Eid al-Ghadir

Origins at Ghadir Khumm

Muhammad called people to join the pilgrimage he would make only once, ten years after the migration to Medina. Over seventy thousand travelled with him, and when he reached Mecca on the fourth of Dhu al-Hijja more than a hundred thousand Muslims were there to meet him. On the way home, at a place called Ghadir Khumm, he spoke to the crowd. He asked whether he held more authority over them than they held over themselves, and they answered that he did. He then said that whoever counted him as mawla counted Ali as mawla too, and Shia Muslims read this as naming Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law, as his successor.

What the day means

The word mawla carries several senses, among them friend and master. In Shia teaching the question Muhammad asked first settles the meaning as authority, so the sermon is taken as a public designation of Ali as leader and first Imam. Shia Muslims therefore treat this anniversary as one of the founding moments of their faith. A hadith recorded by Ibn Babawayh places this day above every other festival of the Muslim community. The feast also carries the name Yawm al-Mithaq, the Day of the Covenant.

Customs of the day

Customs vary by community. Reports say that Hasan ibn Ali held gatherings in Kufa on this day, with Ali ibn Abi Talib attending along with a group of his followers, and that gifts were given out afterwards. Other customs recorded in these accounts include alms and prayer, new clothes and perfume, greetings and handshakes, food shared with others, help for people in need, and presents meant to gladden others. Du'a Nudba is recited in many places. Public celebrations can bring sermons, processions, sweets and food shared with neighbours, and congratulations passed between friends.

From court to street

Historical accounts say the event was marked from the early centuries of Islam. It became a formal observance under the Buyids. Under the Safavids it grew into one of the largest religious festivals of the realm, and the Qajar court staged an official greeting ceremony for the king on that day. The practice of greeting the ruler carried on into the Pahlavi era. Today the day is kept from Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Azerbaijan to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Shia Muslims also observe it in Europe, Canada and the United States.

Today and change

In 2022 Tehran held a festival ten kilometres long: hundreds of thousands of people filled Valiasr Street and the roads around it. Two years later several Yemeni provinces marked the day with fireworks, bands and speeches. In Yemen it is known as Yom Al-Wilaya, and it has been kept more widely since the Zaydi Shia government took power there. In 2024 Iraq's Council of Representatives also voted to make Eid al-Ghadir a public holiday, after the National Shiite Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr pressed for it.

How Eid al-Ghadir is kept

Shia Muslims keep the day, among them Twelvers, Zaydis, Ismailis and Alawites. Gatherings begin with prayer and sermons, and many communities recite Du'a Nudba. Families greet one another, shake hands, put on new clothes and perfume, and exchange gifts. People give to charity, cook festive meals, and hand out food and sweets. Congratulating friends and neighbours is part of the custom. In larger towns there are processions, music and speeches, and in some countries the day is a public holiday.

When and where

It comes once a year, on the eighteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the closing month of the Islamic year, so its date on the Gregorian calendar shifts annually. In 2024 Iran kept it on 25 June. The sermon it remembers was given in 10 AH, in March 632 CE.

Shia communities keep it across the Middle East and South Asia, in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Shia Muslims also hold it in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and France. The largest public gatherings are reported in Iran and Yemen.

What Eid al-Ghadir means

Those who keep this festival see it as settling who should lead the community after Muhammad. The declaration at Ghadir Khumm is understood as a pledge of allegiance, which is why the day is also called Yawm al-Mithaq, the Day of the Covenant. It affirms the authority of Ali and of the Imams who followed him, and links ordinary believers to that line of guidance. Marking the feast is a public sign of belonging.

Questions people ask about Eid al-Ghadir

See also

KathinaA Buddhist season of offering new robes and gifts to monks after the rains retreatAyudha PujaA Hindu festival blessing the tools, vehicles, books and instruments of daily workProstrationBowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectJagaddhatri PujaA Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumn

Good reading and sources

• Eid al-Ghadir on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.