Quick Answer:
Detailed Answer:
Question: Have Sahabah testified about the event of Ghadir?
Answer: On one of his caliphate’s days, His Highness Ali (a.s.) assembled people in a vast place and spoke in a loud voice to the people from a pulpit. He said: “I swear you by God that any Muslim who heard the Prophet said on the day of Ghadir: ‘for whomever I am his master Ali will be his master’ rises and testifies about what he himself has heard.” Just thirty of the Companions from among them sixteen ones were inhabitants of Badr rised and testified that the Prophet (s.a.w.) held Ali’s hand up and said to the people that: “do I not have more authority upon the believers than they have themselves?” they answered: ‘yes.’ Then he said: ‘for whomever I am his master (mawla) this person (Ali) will be his master. O God! Be friendly with whomever accepts his Wilayah and the enemy of his enemies.’
Although some of the Companions were present at the event of Ghadir, being jealous of and taking revenge on Imam, they didn’t rise to testify. One of them was Anas ibn Malik. After coming down the pulpit, His Highness Ali (a.s.) said to him that: “o Anas ibn Malik! Why you didnt rise along with the other companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and not testify, as the others did, about what you heard on that day?” he said: ‘o Amir Al-Mu`minin! I have become old and have a bad memory.’ His Highness said: ‘if you are lying, I will hope God causes you to suffer such a disease that your turban don’t cover it.’ The narrator says: ‘when he raised her face was full of spots (he was suffered leprosy.) after this event, he cried constantly and said: ‘the imprecation of the competent servant of God caught me. Since I didn’t testify as he said.’ This story is famous and ibn qutaybah has narrated it in the Book of Al-Ma`arif and said that Anas was suffered leprosy.(1) Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal has also narrated this story in his Musnad and in the end of it, he has said that: ‘all of the people testified except three ones who were caught by Imam’s imprecation’(2) and as Bilazari(3) has said, their names are as follows: Anas ibn Malik, Bara ibn Azib and Jarir ibn Abdullah Bajali. Then His Highness Ali (a.s.) called people to witness again, but none of these three people testified. Then he said: ‘o God! Don’t cause anybody to die who avoid testifying intentionally, unless you make a mark on him by which people recognize him.’ The narrator says: ‘as a result of this, Anas ibn Malik was suffered leprosy, Bara ibn Azib went blind and Jarir changed in to a Bedouin and died at his mother’s home.
This story is so well-known and many historians have narrated it.(4)
____________________________________
1- Al-Ma`aeif by ibn Qutaybah Dinawari, p. 580.
2- Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (1),p.119.
3- Ansab Al-Ashraf by BilaZari (2), p. 156.
4- Tarikh of ibn `Asakir (2), p.7, Sharh of Nahj Al-Balaghah by ibn Abi al-Hadid (19), p. 217, `Abaqat Al-Anwar (2), p.309, Manaqib of ibn Maghazli Shafi`i, p. 23, Sirah Al-Halbiyah (3), p.274.
No feedback yet