Eid al-Ghadir () is a commemorative holiday, and is considered to be among the most significant holidays of
Shi'ite Muslims and
Alawites
Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...
. The Eid is held on 18
Dhul-Hijjah at the time when the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
—according to interpretation in Shia Islam—appointed
Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. According to
Shia hadiths, this Eid has been named "Eid-e Bozorg-e Elāhi" (; i.e. the greatest divine Eid), "Eid
Ahl al-Bayt
() refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daugh ...
Muhammad", "Yom Al-
Wilayah
A wilayah ( or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu, Pashto and ; ) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", " province" or occasionally as " governorate". The word comes from the Arabic root "''w-l-y''", "to govern": a '' wāli''� ...
" (يوم الولاية Day of the Guardianship), and Ashraf al-A'yaad (i.e. the supreme Eid).
Religious background
Ten years after the migration (''
Hijrah
The Hijrah, () also Hegira (from Medieval Latin), was the journey the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the e ...
''), the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
ordered his followers to call upon people everywhere to join him in his first and last pilgrimage. Islamic scholars believe more than seventy thousand people followed Muhammad on his way to
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
, where, on the fourth day of the month of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, there were more than one hundred thousand Muslims present for his entry into the city. While returning from this pilgrimage, on 18
Dhu'l-Hijjah 10
AH (March 632 CE) at an area known as
Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad delivered a well-known sermon during which he called up his cousin, brother, and son-in-law
Ali ibn Abi Talib and declared, "to whomsoever I am ''
Mawla'', Ali is also their ''Mawla''". The meaning of the word ''Mawla'' can be interpreted as "master", and thus many see the sermon as being the official designation of Ali as Muhammad's successor.
As a result, the date of the sermon is considered to be one of the foundational events of Shia Islam, with the anniversary becoming one of its most important annual celebrations as "Eid al-Ghadir".
To be more precise, Muhammad declared "Do I have more authority over you than you do yourselves?" They responded with "Yes oh prophet of Allah" He continued with " Then, to whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is also their ''Mawla''". While the meaning of the word ''Mawla'' can be interpreted as "friend" (as it has many meanings), the question asked set the context for it to be interpreted as "master" and in turn suggested “leader”.
Celebration
In a hadith attributed to Muhammad recorded by
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad considers Ghadir Khum to be the best and highest of the festivals of his
Ummah
' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective com ...
.
Shia Muslims throughout the world celebrate this event annually with diverse customs. It is held in different countries, including
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
,
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...
,
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
, and
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
. Shia Muslims also celebrate Eid Ghadir in Europe and the Americas, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France.
According to some historical accounts, the commemoration of the event of Ghadir Khum was held as a festival since the first centuries of Islam, for the first time during the
Buyid era, then during the
Safavid era, the Eid al-Ghadir was one of the largest religious festivals celebrated. The celebration also gained special importance during the
Qajar era, as on this day, an official greeting ceremony was held with great ceremony in the court. The custom of greeting the king on this day continued during the
Pahlavi era.
In 2022, a 10-km long festival was held in
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
marking the Ghadir ceremony with hundreds of thousands of the people pouring out into
Valiasr Street and the nearby streets.
In 2024, a massive celebration was held in multiple Yemeni Provinces where fireworks, bands, and speeches were held. In recent years, Eid Al-Ghadir (known in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
as Yom Al-Wilaya) has been celebrated more than ever since the
Zaydi
Zaydism () is a branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali's unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. Zaydism is one of the three main branches of Shi'ism, with the other two being Twelverism ...
Shia Government took over Yemen. Also in the same Year the
Iraqi Parliament declared Eid al-Ghadir to be an official public holiday with the encouragement of the
Sadrist Leader,
Muqtada al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr (; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, politician and militia leader. He inherited the leadership of the Sadrist Movement from his father, and founded the now dissolved Mahdi Army militia in 2003 that resisted ...
.
According to the narrations,
Hassan ibn Ali used to hold ceremonies in
Kufa
Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000.
Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...
on the day of Ghadir.
Ali ibn Abi Talib used to participate the ceremony accompanied by a group of his followers. After the ceremony, Hassan ibn Ali would give people gifts. Greeting,
hand shaking, wearing new clothes, using perfume, making
donation
A donation is a gift for Charity (practice), charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, Service (economics), services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donati ...
s, helping others, saying prayers,
feeding
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food. In biology, this is typically done to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and nutrients and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive – ...
others, making others happy and giving gifts to others are among the suggested customs reported in narrations.
See also
References
External links
{{Authority control
Ali
Eid (Islam)
Islamic terminology
Shia days of remembrance
Shia Islam
Alawite traditions