The Farewell Pilgrimage

Al-Hasan (a.s) spent a part of his childhood with his grandfather Allah’s Apostle (a.s) until his mental powers expanded, and his faculties grew. He was tranquil and delighted. Every day he received life with smiling mouth, bliss, and happiness. He received love and affection from his grandfather (a.s). He was magnified and honored by the old companions of his grandfather. He saw the expansion of Islam and many forays. He saw the people entering the religion of Allah in groups. During that time the thrones of polytheism were destroyed, and the forces of the infidels were defeated. The Islamic troops invaded Mecca, which was the strongest and the most fortified city in the Arab Peninsula. Islam became strong and widespread. It had a high entity. The waves of conquest included most peoples on earth. Delight covered the hearts of the Muslims because of this victory through which Allah made them strong and supported them. Ahlul Bayt were the most delighted and happy with these victories accomplished by Islam.

However, this tranquil state did not last long, for the time frowned and darkened at their (the Ahlul Bayt) faces. It invaded their hearts with vague fear and black fears. That was because it was time for the Prophet (a.s) to depart to Allah and to move to His Holy Presence. The vanguards and signs of departure appeared before him. They are as follows:

1. The first sign of his leaving the world was that the Revelation came down to him and brought him this verse (surely you shall die and they (too) shall surely die).[1] The verse moved the hidden apprehension in his soul; so, the Muslims heard him announcing his death, saying: “I wish I knew when that would be!” After this verse the Sura of al-Nasr came down to him; so, he kept silent between takbir (saying Allah is great!) and the recitation. He would say: “Glory be to Allah and praise belongs to Him! I seek forgiveness of Allah and turn towards Him!”

Fear and impatience overcame the hearts of the Muslims; so, their hearts before their tongues rushed to ask him about that terrible state. He (a.s) answered them, saying: “My death has been announced!”[2] When the Muslims heard that, their hearts were cut into pieces, their strength collapsed, their eyes were covered with a flow of tears, a tremor shook their entity and spread

[1] Qur’an, 39, 30.

[2] Ibn Shahrashub, al-Manaqib, vol. 1, p. 127.

among them impatience and fear.

2. The Qur’an was revealed to him twice during that year; so, he felt the inevitable death[1], and then he began announcing his death and his leaving the world. Due to this news the hearts were cracked; the bitterest kinds of ordeals and misfortunes prevailed the Muslims.

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Prophet (a.s) spared no effort to guide the Muslims to the right path. When he (a.s) came to know about his departure to the Abode of Immortality, he thought that he had to complete his sacred message and to put a sound plan that would guarantee, after him, his community happiness and success. For this reason he (a.s) made his last pilgrimage, better known as the Farewell Pilgrimage, in the year 10 A. H. He spread among those who went to the Sacred House of Allah (the Kaaba) that his meeting with them would be the last time. He said to them: “I do not know; perhaps, I will never meet you at this standing place after this year!” Then he went around the masses and made them know that which would guarantee their happiness and success, saying: “O People! I am leaving with you the Two Weighty Things-that is the Book of Allah and my family, my household.”[2]

He compared his pure family to the Book. He regarded clinging to them as salvation against afflictions and deviation. If the community had followed his words and cleaved to them, inclinations and misfortunes would not have befallen them, abasement and disgrace would not have afflicted them, and they would not disagreed. The nation would not have branched into sects and parties; every sect rejoicing in what they had with them.[3]

The Declaration at Ghadir Khum

After the Prophet (a.s) had finished the rituals of the hajj, he headed for Medina. When his procession reached Ghadir Khum, Gabriel came down and ordered him to halt at the desert and to appoint Imam Ali as a successor after him and as an authority over his community. The Command of the Heaven had an affair of great importance. The Revelation came down to him carrying this verse: O Apostle, make known what has been revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not do it, you will not have made known His message. Allah will protect you from the people.[4] The Prophet became confused due to this

[1] Al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, vol. 2, p. 368.

[2] Al-Turmidhi, Saheeh, vol. 2, p. 308.

[3] Qur’an, 30, 32.

[4] Ibid., 5, 67. This verse was revealed on the Day of al-Ghadir. This has been

warning and this threat. If he had not carried out what Allah had intended in respect of appointing Imam Ali, he would not have made known Allah’s message, and all his efforts would have been lost. So he (a.s) undertook carrying out that even if he would anger those craving after the caliphate and those turned away from the Imam (a.s). He (a.s) put the burdens of the journey and stopped at that desert place. It was a day of intense heat, to the extent that the travelers wrapped their cloaks around their feet because of the scorching hot ground. Then he (a.s) ordered the masses to come together. When they gathered, he led them in prayer. When he had finished his prayers, he ordered them to gather the saddles of the camels, that he might use them as a pulpit. They did to him what he wanted, and he went up on them. The number of those present was one hundred thousand or more. They turned to him through their hearts before their ears, that they might listen to that which he would say to them. Firstly, the Prophet (a.s) explained to them his holy jihad and his arduous efforts in respect of guiding them and saving them from polytheism and slavery. Secondly, he reminded them of a group of Islamic precepts and religious manners. He ordered them to put them into practice. After that he said to them: “Therefore, see how you would obey me in respect of the Two Weighty Things (Allah’s Book, and the Prophet’s family).”

One of the people asked him: “What are the Two Weighty Things, O Allah’s Apostle?”

The Prophet (a.s) answered him, saying: “The great weighty thing is the Book of Allah. One end of it is in the hand of Allah, the Great and Almighty, and the other end is in your hand; therefore cling to it lest you should go astray. The other small (weighty thing) is my family. The Sublime and Omniscient has informed me that they shall never part from each other till they reach me by the Pool. So I asked my Lord to do that for them; therefore, do not go ahead of them lest you should perish, and do not lag behind them lest you should perish.”

Then he took Ali’s hand and lifted it, to the extent that the whiteness of their armpits appeared. He informed all the people, saying: “O People, am I not worthier of you than yourselves?”

They answered him: “Allah and His Apostle know best!”

So he (a.s) said: “Most surely, Allah is my Guardian, and I am the guardian of the believers, and I am worthier of them than themselves; therefore, whoever

mentioned by al-Wahidi in his Asbab al-Nuzool, and by al-Fakhr al-Razi in his al-Tafseer al-Kabeer, and by others.

I am his guardian, Ali is his guardian.” He said that three or four times. Then he said: “O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, love whoever loves him, hate whoever hates him, support whoever supports him, desert whoever deserts him, and turn the truth with him wherever he turns! Those present should inform those absent!”[1]

In his sermon, the Prophet greatly honored Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful (a.s) and entrusted him with the great office of the caliphate. After he (a.s) had ended his holy speech, Hassaan bin Thabit asked him to allow him to recite before him one of his wonderful poems on that immortal occasion. The Prophet permitted him, and he rushed, saying:

On the day of al-Ghadir he summoned them and made them answer at Khumm.

Listen to the Apostle as he calls.

He said: Who is your master and friend?”

They answered without showing any signs of opposition:

“Allah is our master and you are our friend. You will never find any disobedience from us to you.”

He said to him: “Arise, Ali, I am content that you should be Imam and guide after me.”

Whomsoever I am his guardian, this man is his guardian.

Therefore, be faithful helpers and followers of him.”

There he prayed: “O Allah, befriend his friend and be hostile to whoever opposes Ali.” [2]

Then all the Muslims pledged allegiance to Imam Ali and congratulated him on his being the Commander of the faithful. The Prophet (a.s) ordered his wives to go to and to congratulate him (Imam Ali).[3] Among those who congratulated him was Umar bin al-Khattab. He shook hands with him and said to him: “Well done! Well done, O Ibn Abi Talib, you have become my

[1] The Declaration at Ghadir Khum is among the authentic traditions ensured by many ways of transmission. The Muslims have unanimously agreed on narrating it. Its chain of authorities and its meaning were searched by the genius of Islam, His Eminence, al-Hujjah al-Amini, may Allah protect him, in his immortal encyclopedia al-Ghadir. He has limited the first volume of his book to the research on that. In the rest volumes he has mentioned a large group of the poets who lauded the declaration at Ghadir Khumm. He has written their biographies and mentioned their literary and scientific works.

[2] Al-Ghadir, vol. 2, p. 34.

[3] Ibid., vol. 1, p. 271. Quoted from Roudat al-Safa, vol. 2, p. 273, by Khawand Shah, a historian.

master and the master of every believing man and believing women.”[1]

On that day, which was immortal in the world of the truth and virtue, this sacred verse was revealed: This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.[2]

The great favor was perfected and the religion was completed through appointing Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful and the Imam of the pious, as a successor. With that the Prophet (a.s) took the final step to keep the Islamic society and the Islamic law. He did not leave the community to remain perplexed and to be prevailed by chaos and corruption; rather, he appointed over it a great figure (Imam Ali) to guide it to the straight path.

Most surely the pledge of allegiance (to Imam Ali) at Ghadir Khumm was among the most reliable proofs (for his Imamate), and it was the most manifest of them in explaining that the office of the succession and the Imamate was entrusted to Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful (a.s). Imam al-Hasan used it as a proof on his father’s right of the succession. That was during his sermon he delivered after his making peace with Mu‘awiya. In the sermon he has mentioned: “Allah has honored us, we the Ahlul Bayt; He has selected and chosen us, taken away the uncleanness from us, and thoroughly purified us. When the people divided into two sects, Allah placed us among the better one from Adam to my grandfather (a.s). When Allah appointed him for the prophethood, chose him for the message, revealed His Book to him, and commanded him to ask people to believe in Allah, my father was the first to respond to Allah and His Messenger. He was the first to believe in Allah and His Apostle (a.s). In His Book Allah has revealed to His appointed Prophet: Is he then who has with him clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him recites it…? Therefore, it was my grandfather who had a clear proof from his Lord, and it was my father who recited it, and he was a witness from Him.” He added: “This community heard my grandfather say: ‘If a community entrusts its affair to a man while there is one more knowledgeable than he is, its affair is in vain unless it resorts to him whom it has left.’ And it heard him say to my father: ‘You are to me as Harun was to Musa except that there is no prophet after me.’ It saw and heard him when he took my father by the hand and said to him: ‘Whoever I am his guardian, Ali is to be his guardian. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, and be hostile

[1] Ahmed, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 281.

[2] Qur’an, 5, 3. The revelation of the Sura on the Day of Ghadir Khum has been mentioned by al-Sayuti in his al-Durr al-Manthur, and by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi in his al-Tarikh, vol. 8, p. 290. Other historians have mentioned that.

to whoever opposes him.’ Then he ordered those present to inform those absent.”[1]

Books of history are full of the proofs of the Ahlul Bayt, peace be on them, and of their leading followers about the pledge of allegiance to Imam Ali (a.s) at Ghadir Khum, where he was entrusted with the Islamic caliphate. However, the people turned away from the tradition and interpreted it according to their tendencies and wishes.

The Prophet seeks Forgiveness for the dead in the Cemetery of al-Baqee’

When Allah’s Apostle (a.s) had performed the hajj, he returned to Medina. He resided in it for some days. Suspicions and worries surrounded him, and he was sleepless. He sent for Abu Muhayba[2] in the dark night. When Abu Muhayba came, the Prophet ordered him to accompany him to the cemetery of al-Baqee’. He said to him: “I have been commanded to ask Allah to forgive the dead at the cemetery of al-Baqee‘. For this reason I sent for you to go with me.”

The Prophet (a.s) walked until he reached the cemetery of al-Baqee‘. He greeted the dead and congratulated them on that they had. Then he told them about the black afflictions that would befall his community after him. He said: “Assalamu ‘alaykum, O people of the graves. I want to tell you about what the people will face; the afflictions have come like the the black night. Their last follows their first. The last is more wicked than the first!”

Then the Prophet began telling Abu Muhayba about his leaving the world, saying to him: “I have been given the keys of the treasuries in the world and immortality therein and the Garden after that, but I have chosen meeting my Lord and the Garden.”

“May my father and mother die for you,” retorted Abu Muhayba, “why do you not take the keys of the treasuries in the world and be immortal therein and the Garden after that?”

However the Prophet (a.s) explained to him his urgent wish for meeting Allah, saying: “No, by Allah, I have chosen to meet my Lord.” Then he asked Allah to forgive the dead at the cemetery of al-Baqee, and then he went home.[3]

[1] Al-Ghadir, vol. 1, p. 197.

[2] Abu Muhayba was the Prophet’s retainer. The Prophet had bought and released him.

[3] Ibn Hisham, Syrah, vol. 3, p. 93. Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 190. In his Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 6, p. 121, al-Majlisi has mentioned: “When Allah’s Apostle (a.s.) felt the illness, he took Ali, peace be on him, by the hand and headed for the cemetery of al-Baqee‘ and asked Allah to forgive the dead wherein. He was accompanied by a group