AAMAL OF THE NIGHT & DAY OF EID E GHADEER
THE EIGHTEENTH NIGHT OF ZILHAJJ
The eighteenth night of ZILHAJJ is the ‘Id al-Ghadir Night. It is a
blessed night. Sayyid Ibn Tawus, in al-Iqbal, has mentioned that a
prayer of twelve units with one Taslim statement (i.e. continuous and
uninterrupted prayer), followed by a supplicatory prayer, should be
advisably practiced and said at this night.
THE EIGHTEENTH OF ZILHAJJ;
THE EID AL-GHADIR DAY
The EId al-Ghadir is the Greatest feast day of Almighty
Allah. It is also the feast of
the Holy Prophet’s Household. It is in fact the most celebrated feast
day. All the Prophets that Almighty
Allah appointed used to
celebrate this day and maintain its sanctity. In the heavens, this day
is called “the Day of the Promised Covenant” and in the earth “the Day
of the Exacted Covenant and the Witnessed Crowd.”
It has been narrated that when Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.) was asked whether
Muslims have a feast day other than ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-Adha, and
Fridays, he answered, “Yes, they have. There is still the holiest feast
day, which falls on the day when the Messenger of
Allah (a.s.) appointed Ameer
al-Momineen -Imam Ali- (a.s.) (as his successor and the coming leader of
the Muslim community). On that day, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
declared, ‘Whoever has regarded me as his master must now regard Ali as
his master.’ It falls on the eighteenth of ZILHAJJ.”
When he was asked about the deeds that should be done on that day,
Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.) instructed, “(The best acts on this day are)
observance of fasting, acts of worship, mention of the Household of the
Holy Prophet, and invocation of blessings upon them. The Holy Messenger
of
Allah (a.s.) instructed Imam
AliAmeer al-Momineen(a.s.) to betake that day as feast. Similarly, the
Prophets (a.s.) used to instruct their successors to betake the
eighteenth of ZILHAJJ as feast day.”
Abu-Nasr al-Bizanti has narrated that Imam al-Rida(a.s.) said to him,
“Wherever you are, try to be present on the Ghadir Day at the tomb of
Imam AliAmeer al-Momineen(a.s.). Verily, Almighty
Allah will forgive the sins of
sixty years for any believer and Muslim - male and female - on that day
and will release from Hellfire twice as many as the number of those whom
He releases from Hellfire in the month of Ramadan, at the Qadr Night
and at the ‘Id al-Fitr Night. A single dirham (a currency) that is given
as alms on this day to the believing brethren is equal to one thousand
dirhams (that are given as alms on other occasions). Try to do favors to
your brethren on this day and try to please each believing man and
woman. By
Allah I swear, if people recognized the reality of this day, the angels should shake hands with them ten times a day.”
To sum it up, to honor this day is necessary. The devotional acts on the ‘Id al-Ghadir Day are as follows:
First: It is recommended to observe fasting on this day, for it
erases the sins of sixty years. Furthermore, it has been narrated that
to observe fasting on this day is equal to the observance of fasting of
one’s whole lifetime and its reward is equal to the rewards of one
hundred times of Hajj and ‘Umrah.
Second: It is recommended to bathe oneself on this day.
Third: It is recommended to visit the holy tomb of Imam AliAmeer
al-Momineen(a.s.). It is necessary to do one’s best to attend at the
holy tomb of Imam Ali(a.s.) on this day even if such a journey be
difficult. Three forms of Ziyarat have been decided for this day. The
first is the familiar Ziyarat Aminullah, which can be practiced whether
one is present at the holy tomb or is far away from it. This form of
Ziyarah, which will be cited in this book, is also one of the general,
comprehensive forms of Ziyarat.
Fourth: It is recommended to say the supplication of seeking Almighty
Allah’s protection against Satan
(i.e. Isti’adhah), which is mentioned by Sayyid Ibn Tawus, in his book
of Iqbal al-A’mal, who has reported it from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
