“Do you Remember the Prophet’s Proclamation at Ghadīr Khumm?” A Study of the Adjuration at al-Ruḥbah

The ḥadīth of al-Munāshadah, or the adjuration at al-Ruḥbah, is one of the many traditions that prove the wilāyah of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a) beyond any shadow of doubt. Given that it was spoken over twenty-five years after the event of Ghadīr, with the aim of reminding the people about that seminal event, its importance is profound. The present study aims to build upon the research already carried out by earlier scholars, especially with respect to the various reports of this very important, yet often overlooked tradition. We aim to examine both the transmitters of this ḥadīth, as well as the different versions thereof. Though it was a single event, many individuals who were present there have narrated it in different ways. That itself makes it something historically indisputable. Other questions have also addressed, such as the reason for broaching the matter after Imām ʿAlī had already become the caliph, and how Muslim scholars had received and understood this tradition, given its mention in many early sources.

Keywords:

al-Munāshadah , adjuration at al-Ruḥbah , Imam ʿAlī , wilāyah , ḥadīth