Eid al-Ghadir

Mosque at Johfah near Rabigh, the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. The event is reported to have occurred somewhere here.
Also called	Eid Al-Ghadeer; Yawm al-mithaq (Day of the Covenant)
Observed by	Shia Muslims
Type	Islam
Significance	Appointment of Ali as the successor of Muhammad
Observances	Prayers, gift-giving, festive meals, as well as reciting the Du'a Nudba
Date	18 Dhu al-Hijjah
2021 date	29 July[1]

Eid al-Ghadir (Arabic: عید الغدیر, romanized: ʿīd al-ghadīr, lit. 'feast of the pond') is an Islamic commemorative holiday, and is considered to be among the significant holidays of Shia and Bektashi Muslims. The Eid is held on 18 Dhu Al-Hijjah at the time when the Islamic prophet Muhammad was said to have appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. According to Shia hadiths, this Eid has been named "Eid-e Bozorg-e Elāhi" (Persian: عید بزرگ الهی; i.e. the greatest divine Eid),^[2] "Eid Ahl al-Bayt Muhammad"^[3][4] and Ashraf al-A'yaad (i.e. the supreme Eid).^[5][6]

Religious background[]

Ten years after the migration (Hijrah), the Islamic prophet Muhammad ordered his followers to call upon people everywhere to join him in his last pilgrimage. Islamic scholars believe more than seventy thousand people followed Muhammad on his way to Mecca, 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.^[7][8] 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 and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib and declared, "to whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is also their Mawla". While the meaning of the word Mawla can be interpreted in several ways, including as "friend" or "master", Shi'ites view it as being the latter and thus see the sermon as being the official designation of Ali as Muhammad's successor.^[9] 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".^[10][11]

Celebration[]

Eid al-Ghadeer celebration at a shrine in Iran

Shia Muslims throughout the world celebrate this event annually with diverse customs.^[12][13] It is held in different countries, including Iran,^[14][15][16] India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan,^[17] Iraq,^[18][19] UAE, Yemen, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Turkey,^[20] Bahrain, and Syria. Shia Muslims also celebrate Eid Ghadir in Europe and the Americas, including the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Customs[]

According to the narrations, Hassan ibn Ali used to hold ceremonies in Kufa on the day of Ghadir. Ali ibn Abitalib 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 cloths, using perfume, making donations, helping others, saying prayers, feeding others, making others happy and giving gifts to others are among the suggested customs reported in narrations.^[25]

See also[]

•  Shia Islam portal

References[]