For more details on Eid al-Ghadeer, see Hadith of Ghadeer Khumm

Hadith of the pond of Khumm

The Hadith of the pond of Khumm refers to the saying about a historical event crucial to Islamic history. This event took place on 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah of 10 AH in the Islamic calendar at a place called Ghadir Khumm, which is located near the city of al-Juhfah, Saudi Arabia and was a place...

Eid al-Ghadeer is a festive day observed by Shia Muslims on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar

Islamic calendar

The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

 to commemorate the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib

Ali

' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...

 by the Islamic prophet Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

 as his immediate successor. It marks the anniversary of Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

's sermon, described in Hadith of the pond of Khumm

Hadith of the pond of Khumm

The Hadith of the pond of Khumm refers to the saying about a historical event crucial to Islamic history. This event took place on 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah of 10 AH in the Islamic calendar at a place called Ghadir Khumm, which is located near the city of al-Juhfah, Saudi Arabia and was a place...

, in which he stated,
Whomsoever's master (mawla) I am, Ali is also his master. O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him. ."من كنت مولاه فهذا عليّ مولاه أللهم والِ من والاه و عادِ من عاداه"

Ismaili

Ismaili

' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...

/Mustaali

Mustaali

The Musta‘lī Ismā'īlī Muslims are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir...

/Taiyabi

Taiyabi

Tayyibi is a branch of Mustaali Ismailism that split with the Fatimid supporting Hafizi branch by believing Taiyab abi al-Qasim was the rightful Imam. They are the surviving branch of the Mustaali and have split into Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra, and Alavi Bohra.Upon the death of the 20th Imam...

/ Fatimid

Fatimid

The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...

/Dawoodi Bohra

Dawoodi Bohra

Dawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...

 also celebrate the day, and there is tradition of taking mass oath on the day to reassert commitment to Islam, in the same manner as their individual adult take oath on reaching adulthood. This they believe to be continued from the period of their Fatimid

Fatimid

The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...

 Imam.

Sunni Muslims do not deny that a last sermon took place, but do not celebrate the day specifically. On the other hand, Salafi

Salafi

A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...

 Muslims and those considered by some to be influenced by them such as Deobandis or Ahle Hadith

Ahle Hadith

Ahl al-Hadith or , is a term that has been used to refer to many Islamic movements that emphasize the use of hadith in Islam...

 do not celebrate this day as they feel that only Eid ul-Adha

Eid ul-Adha

Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a sheep— to sacrifice...

 and Eid-ul-Fitr are celebratory days.

Background Context

A few months before his death, Muhammad – living in the city of Medina

Medina

Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...

 – made his last religious pilgrimage to Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

 in a trip referred to as The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Farewell Pilgrimage was the last and only Hajj pilgrimage the Islamic prophet Muhammad participated in, in 632 CE .-Preparations:...

. There, atop Mount Arafat

Mount Arafat

Mount Arafat or Mount Arafah is a granite hill east of Mecca. It is also known as the Mount of Mercy . The hill is the place Muslims believe the Islamic prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life...

, he addressed the Muslim masses in what came to be known as The Farewell Sermon

The Farewell Sermon

The Farewell Sermon , also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or The Last Sermon, was delivered by Muhammad on the 9th Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat The Farewell Sermon , also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or The Last Sermon, was delivered by Muhammad on the 9th...

. After completion of the Hajj

Hajj

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...

, or religious pilgrimage, Muhammad turned back towards his home in Medina.
On the trip there, he stopped at the pond of Khumm (at present Al-Johfa) and praised Ali. The exact meaning of the praise is a matter of much dispute; not only do Sunni and Shi'a Muslims disagree as to, which statements about the pond are authentic, but they also disagree on the interpretation. Shi'a Muslims believe that after the pilgrimage, Muhammad ordered the gathering of Muslims at the pond of Khumm and it was there that Muhammad nominated Ali to be his successor.They further believe the wordings of sermon as follows;

"Oh people! Reflect on the Quran and comprehend its verses. Look into its clear verses and do not follow its ambiguous parts, for by Allah, none shall be able to explain to you its warnings and its mysteries, nor shall anyone clarify its interpretation, other than the one that I have grasped his hand, brought up beside myself, [and lifted his arm,] the one about whom I inform you that whomever I am his master (maula), this Ali is his master (maula); and he is Ali Ibn Abi Talib, my brother, the executor of my will (Wasiyyi), whose appointment as your guardian and leader has been sent down to me from Allah, the mighty and the majestic."The Last Sermon of Muhammad by Shia Accounts. These claims were proven with Sunni sources as well. Did the Prophet(s) appoint a successor?

External links

• Sermon of Ameerul Momineen(asws) at Ghadeer http://www.wilayatmission.com/GhadeerEng.html (Sermon of Ameerul Momineen(asws) at Ghadeer)
• Eid-e Ghadir
• The Event of Ghadir Khumm (citations and interpretations) from Various Sunni Sources
• (Sermon of Ameerul Momineen(asws) at Ghadeer)
• The Sermon of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) in Ghadir Khum
• Ghadir Khumm - Interesting Aspects of a Unique Event
• What Happened at Ghadeer Khumm
• خطابه غدیر (Arabic)
• The event of Ghadeer Khum in Quran, Sunnah & History (Sunni perspective)
• خطابه غدیر
• Map of Ghadeer showing distance from Mecca, almost halfway between Medina and Mecca
• Complete Sermon at Ghadir Khumm in English Version
• Ghadir, the Greatest Eid of All Religions
• The Event of Ghadir Khumm in the Qur'an, Hadith, History
• http://www.utm.thaqalayn.org/files/ghadeer.pdf (letters 55-58)
• Ghadir Khumm
• Event of Ghadir Khumm