In the Name of Allah , the Compassionate, the Merciful
Al-Ghadir Day is the day of the Wilayah, and this day has a connotation that is related to the Islamic course that confirms the issue of leadership and guardianship as one of the bases of the balance and righteousness of the Islamic society and the authenticity of its course .
God says in His Glorious Book: "O Apostle Deliver what has been sent to you from your Lord, and if you do not you have not delivered his Message and Allah will protect you from the people”.
The Messenger (p.) stood at high noon, in the heat of the desert, and called on the Muslims to gather and listen to him, before they head to their homes having finished the rituals of pilgrimage. He then raised Ali's hand and said: Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?” People cried and answered: “Yes, O' Messenger of God.” Then the Prophet (p.) held up the hand of Ali and said: "Whoever I am his leader (Mawla), Ali is his leader (Mawla). O' God love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him”. Immediately after the Prophet finished his speech, the following verse of Holy Quran was revealed: “Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion."(5:03).
When we study Ali's life, from the day he was born in Kaa'ba and until the day he was hit on the head in the mosque; we find that he dedicated his life in its entirety to God. He ended his life by asserting that hehas won: “In the name of Allah… and on the religion of His Messenger, I swear by the Lord of Kaaba that I have won!”The Imam was the champion of Islamic unity. He did not forgo his right of Imamate, but only postponed or froze any demand for the sake of the general interests and unity of Muslims.
The Messengersaid that to the Muslims and he is the one who knows Imam Ali (a.s.) the most and the one who knows that Imam Ali (a.s.) never said a word of falsehood, never took a stand of falsehood since his early childhood and never made any act of falsehood: “Ali is with the right and the right is with Ali; and wherever Ali went, the right followed”.
Imam Ali (a.s.), in his morals, asceticism and courage, as well as in his war and peace, reflected the image of Islam, for he was the student of the Quran… He wanted us to hold on to Islam and acquire the morals of Islam and commit ourselves to Islam regardless of the circumstances and situations. The value and magnificence of Imam Ali (a.s.) lies in that he fully devoted himself to Allah, in the sense that he said no word, made no move and established no relation before knowing if it pleases and satisfies Allah or not.
The Prophet (p.) wanted to confirm to the nation that Islam needs a person who owns knowledge to the fullest and widest scope, so he used to say: “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate”. He wanted to enroot in all the people’s conscience that a leader should only be in positions of right whereby he is not separated from the right regardless of the circumstances, situations and challenges, for the leader represents the entire nation in its course and preserves its message and principles and because the leader is the one who moves the nation in a way that preserves its balance and drives it towards its big goals.
When we want to follow the line of Imam Ali (a.s.) in reality, it is enough to say: “Ali is with the right and the right is with Ali” to realize that Ali and the right stick together…
When we bring up these issues in our life, we come up with the conclusion that the issue of leadership in Islam demands the presence of a person who is well-aware of the thought that constitutes the basis of the leadership and who practices the thought that the leadership follows its steps or path.
Actually, we learn from Ali the traits of Islamic unity, and how to open up to whomever we differ with, and to confirm what brings us together so as to preserve Islam against all the challenges storming the nation without discriminating between a sect and another, or amongst Muslims themselves.
Imam Ali (a.s.) is the symbol of our Islamic unity, for all Muslims have the same view on him, respect him, and give him precedence over all the others. Even if Muslims have had disagreements on Ali back in history on the issue of the caliphate and the imamate, nowadays we can be united through him, based on the course he has consecrated in the reality.