The Twenty-Sixth Assembly in the shrine of al-Rida (as), the day of Ghadir Khumm, which is Saturday, the Eighteenth of Dhul Hijja, 367 AH.

Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) delivered a sermon to us. He praised Allah and commended him, then said: O people! In front of this pulpit are a group of four from the companions of the Messenger of Allah (s) – Anas b. Malik, al-Bara’ b. `Azib al-Ansari, al-Ash`ath b. Qays al-Kindi, and Khalid b. Yazid al-Bajali. Then, he turned his face to Anas b. Malik and said: O Anas! You had heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say: “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master.” Yet, you did not bear witness to my wilaya today. So, may Allah not cause you to die until He afflicts you with a leprosy that cannot be covered by a turban. As for you, Ash`ath, you had heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say: “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master. O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends him and oppose whoever opposes him.” Yet, you did not bear witness to my wilaya today. So, may Allah not cause you to die until both your eyes go blind. As for you, Khalid b. Yazid, you had heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say: “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master. O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends him and oppose whoever opposes him.” Yet, you did not bear witness to my wilaya today. So, may Allah not cause you to die except the death of Jahiliyya. As for you, Bara’ b. `Azib, you had heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say: “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master. O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends him and oppose whoever opposes him.” Yet, you did not bear witness to my wilaya today. So, may Allah not cause you to die except in the place that you emigrated from. Jabir b. `Abdullah al-Ansari said: By Allah, I saw Anas b. Malik when he was afflicted with leprosy. He would try to cover it with a turban, but he could not hide it. I saw al-Ash`ath b. Qays’ eyes go blind; saying: “Praise be to Allah who made Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib pray that I go blind in this world rather than pray that I be punished in the Hereafter.” As for Khalid b. Yazid – when he died, his family wanted to bury him, and they dug [a grave] in his house and buried him. When Kindah heard about that, they brought a horse and a camel and slaughtered them [as done in the custom of Jahiliyya], so he died the death of Jahiliyya. As for al-Bara’ b. `Azib, Mu`awiya had appointed him over Yemen, and he died therein, which is where he emigrated from.

I said to `Ali b. al-Husayn (as): What is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (s): “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master”? He said: He is informing them that he is the Imam after him.

Zayd b. `Ali (as) was asked about the saying of the Messenger of Allah (s): “Whoever takes me as a Master, then `Ali is his Master.” He said: He set him up as a sign so that it may be known through him who the Party of Allah were during the split.

A band of Jews had converted to Islam, among whom were `Abdullah b. Salam, Asad, Tha`laba, Ibn Yamin, and Ibn Suraya. They went to the Prophet (s) and said: “O Prophet of Allah! Surely, Musa (as) deputed Yusha` b. Nun, so who is your deputy O Messenger of Allah, and who is our guardian after you?” So, this verse was revealed, “Surely, your guardian is Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe – those who establish prayer and give zakat whilst they are bowing.” (5:55) Then, the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Stand up.” So, they stood up and went to the Mosque, when a beggar went out. So, he said: “O beggar! Did anyone give you anything?” He said: “Yes, this ring.” He said: “Who gave to you?” He said: “The man that is praying gave it to me.” He said: “In what position did he give it to you?” He said: “While he was bowing.” So, the Prophet (s) did takbir, and the people of the Mosque did takbir. So, the Prophet (s) said: “`Ali b. Abi Talib is your guardian after me.” They said: “We are pleased with Allah as a Lord, with Islam as a religion, with Muhammad as a prophet, and with `Ali b. Abi Talib as a guardian.” So, Allah revealed, “Whoever aligns with Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, then surely, the Party of Allah will prevail.” (5:56) It is reported from `Umar b. al-Khattab that he said: By Allah, I gave forty rings in charity whilst I was bowing so that a verse may be revealed about me in the same way that one was revealed about `Ali b. Abi Talib (as), but one was not revealed.

I heard Jabir b. `Abdullah al-Ansari say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say to `Ali b. Abi Talib (as): O `Ali! You are my brother, my deputy, and my inheritor. You are my vicegerent over my Nation in my lifetime and after my passing. Those who love you love me, and those who hate you hate me. Your enemies are my enemies, and your friends are my friends.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Surely, Allah created the brotherhood bond between me and `Ali b. Abi Talib, and [decided] over the seven heavens to have him married to my daughter, and had His Angels of Proximity bear witness over that, and made him a deputy and a vicegerent for me. `Ali is from me and I am from him. Those who love him love me, and those who hate him hate me. Surely, the angels gain Allah’s proximity by loving him.

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: The day of Ghadir Khumm is greater than the Eids of my Nation. It is the day that Allah ordered me to depute my brother `Ali b. Abi Talib as a sign for my Nation to be guided by after me. It is the day in which Allah completed the religion, and fulfilled the blessing over my Nation, and chose Islam as their religion. Then, he (s) said: O people! `Ali is from me and I am from `Ali. He was created from my clay, and he is the Imam of the creation after me. He will clarify what they differ in regarding my Sunna. He is the Commander of the Faithful, the Leader of the shining believers, the ruler of the believers, the best of deputies, the husband of the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, and the father of the Guided Imams. O people! I love whoever loves `Ali, I hate whoever hates `Ali, I connect to whoever connects with `Ali, I cut off whoever cuts `Ali off, I am aloof to whoever is aloof to `Ali, I align with whoever aligns with `Ali, and I oppose whoever opposes `Ali. O people! I am the City of Wisdom and `Ali is its gate – no one can come to the City except that he comes through the Gate. Whoever alleges that he has loved me yet he hates `Ali has lied. O people! By He who raised me with prophethood and selected me over all people: I did not establish `Ali as a sign for my Nation in the Earth until Allah whispered his name in His heavens and made his wilaya mandatory for His angels.