may God lead those who follow him and oppose those who oppose him'.

This and other evidence referred to earlier convinced a group of the Prophet companions that Ali was the most entitled of all Muslims to the caliphate and imamate. They also found further support for their conviction in the interpretation of the term (wilayat) or leadership mentioned in the following Quranic verse:⁽²²⁾

Your leader is only God, and his Messenger, and those who believe; who establish prayer and pay zakat [the poor due] while they are bowing down in prayer.

They also inferred it from the Prophet's declaration, mentioned earlier, that 'whomever I have been his leader then Ali is his leader, may God lead those who follow him and oppose those who oppose him'.

These companions interpreted the term wilayat to mean governship, caliphate and imamate especially since it was explained by the Prophet himself in his speech: 'Don't you know that I am more heedful of the faithful than their selves'? and then adding: 'whomever I have been his leader then Ali is his leader. According to their point of view, this was a clear transfer of authority by the Prophet in his capacity as ruler of the Muslims to Ali after him. Acting upon this conviction, these companion reallied round Ali and became his followers and partisans recognizing him as the leader and intellectual authority for the whole nation.

Further support for Ali's imamate is also found in his rejection of the baiaa [allegiance] to Abu Bakr as caliph at the Sakifa's meeting and the announcement of his rightful claim to the caliphate and imamate. And given what was commonly known about the strength of his conviction, ascetic way of life, and unrivalled zeal in defending Islam, they argued that he would not have objected to Abu Bakr's appointment and publically claimed the caliphate if he did not believe in his special right to the imamate.

In contrast to his position taken by Ali and his partisans among the companions, another group of companions held that evidence found in the Quran and the traditions do not amount to an outright confirmation of the right of Ali to the leadership and imamate. In specific, they maintained that the term wilayat mentioned in the Holy Book and the Prophet's speech in the farewell pilgrimage means support, love and affection and not leadership, rulership or the prophet's succession. Hence, they presumed that they had the right to choose someone other than Ali as the prophet's successor. In an effort to explain this controversy, the late theologian al- Sadr identified the emergence of two attitudes or viewpoints among the companions during the Prophet lifetime:⁽²³⁾

"The first viewpoint advocated adherence to the prophetic texts in all aspects of life and denied any one the right - after the prophet made his declaration to Ijtihad or logical deduction at variance with the text in matters of worship, politics, war etc..

The second viewpoint, on the other hand, believed in the admissibility of logical deduction in contrast with the text in some instances. These two viewpoints which completed during the lifetime of the Prophet were reflected in the Muslim's attitude toward Ali's leadership after the Prophet's death. Those who professed conformity to the text found in the prophetic declaration on this issue a sufficient justification to endorse Ali's leadership without hesitation or reservation. The other group, however, thought it permissible to break away from the prescribed plan laid down by the Prophet to a recipe more harmonious with their conception of prevailing circumstances.

It appears then that the Shia was formed immediately after the Prophet's death by those Muslims who actively endorsed Ali's right to the imamate and leadership as ordained by the prophet to be put into effect after his death.