Chapter 6
Hadith al-Ghadir
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Ahmad bin Hanbal says:
‘AbdullÄh bin Ahmad relates from ‘AlÄ« bin HakÄ«m AwdÄ« from SharÄ«k from Abi IshÄq from Sa‘Ä«d bin Wahab and Zayd bin Yuyhay‘ both of whom have narrated:
(Imam) ‘AlÄ« [(‘a)] complained and addressed the people at Rahbah, saying:
“All those who had heard the Prophet’s words at GhadÄ«r Khum, stand up.”
The narrator says:
Six persons on behalf of Sa‘Ä«d and six persons on behalf of Zayd stood up and bore testimony that they heared the Prophet say on the Day of GhadÄ«r:
“A laysa Allahu awlÄ bi al-mu’minÄ«n? QÄlu: BalÄ. QÄla: Allahumma man kuntu mawlÄh fa ‘AlÄ«yyun mawlÄh. Allahumma wÄli man wÄlÄh wa ‘adi man ‘adÄh (Is not God superior to the faithful?
Yes! said the gathering. He said:
O Allah! For whomsoever I am master ‘AlÄ« is his master. O Allah! befriend his friends and despise his enemies)”.[34]
Ibn Hanbal has recorded the event of GhadÄ«r over 30 times in his Musnad through different isnÄd or chains of authority and in the words of more than 10 companions of the Prophet.[35] The version of HadÄ«th al-GhadÄ«r mentioned above is from the notes of Ibn Hanbal’s son ‘AbdullÄh on his father’s work. Ahmad ShÄkir the annotator of the Musnad has described as sahÄ«h the isnÄd of this hadÄ«th and has said about Sa‘Ä«d bin Wahab KhaywÄnÄ« that he was among the trustworthy and experienced Muslims of the first generation after the Prophet.[36]
Notes:
[34] Al-Musnad, hadith no. 950 (Ahmad ShÄkir).
[35] Al-SalafÄ«, Murshid al-MuhtÄr, vol. 3, pp. 156-157.
[36] Ahmad ShÄkir’s explanation on Hadith al-GhadÄ«r.