Milestone·Rashidun
Event of Ghadir Khumm
- Date
- March 632 CE18 Dhu al-Hijjah 10 AH1,394 years ago
- Place
- Ghadir Khumm, near Juhfa
- People
- Prophet Muhammad, Ali ibn Abi Talib
On the return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, Prophet Muhammad stopped at Ghadir Khumm, a pool near Juhfa. Sunni and Shia sources both record a statement he made there about Ali ibn Abi Talib. Shia Muslims regard it as the designation of Ali as the successor. Most Sunni scholars read the statement as an affirmation of Ali's status and not as a designation of succession. Shia Muslims mark Eid al-Ghadir on 18 Dhu al-Hijjah.
Why it matters
The event is central to Shia views of leadership and is the basis of the Shia holiday Eid al-Ghadir. Sunni scholars read it differently.