Ghadir Khumm
sermon given by Muhammad in 632 including a declaration in favor of his son‐in‐law Ali
The Ghadir Khumm (Arabic: غَدِير خُمّ) was an event that took place in 16 March 632, shortly before the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The event occurred at a pond known as Ghadir Khumm, located near Juhfa between Mecca and Medina. During the event, Muhammad took his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, by the hand and delivered a speech in which he said: “For whoever I am his mawla, Ali is his mawla.” The term mawlā has several meanings and can be used in different contexts. Depending on the context, it may refer to master, patron, protector, ally, supporter, client, associate, friend, or one with authority. Because mawlā has a wide semantic range, the interpretation of the term is central to the differing Sunni and Shia understandings. The event is particularly significant in Shia Islam, where it is understood as Muhammad's formal designation of Ali as his successor and the first Imam. Shia Muslims interpret the term mawla as meaning leader, authority, or one entitled to obedience. The event is commemorated annually as Eid al-Ghadir on 18 Dhu al-Hijjah.
Sunni Muslims accept that the event of Ghadir Khumm took place and that Muhammad made the statement concerning Ali. However, they do not interpret the statement as an explicit designation of Ali as Muhammad's successor.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ghadir Khumm” as sermon given by Muhammad in 632 including a declaration in favor of his son‐in‐law Ali. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as sermon given by Muhammad in 632 including a declaration in favor of his son‐in‐law Ali. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q165874. Authority coordinates are 22.825, 39.075. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Later summaries often reconcile disputed chronology or motive more neatly than the contemporary record permits. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ghadir Khumm” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.