The Principle & Legacy of the Nass of Ghadeer
04 October 2015
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
من كنت مولاه فهذا علي مولاه
'Whomsoever I am the Maula of, Ali is his Maula.'
(Rasulullah SA)
This article was written by Ra'sul Hududil Mayameen Janab Syedi Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin in 2015.
This past week we celebrated the most auspicious Eid of Ghadeer-e-Khum, the day of Misaq (yawm al-‘ahd al-Ma’hud) and the day in which Rasulullah SA appointed Amirul-Mumineen SA as his wasiyy and successor with the timeless phrase, man kuntu maulahu fa haza ‘Aliyyun maulahu (Whomsoever I am the maula of, Ali is his Maula). The significance and application of this phrase is timeless.
In his waaz on Ghadeer-e-Khum, Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin TUS explained that Rasulullah declared Nass in Ghadeer-e-Khum in such a manner and with such wisdom that he established and instituted the succession of the Imams till the Day of Judgment. Rasulullah explicitly appointed Hasan Imam SA and Husain Imam SA and also did zikar of A’immat Tahereen and Qa’im Imam, the master of the Day of Judgment.
Because of the manner in which Rasulullah appointed Amirul Mumineen, he established the principle that in every day and age a Maula, a guide, a leader is necessary for the continuity of Dawat and the guidance, salvation and najaat of Mumineen. In every age this Maula, who is the representative of Allah Ta’ala, who is our link to Him, must walk this earth in flesh and blood. It is based on this principle that we give Misaaq and oath to the Dai, knowing that he is the representative or vicegerent of the Imam, who is Allah’s representative, and at the Dai’s hands we are giving our oath to the Imam and therefore also to Allah Ta’ala.
Observing Ghadeer without recognizing this principle, which this day stands for, is gravely inadequate.
Rasulullah also established the principle that every predecessor appoints a successor, someone who is like him, one Maula after another Maula. This is true for each Imam who is our Maula and each Dai who is our Maula in the time of the Imam’s seclusion.
If one believes in Rasulullah but not in Maulana Ali, his link to Rasulullah and Allah Ta’ala is broken. If one believes in the first 7 Imams but not the next 14 (and the Imams in the 21st Imam’s progeny) his link to Amirul Mumineen is broken. In the time of seclusion, if one believes in the 52nd Dai but not the 53rd, his link to the 52nd Dai and all his predecessors is broken. This is the essence of Ghadeer.
In the Bombay High Court, Syedna was asked, “what, according to you, is the significance of the word “Maula”?” Syedna replied: “this [word] has a very deep significance and historical context. When the prophet appointed Ali as his successor in Ghadeer-E-Khum, he used this expression in his sermon to mean “whosoever the prophet is the Maula of, Ali is the maula after me.””
May Allah Ta’ala grant our maula longest life till qiyamat. May Allah Ta’ala grant us the tawfeeq to recognize that today Syedna Qutbuddin, as the representative of the Imam in seclusion, is the successor to the Nass of Ghadeer. May Allah Ta’ala grant those who believed in the 52nd Dai the tawfeeq to recognize his true wishes and his true successor. May Allah Ta’ala grant those who are disillusioned the ability to see the truth, may He help them understand that believing in Maula Ali but not believing the Dai of today is not enough; Maulana Ali himself underscores the principle that in every age there must be a maula. Whosesoever’s Maula Syedna Burhanuddin was, Syedna Qutbuddin is his Maula after him.
Despite many efforts to wipe the event from history books, thousands today still acknowledge the Nass of Amirul Mumineen and remember Rasulullah’s timeless words “man kuntu maulahu fahaza ‘Aliyyun maulahu”. Despite many similar efforts we will pronounce, and so will our generations to come, this phrase: Whosesoever’s Maula Syedna Burhanuddin was, Syedna Qutbuddin is his Maula after him
