15th Dhul-Hijjah 1423: Perfection of Religion

All praise belongs to the Almighty [s], the Lord of the Universe.

The Eid al-Ghadir is time for the followers of the Ahlul-bayt [a] to rejoice the appointment of the Imam, and the perfection of the religion of Islam. Allah [s] declares in the Holy Quran:

"O Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people ..." (Holy Qur'an 5:67)

This command was given to the Prophet Muhammad [s] as he was returning from his final Hajj. Upon gathering the masses, the Holy Prophet [s] delivered a speech after which he explicitly declared Imam ‘Ali bin Abu Talib [a] to be his successor:

"For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), 'Ali is his Leader (mawla)."
Immediately after Rasulullah [s] finished his speech, the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed:

"…Today I have perfected your religion and completed my favour upon you, and I am satisfied with (have chosen) that Islam be your Religion." (Holy Qur'an 5:3)

Ask the experts why the above portion of this ayah was not revealed when salat was established, or when Hajj was made compulsory, or when the Muslims won the Battle of Badr, or when the Hijrah from Makkah to Madina took place. Rather the ayah was revealed when the Holy Prophet completed his mission when he, by the command of the Almighty, appointed ‘Ali ibne Abu Talib [a], as the Imam, the Khalifa and the Leader of Muslims. The Holy Qu’ran and the Sunnat of the Prophet [s] is clear: Without the belief in the Leadership and Wilayah of Imam ‘Ali [a], Islam remains incomplete. Live like ‘Ali [a] and discover the perfection of religion!

For additional reading on Al-Ghadir, please visit: http://al-islam.org/ghadir
WF YOUTH NETWORKING DESK SPECIAL ARBAEEN IN KERBALA: http://www.muslimyouth.ca/users/mya/News/Arbaeen.doc