Chapter on the Prayer of Ghadir

Al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Husayni said: Muhammad ibn Musa al-Hamadhani narrated to us; he said: Ali ibn Hassan al-Wasiti narrated to us; he said: Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Abdi narrated to us; he said: I heard Aba Abdillah al-Sadiq عليه السلام, peace be upon him, say: “Fasting on the day of Ghadir Khumm, equals the fasting of the lifetime of the world, if a person were to live and fast for as long as the world lasts, the reward of that would be for him. And its fasting equals, in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, in every year, one hundred accepted Hajj and one hundred accepted Umrah. And it is the greatest Eid of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, has never sent any prophet except that he celebrated Eid on this day, recognized its sanctity, and knew its name. In the heavens it is called the ‘Day of the Promised Covenant’, and on the earth it is the ‘Day of the Taken Pledge’ and the ‘Witnessed Gathering’. Whoever prays two rak‘ahs on this day having performed ghusl (ritual bathing) at the time of the sun's zenith, half an hour before it begins to decline and supplicates to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, and in each rak‘ah recites Surah al-Hamd (once), and ‘Qul huwa Allahu Ahad’ (Surah Ikhlas) ten times, and Ayat al-Kursi (ten times), and ‘Inna anzalnahu’ (ten times); it would equal, in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, one hundred thousand Hajj and one hundred thousand Umrah. And he would not ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, for any need from among the needs of this world or the Hereafter, except that it would be fulfilled whatever that need may be. And if you missed the two rak’ahs and the supplication, you may perform them later. And whoever gives iftar (breaks the fast) of a believer on this day, it would be as if he had fed an army, and an army, and an army (and Imam عليه السلام kept counting until he reached ten with his hand).” Then Imam عليه السلام said: “Do you know how many are in an army (fiam)?” I said: “No.” Imam عليه السلام said: “One hundred thousand. Each army would carry the reward of one who fed the same number from among the Prophets, the Truthful, and the Martyrs in the Sacred Sanctuary of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, and gave them drink ‘on a day of severe hunger’. And a dirham (spent) on this day is equal to a million dirhams.” Imam عليه السلام said: “Perhaps you think that Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Mighty and Majestic, has created a day more sacred than this? No, by Allah سبحانه وتعالى! No, by Allah سبحانه وتعالى! No, by Allah سبحانه وتعالى!” Then Imam عليه السلام said: “And let it be from your words when you meet one another that you say: ‘All praise is due to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, who honoured us with this day and made us among those who fulfill His عز وجل covenant with us, and His عز وجل pledge which He عز وجل bound us to concerning the guardianship of the leaders of His عز وجل command and the ones who uphold His عز وجل justice and did not make us among the deniers and rejecters of the Day of Judgement.’” Then Imam عليه السلام said: “And let it be from your supplication after these two rak’ahs that you say: ‘Our Lord عز وجل, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, saying: ‘Believe in your Lord عز وجل,’ so we believed. Our Lord عز وجل, forgive us our sins, and expiate from us our misdeeds, and cause us to die with the righteous. Our Lord عز وجل, and grant us what You عز وجل promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You عز وجل do not break the promise.’” (Imam عليه السلام then continued) “Then you say after that; ‘O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, I call You عز وجل to witness and You عز وجل are sufficient as a witness and I call to witness Your angels, the bearers of Your Throne, the inhabitants of Your heavens and Your earth, that indeed You عز وجل are Allah سبحانه وتعالى, there is no God but You عز وجل, the One to be worshipped. There is no being from beneath Your Throne to the depths of Your earth, that is rightfully worshipped besides You عز وجل; anything else that is worshipped is false and perishing, apart from Your Noble Face. There is no God but You عز وجل, the One to be worshipped; so none is worthy of worship besides You عز وجل. Exalted are You عز وجل above what the wrongdoers say, with great exaltation. And I bear witness that (Prophet) Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, is Your servant and Your Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم. And I bear witness that Imam Ali عليه السلام, may Allah’s blessings be upon him, is the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, and their guardian and their master. Our Lord عز وجل, indeed we heard the call and believed in the caller the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, when he proclaimed a proclamation from You عز وجل concerning that which You عز وجل commanded him to convey, that he should deliver what had been revealed to him regarding the guardianship of the authority-holder appointed by You عز وجل. And You عز وجل warned him and threatened him that if he did not convey it, You عز وجل would be displeased with him. And You عز وجل promised him that if he conveyed Your messages, You عز وجل would protect him from the people. So He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم called out, delivering Your revelation and Your messages: ‘Indeed, whomever I am his master (mawla), then Ali عليه السلام is his master; And whomever I am his guardian, then Ali عليه السلام is his guardian; And whomever I am his Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, then Ali عليه السلام is his commander.’ Our Lord عز وجل, we have responded to Your caller, the warner and one who gave warning, (Prophet) Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, Your servant and Your Messenger, to (follow) Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام, peace be upon him, the one whom You عز وجل favored and made an example for the Children of Israel. Truly, he is the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, their master and their guardian until the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgement. For indeed You عز وجل said: ‘He is but a servant upon whom We bestowed Our favor and made him an example for the Children of Israel.’ (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:59) Our Lord عز وجل, we have believed and followed our master, our guardian, our guide, our summoner, the summoner of all creation, And Your straight and upright path, and Your proof, and Your way, the one who calls to You عز وجل with clear insight, he and those who follow him. “Glory be to Allah سبحانه وتعالى above what they associate (with Him)” (Surah Al-Tawbah 9:31) by his guardianship and against what they deviate by taking guardians besides him. So I bear witness, O’ my God, that Imam Ali عليه السلام is the guiding, directing, And the rightly-guided Imam Ali عليه السلام, the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, the one You عز وجل mentioned in Your Book, when You عز وجل said: ‘And indeed it is, in the Mother of the Book with Us, exalted and full of wisdom.’ (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:4). I do not associate any Imam alongside him, nor do I take any guardian besides him. O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, indeed we bear witness that he is Your servant, the guide after Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the warner, the one who gives warning, and Your straight path, And the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, the leader of the radiant ones with shining foreheads and limbs, Your conclusive proof, and Your tongue that speaks on Your behalf among Your creation, and the one who upholds justice after Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the executor of Your religion, And the keeper of Your knowledge, the place of Your secret, the repository of Your knowledge, and Your trusted trustee, And the one whose covenant was taken along with the covenant of Your Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, from all of Your creation and beings, A testimony of sincerity to You عز وجل in affirming Your oneness; That indeed You are Allah سبحانه وتعالى, there is no God but You عز وجل, and that (Prophet) Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is Your servant and Your Messenger, and that Imam Ali عليه السلام is the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام. And that acknowledgment of his guardianship, is the completion of Your tawhid (Divine Unity), and sincerity in Your oneness, And the perfection of Your religion, and the completion of Your favor, and Your bounty upon all of Your creation and beings. For indeed You عز وجل said and Your word is the truth: ‘This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as your religion.’ (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:3) O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, to You عز وجل belongs all praise for what You عز وجل have bestowed upon us, the sincerity to You عز وجل in Your Oneness when You عز وجل guided us to the guardianship of Your friend, the guide after Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the warner. And You عز وجل were pleased for us that Islam be our religion through our loyalty to him, And You عز وجل completed upon us Your blessing, that by which You عز وجل renewed for us Your covenant and Your pledge, and reminded us of it, And made us among the people of sincerity and affirmation of Your covenant and Your pledge, and among those who fulfill it. And You عز وجل did not make us among the breakers (of the covenant), nor among the rejecters, nor among those who deny the Day of Judgement. And You عز وجل did not make us among the followers of those who alter and distort, And those who deviate and split, And those who mutilate the ears of cattle, And those who alter the creation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and among those over whom ‘Satan has taken control, so he made them forget the remembrance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى’ (Surah Al-Mujadilah 58:19), And (Satan) diverted them from the path and from the straight path.” (Imam عليه السلام then continued) “And frequently say in your day and your night: ‘O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, curse the rejecters, the breakers (of the covenant), the distorters, and those who deny the Day of Judgment from the first to the last. O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, to You عز وجل belongs all praise for Your favor upon us, in guiding us to guardianship of the authorities over our affairs, after Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the guiding and rightly-guided Imams عليه السلام, those whom You عز وجل have made pillars of Your oneness, banners of guidance, beacons of piety, the firmest handhold, the perfection of Your religion, and the completion of Your favor. So to You عز وجل belongs all praise. We have believed in You عز وجل, affirmed Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, followed after him the warner and one who gives warning, allied ourselves with his guardian, opposed his enemy, and disassociated ourselves from the rejecters, the breakers, and the deniers until the Day of Judgement. O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, just as is Your way, O’ You عز وجل who are true to Your promise, O’ You عز وجل who ‘never break Your promise.’ (Surah Al Imran 3:9)” O’ You عز وجل who, every day, are in a new affair, You عز وجل who bestowed upon us the favor of loyalty to Your friends, the very loyalty about which Your servants will be questioned. For indeed You عز وجل said and Your word is the truth: ‘Then, on that Day, you shall surely be questioned about the blessing.’ (Surah At-Takathur 102:8) And You عز وجل said: ‘And stop them, for indeed they will be questioned.’ (Surah As-Saffat 37:24) And You عز وجل have granted us the favor of bearing witness to the sincerity of loyalty to You عز وجل, through devotion to Your guiding friends after the warner who warned, and the radiant lamp. And You عز وجل perfected the religion through their loyalty and disassociation from their enemies, And completed Your blessing upon us, the same blessing by which You عز وجل renewed Your covenant with us, And reminded us of Your pledge, which was taken from us at the beginning of our creation. And You عز وجل made us among those who responded, And You عز وجل reminded us of the covenant and the pledge, And You عز وجل did not cause us to forget Your remembrance. For indeed You عز وجل said: ‘And (mention) when your Lord took from the children of Adam from their loins their descendants and made them testify about themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ (Surah Al-A’raf 7:172) O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, yes we have borne witness, by Your grace and Your kindness, that indeed You عز وجل are Allah سبحانه وتعالى, there is no God but You عز وجل, our Lord عز وجل; And Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is Your servant and Your Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, our Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم; And Imam Ali عليه السلام is the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, the supreme proof, Your greatest sign, and the tremendous announcement ‘about which they differ.’ (Surah An-Naba’ 78:3) O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, just as it has been Your way, that You عز وجل bestowed upon us the guidance to know them, let it be of Your way to send blessings upon (Prophet) Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and the family of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, And to bless for us this day of ours the day on which You عز وجل reminded us of Your covenant and Your pledge, And perfected our religion, And completed Your blessing upon us, And made us among the people of response and sincerity in affirming Your oneness, And among the people of faith and affirmation of the guardianship of Your friends, And disassociation from Your enemies and the enemies of Your friends the deniers, those who reject the Day of Judgement. And that You عز وجل do not place us among the misguided, nor join us with those who deny the Day of Judgement. And grant us a firm footing of truth with the Prophets, and appoint for us with the righteous a leader, until the Day of Judgement the Day when “every people shall be called by their Imam.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:71) And gather us among the group of the guided and rightly guided ones, and let us live for as long as You عز وجل give us life, upon loyalty to Your covenant and Your pledge, which was taken from us and upon us for You عز وجل. And make for us a path with the Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, and establish for us a firm footing of truth in emigration (hijrah). O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, make our life the best of lives, and our death the best of deaths, and our return, the best of returns, until You عز وجل take us to Yourself while You عز وجل are pleased with us. And You عز وجل have made obligatory for us entrance into Your Paradise by Your mercy, and abiding in Your abode, And returning to the place of permanence by Your bounty “wherein no fatigue shall touch us, and no weariness shall touch us.” (Surah Fatir 35:35) Our Lord عز وجل, indeed You عز وجل have commanded us to obey the guardians of Your command, and You عز وجل have commanded us to be with the truthful, as You عز وجل said: ‘Obey Allah سبحانه وتعالى and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you,’ (Surah An-Nisa 4:59) And You عز وجل said: “Fear Allah سبحانه وتعالى and be with the truthful.” (Surah At-Tawbah 9:119) So we have heard and obeyed, our Lord عز وجل. So ‘make firm our steps’ (Surah Al Imran 3:147) and ‘cause us to die as Muslims,’ (Surah Al-A’raf 7:126) affirming Your friends. And ‘do not cause our hearts to deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself indeed, You are the Bestower.’ (Surah Al Imran 3:8) O’ Allah سبحانه وتعالى, I ask You عز وجل by the right which You عز وجل have placed with them, and by that with which You عز وجل have favored them, over all the worlds, that You عز وجل bless for us this day of ours, the day in which You عز وجل have honored us, And that You عز وجل complete Your blessing upon us, and make it a lasting gift for us, never to be taken away, and never make it a temporary deposit. For indeed You عز وجل said: “Then, (there is) a place of settlement and a place of deposit.” (Surah Al-An’am 6:98) So make it for us a place of settlement and do not make it a place of deposit. And grant us the victory of Your religion, with a guided and supported guardian from the family of Your Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, and place us with him, under his banner, as witnesses and truthful ones in Your path and in the support of Your religion.” (Imam عليه السلام then continued) “Then after that, ask for your needs of this world and the Hereafter for by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, they are surely granted on this day.”