By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

 

“And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words and he fulfilled them, He (God) said, ‘I am making you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he (Abraham), ‘And from among my descendants?’ He (God) said: My pledge does not extend to the unjust.” (Holy Qur’an 2:124)

The Words of God are clear, and are of special significance to the blessed days in which we are basking in celebration of the Divine Right of Leadership of the human race. 

Yesterday, Iran held festivities to mark the Day of Ghadeer, despite the aerial attacks on different parts of the country by the devilish Zionist entity, and today this anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWA) proclamation of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) as Inheritor of God’s promise to Abraham, is celebrated in Iraq, the Subcontinent, and other parts of the world.

Abraham, already one of the Five Greatest Prophets regarded as “Khalil” or “Intimate Friend (of God)” was made the Imam or Leader of the human race, and when asked the Almighty whether this lofty status would be granted to his descendants, prompt came the reply that the unjust will never be granted this divinely decreed position.

It means, Imamate is not the prerogative of anyone who even for a moment has been unjust; and this term includes not only the committing of sins, idolatry, atheism, oppressing others and own self, impolite behaviour, and etc. but also deviation for a fraction of a second from firm belief in monotheism,.  

In other words, the overwhelming majority of Abraham’s descendants –whether the Ishmaelite Arabs (offspring of his firstborn son, Ishmael), or the Israelite Jews (progeny of his other son Isaac) – are excluded from the prime position of Imamate. Even if some of these happened to be chiefs of tribes, rulers of realms, kings, emperors, caliphs, presidents, and prime ministers – however democratically elected, selected, nominated and designated by people’s vote – none of them are eligible for Imamate.

We also do not find any reference in any heavenly scripture that God had appointed as Imams other great, pious, just and Infallible Prophets, such as Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, etc. 

The only exception is the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), whom the Lord Most High has called “Habib” or the “Most Beloved” and made him “Mercy to the entire creation”, thereby decreeing him the “Imam al-awwalin wa’l-akhirin”, which means Leader of all humanity from the beginning till the end.

Thus, the Almighty Creator conferred the Divine Trust of Leadership through the Seal of Messengers on Imam Ali (AS) in the full limelight of history in front of a huge assembly of over a hundred thousand Hajj pilgrims, so that none can deny it.

“O Prophet! Convey what your Lord has sent down to you, and if you do not, you will not have communicated His message; and Allah shall protect you from the people... (Holy Qur’an 5:67)

We have no precise information on which day, date, month, or year Allah the Unseen but Omnipresent had granted Imamate or Leadership of the human race to His obedient servant Prophet Abraham. 

Was it in Abraham’s youthful days in his homeland Mesopotamia, where he underwent the ordeal of the huge blaze lit by the tyrant Nimrod? Was it in Palestine, where in old age after decades of childlessness, he became father of Ishmael through Hajar, and then of Isaac through the aged Sarah? Was it in Mecca, where Allah having tested his sincere offer of sacrificing Ishmael, deferred the sacrifice for some future date in the full limelight of history, commanded him to rebuild the holy Ka’ba and call all people for Hajj?   

We are not sure. One date, however, is sure in the life of Abraham. According to Islamic texts, it was on the 18th of Zi’l-Hijjah that the huge fire into which Nimrod flung him, miraculously turned into a pleasant garden for the person destined to rebuild the Ka’ba, Revive the Hajj, and consequently become the First Divinely-Designated Imam. 

No wonder, on Zi’l-Hijjah 18 some great miracles have also occurred in antiquity. It was on this day that Prophet Moses on Divine Commandment declared Prophet Joshua his successor, and in the following centuries Prophet Solomon appointed Asef Ibn Barkhiya as deputy, and still centuries later Prophet Jesus named Simeon as vicegerent.

Ghadeer is thus the high-water mark in history. It is the celebration of Imam Ali’s (AS) Immaculate Personality, his single-handed capture of the ‘Zionist’ fortress of Khaybar, his flashing blade Zulfiqar to rout the enemies of humanity, his lofty sense of justice, his wisdom, his foresight, and his devotion to God and to humanity. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran is sure that only adherence to his path will defeat the dastardly devils called Israel and the US. This is clear by Operation True Promise 3 that started with the code-word “Ya Ali ibn Abi Taleb” in response to the Zionist attack and Insha Allah (God Willing) will weed out this cancerous tumour.

Saturday’s million-strong rallies in Tehran and throughout Iran invoking Imam Ali (AS) are keys to our ultimate victory.