`If I am a person`s mawla (friend and supporter) then `Ali is also his mawla.” And the people added after that: `So take as friends those who take him as a friend and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.”

“I adjure you by Allah, did any Muslim man hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say what he said on the day of Ghadeer Khumm? And twelve men who had been at Badr stood up and testified.

l saw ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) in ar-Rahbah, adjuring the people, (saying): I adjure by Allah anyone who heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say on the day of Ghadeer Khumm:`If I am a person`s mowla (friend and supporter) then ‘Ali is also his mawla”, to stand up and testify. ‘Abdur-Rahman said: And twelve men who had been at Badr stood up. It is as if I can see one of them. And they said: We bear witness that we heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say on the day of Ghadeer Khumm; `Am I not closer to the believers than their own selves and my wives are their mothers?` We said: Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: `If I am a person`s mawla (friend and supporter) then `Ali is also his mawla; O Allah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.”

‘Ali adjured the people at ar-Rahbah, saying: Whoever heard the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) speak on the day of Ghadeer Khumm, let him stand up. And (of the people) around Sa’eed, six men stood up, and (of the people) around Zaid, six men stood up, and they testified that they had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) on the day of Ghadeer Khumm. “Isn`t it Allah Who is closer to the believers?” They said: Yes. He said: `O Allah, if I am a person`s mawla (friend and supporter) then ‘Ali is also his mawla; O Allah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.” A hadeeth like that of Abu Ishaq was narrated from `Amr Dhi Murr, i.e., from Sa`eed and Zaid, and he added to it: `and support those who support him, and forsake those who forsake him.` A similar report was narrated from Abut-Tufail from Zaid bin Arqam from the Prophet (ﷺ).

I heard ‘Ali in Ar-Rahbah, when he was adjuring the people and asking who had been present with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the day of Ghadeer Khumm. when he said what he said. Thirteen men stood up and testified that they had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say; “If I am a person`s mawla”, ‘Ali is also his mawla.` (The word mawla refers to the one who manumits a slave, who has the right to inherit from the ex-slave. Changing one`s mawla means giving the right of inheritance to the new mawla)

I entered upon `Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Laila, who told me that he heard `Ali (رضي الله عنه) say in ar-Rahbah: I adjure by Allah any man who heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and was present on the day of Ghadeer Khumm to stand up, and no one is to stand up except those who saw him. Twelve men stood up and said: We saw and heard him when he took him by the hand and said, `O Allah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy, support those who support him and forsake those who forsake him.` Everyone stood up except three. He prayed against them and his supplication against them was fulfilled.