Ghadir Khumm
Encyclopedia
- For a discussion on Eid-e-Ghadeer, see Eid al-GhadeerEid al-GhadeerEid al-Ghadeer is a festive day observed by Shia Muslims on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib by the Islamic prophet Muhammad as his immediate successor...
Wadi Rabigh is a wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
situated inland of the town of Rabigh
Rabigh
Rabigh is an ancient town on the western coast of Saudi Arabia . It is in Makkah Province. It used to be named "Al-Johfa" until the early years of the 17th century. In some ancient stories the town had been completely destroyed through a sea water...
, extending along the border of the Al Madinah and Makkah provinces of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
A natural lake near Haggag, some 35 km inland, fringed with reeds Phragmites
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
and fed by several permanent freshwater springs provides a natural wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
unique on the Tihamah
Tihamah
Tihamah or Tihama is a narrow coastal region of Arabia on the Red Sea. It is currently divided between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In a broad sense, Tihamah refers to the entire coastline from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb Strait but it more often refers only to its southern half, starting...
north of Jiddah.
Ghadir Al-Khumm
Ghadir Al-Khumm (Arabic غدیر الخم "Pond of Khumm", Persianized Ghadir(-e) Khum, or Khom) is a location in the Wadi Rabigh mentioned in the Hadith of the pond of KhummHadith 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...
.
It was a pond or marsh formed by a spring in the wadi, located to the east of the road from 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...
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...
, three (according to other sources two) Arab mile
Arab mile
The Arab mile is a historical unit of length. Its precise length is uncertain, lying between 1.9 and 2.0 km. It is used by medieval Arab geographers....
s (roughly 4 to 6 km) from Al-Johfa (modern Rabigh
Rabigh
Rabigh is an ancient town on the western coast of Saudi Arabia . It is in Makkah Province. It used to be named "Al-Johfa" until the early years of the 17th century. In some ancient stories the town had been completely destroyed through a sea water...
), roughly 180 km from both Mecca and Medina, at ca. 22°49′30"N 39°4′30"E.
The Arab geographers mention the thick trees that surround it and the Mosque of the Prophet lying between it and the spring.
It was situated on the Incense Route between Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
where travelers could replenish their resources of water in the most arid part of Arabia between Mecca and Medina.
It is historically famous for an event, in which 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...
said, what is known as the 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...
, equally accepted by both Sunni and Shia Muslims, though the exact content and meaning of the statement is disputed. Muhammad is reported to have pronounced Ali ibn Abi Talib the mawla
Mawla
The word Mawlā or patron has two meanings. Mawla is an Arabic word "مولی", prominently used in Islamic literature which means protector.“Call them by their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if you know not their father'sthey are your Brothers in faith and those entrusted to you...
(patron, master) of those for whom Muhammad was patron. Shia Muslims celebrate this announcement each year as Eid al-Ghadeer.
External links
- Wadi Rabigh springs BirdLife IBA Factsheet
- Rabigh city rabigh city website
- The Ghadir Declaration The Ghadir Declaration by Dr Tahir-ul-QadriTahir-ul-QadriMuhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is a Pakistani Sufi scholar and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab....
- خطابه غدیر
- Ghadir Khumm
- 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)
- 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
