This year, the occasion will be marked in form of virtual and online ceremonies and gaterhings across Iran and elsewhere in the world due to coronavirus pandemic.
On the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah on the Islamic lunar calendar, Shia Muslims across the world observe a great religious occasion known as Eid al-Ghadir. The occasion marks the day the prophet of Islam introduced the first Shia Imam as his successor some 1,400 years ago.
But each year, millions of Shia Muslims across the world, including in Iran, are celebrating the Eid al-Ghadeer, which marks the appointment of the first Shia Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH), by Islam’s most revered figure, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as his successor.
Iranians from various walks of life are celebrating the auspicious occasion, which annually falls on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah on the Islamic lunar calendar, with various ceremonies and rituals in different cities.
People are coming to streets and extending greetings and felicitations to each other, especially to the families who are descendants of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through his grandsons, Hassan ibn Ali (PBUH) and Hussein ibn Ali (PBUH), the sons of the Prophet’s daughter Fatima Zahra (PBUH) and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH).
Many young Iranian couples choose the auspicious event as their wedding date in the hope that their marriage is blessed with the memory of Imam Ali (PBUH).
Eid al-Ghadeer is also referred to as Eid al-Akbar (the Greatest Eid) in Islamic narrations, since Muslims are of the opinion that the mission of all the previous messengers of Allah became accomplished on this day.
On March 10, 632 CE, in the tenth year of Hijra, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received a revelation from God, ordering him to halt his last Hajj pilgrimage known as the Hajjat-ul-Wida (the Farewell Pilgrimage) at a pond called Khum, near Mecca, and to designate Imam Ali (PBUH) as his successor in guiding and ruling Muslims. The event took place a few months before the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).