The holy Prophet (p.b.h) was good example for whole humanity. He was informing and explaining the verses of Allah and he was showing them the rules clearly. Muslims were desirous to follow his sayings and actions. When it was “Thel Qu’dah ” the Prophet (p.b.h) decided to do hajj (pilgrimage) - he never been in hajj before -  to show people the rules of hajj . Thousands people came to al Medina , they got ready to go with the Prophet (p.b.h) for hajj. about one hundred thousands Muslims came from different cities , clans , and deserts. The Islamic brotherhood and responding to the Prophet (p.b.h) was gathering them. They were enemies , ignorant , and idolaters in the past. The Prophet (p.b.h) took all his wives and his daughter Fatima al Zehra’a (p.b.h) . Ali bin Abi Talib didn’t go with them because the Prophet has sent him to do a task. The Prophet (p.b.h) assigned Aba Dujana to stay in al Medina behind him.

When the Prophet arrived to “The al-Hulaifah ” , he wore to pieces of a white cloth , and started to call “ Labayk Allahuma labayk , labayk La Shariek Lek labayk , Inal Hamda wal Ne’meta leka wal mulk , labayk la shariek leka lebayk ” which means “O my God here I am ! at your service , You have no partner . The praise and the blessing , and the supreme power is to You . Here I am ! at your service   ” 

On the fourth of Thel Hujjah , the Prophet arrived to Mecca and stopped his calling , then he got into al Mesjed al Haram , he was praising and thanking Allah , then he took al Hajar ( the black rock) , after that he circumambulated  the Kaaba seven times , then he did a prayer of two prostrations near the site of Ibrahim (p.b.h) , then he ran between Safa and Marowa , then he turned to people and said : “ He who didn’t drive a sacrifice , he has to untied his Ahram and considers his hajj as Umrah , but he who has driven a sacrifice , he has to keep his Ahram ”  Some people didn’t respond to the orders of the Prophet (p.b.h) , because they thought that , they should imitate him , the matter which angered him .

Meanwhile , Ali bin Abi Talib (p.b.h) has come back from Yemen , he joined the Prophet in Mecca and brought with him (34) sacrifices. When got close to Mecca , he assigned one of his men to lead the group and hurried to Mecca . When the Prophet (p.b.h) saw Ali (p.b.h) , he got excited because of the great success that he made in Yemen , then he said to him: “Go and walk around Kaaba and untied your Ahram as your friends did  ” . Ali (p.b.h) said “O Prophet of God , I invoked the name of God upon the sacrifice exactly as you did ” . Then the Prophet (p.b.h) ordered him to go and fetch your friends. When they met the Prophet (p.b.h) , they complained to him that Ali (p.b.h) has refused a wrong action once they did.  The Prophet (p.b.h) said : “Don’t complain from Ali , I swear by Allah he is hard to apply the orders of Allah  ”

On the ninth of Thul Hujjah , the Prophet (p.b.h) and other Muslims went toward Arafat . The Prophet (p.b.h) stayed in Arafat till the sunset , after the sunset he rode his she camel and went to Muzdelifah , he spent a part of night there, then he stayed in al Mesh’ar al Haram from down till the sunrise. On the tenth day he (p.b.h) went to “Mina” where he did the rites (of pilgrimage) like ; throwing the small stones , killing the sacrifices , and cutting the hair . After that he (p.b.h) headed toward Mecca to finish the rest of the rites (of pilgrimage ).

This “Hajj” was called (Hujjetul Wada’ ) since the Prophet (p.b.h) bided farewell to Muslims and mentioned that his death was close. It was also called “Hujjetul Balagh” since the Prophet  (p.b.h) has declared what was revealed to him from his Lord regarding to succession after him. It was also called “Hujjetul Islam ” since it was the first Prophet’s hajj , in which he explained the rules of hajj.

The Prophet’s Speech in “Hujjetul Wada’ ”

Reported that the Prophet had made a comprehensive speech , he said : “ O people! listen to me , I am going to explain to you every thing , I don’t know , I might not meet you next year on this time and in this place. O people! your blood and your properties is haram (forbidden ) on each other till you meet your Lord. They are  as the same as the holiness of this day and this month and this  place . I informed you. Haven’t I  ? O God , witness . Whoever had a trust , he should give it back to its owner. And the usury of pre - Islam is not regarded any more . And the first blood that I will start with is the blood of Amer bin Rebie’a bin al Harith bin Abdul Muttalib. And the glorious deeds of pre- Islam are not valid except the office of the custodian of the Kaaba and the watering . And whoever  kills somebody else intently , he should be killed . And it is semi-intent if somebody is killed under pressing or with a stone , so his heir should take one hundred camel for his blood money, and whoever takes more than that he belongs to pre Islam.

O people ,you should know that the “ Postponing (of the Sacred Months ) is only an addition in unbelief where with those who disbelieve are led astray , violating it one year and keeping it sacred another , that they may agree in the number ( of months ) that Allah has made sacred” . And the time has returned to its form  when Allah has created the skies and the earth , and the number of months is twelve months in the Book of Allah when He created the skies and the earth , four of them were holy months , three of them are in sequence and one of them is odd ; Thol Qo’edah , Thol Hojjah , Moharram , and Rejab which comes between Jumada and Sha’ban , I notified you. Haven’t I ? O God , testify that.

O people! your women have right upon you , and you have right upon your women. Your right upon them is ; not to sleep with anybody other than you , never let anybody you hate to enter your houses without your permission , never commit adultery , otherwise , Allah gave you a permission to punish them , never sleep with them , and beat them mildly.  If they turned from sin and obeyed you , so you have to feed and dress them as it is know. Women are truly trust , you took them with the permission of Allah , so fear God when you deal with women and be gentle with them.

O people! the believers are truly brothers , nobody is aloud to take the  properties of  his brother without his permission . I notified you. Haven’t I ? O God testify that. So don’t turn unbelievers kill each others after my death. I left among you the Book of Allah and my progeny , my family , you wont go astray if you hold fast to them. I notified you. Haven’t I ? O god testify that.

O people! Your Lord is one , and your father is one , you all belongs to Adam and Adam was created from soil, the best one is the most fearing of God , Arabian has no superiority upon non-Arabic but in the fear of God. I notified you . Haven’t I ?    They said ; “Yes”

Then he (p.b.h) said : “The present should tell the absent . O people ! Allah surly had assigned the share of every heir , and no heir is aloud to take more than one third . The son belongs to the bed of the husband , and the adulteress should pelt with stones , and whoever claimed a father other than his father , he deserves the curse of angels and people  altogether , and Allah wont accept his deed . And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah .  ”

The Assigning of the Guardian :

After Muslims had completed their hajj , the Prophet (p.b.h) decided to return to al Medina . When the huge procession of pilgrimage  arrived to “Rabigh ” near “Ghadeer Khum ” and before they went in different directions to go back home , the angle Gabriel had come with the following verse  warning and commanding :  “O Apostle! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord  ;and if you do it not , then you have not delivered His message , and Allah will protect you from the people ” [32]

What important thing was that? The Prophet (p.b.h) has spent nearly twenty three years learning and calling people to get into the religion of Allah! And he has faced on that way too many endurances and difficulties , and now it is said to him “You have not delivered His message ”!

Here the Prophet (p.b.h) ordered the people to stop and gather together . It was a very hot day , people had to wrap their heads and their feet to protect them from the heat. He wanted to recite the command of the Heaven upon them to complete the seal message . It is the divine wisdom to choose such place and such circumstances for completing the message , in order to stick to the memory of the nation for last ,  to keep the Islamic mission and nation.

A platform was made of some baggage . The Prophet (p.b.h)  got on the platform  after he (p.b.h) had done the prayer with Muslims , he praised Allah and thanked Him , then he said : “ O people! I am about to leave you . And I am going to be asked , and you are going to be asked , so what are you going to say ?   ” They said “We testify that you have done your best to declare the mission . God blesses you ” He (p.b.h) said: “Don’t you say that , there is no god but Allah , and Muhammad is His servant and His messenger , and His paradise is true , and the day of judgment is surly coming , and Allah is going to raise people from the dead?  ” They said : “We testify that ” He said : “O God testify that ” then he (p.b.h) said : “ I will be the first one who comes to the fountain , which its wide is as the same as the distance between Yemen and Busra , it has silver cups as many as the number of the stars of the sky ,  so how are you going to succeed me with “Thoqlain ” (two weights )?  ” Somebody shouted ; “O Prophet of Allah , what is “Thoqlain”? ” He (p.b.h) said : “the first weight is Allah’s Book , it has two ends , one is in Allah’s hand and the second is in your hand , so hold fast on it in order not to stray away . And the second and the smaller weight is my progeny . Allah the Knowing , the most Kind has told me that they never split till they reach me at the fountain. So don’t precede nor linger behind them then you will perish   ”

Then the Prophet (p.b.h) took Ali’s (p.b.h) hand and raised high , so people could see whiteness of their armpits , then he (p.b.h) said :

“ O people ! Who has  guardianship upon the believers more than themselves ? They said : “Allah and His Apostle know!” The Prophet (p.b.h) said : “Allah is my Master , and I am the master of the believers , so I have the guardianship upon them more than themselves , so  he whosever I was his master , this, Ali , should be his master  ” He (p.b.h) repeated it three times , the he said : “ O Allah! Accede to whomever accedes to him and oppose whomever opposes him and give victory to whomever supports him and disappoint whomever disappoints him and turn the right with him wherever he turns . so the present should tell the absent  ”

Then , and before they scattered , the Angle Gabriel , came down with the following verse : “This day I have perfected for you your  religion and completed my Favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion ” [33]

Then the Prophet (p.b.h) said : “Allah is Greater , thanks God for perfecting the religion and completing the favor , and for the contentment of the Lord about my mission and for the guardianship of Ali (p.b.h) after me  ”

Then he (p.b.h) gave his orders , a tent should be built for Ali (p.b.h) , and Muslims should get in and congratulate him (p.b.h) for being the leader of Muslims , and all people did so . Then the Prophet (p.b.h) ordered his wives and all other women to do so.

Abou Bakr and Omar bin Al Khatab were at the head of the congratulators , they were saying : “ Congratulation , you became our leader and the leader of every believer.”

[32] al Ma’edah 67

[33] al Ma’eda 3