From Istia‘dhah to Ghadir: The Journey to Divine Guidance

One day, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was passing by a place when he saw a man beating his slave. The slave was crying out, “I seek refuge in Allah!”  ( اَعُوذُ بِاللّهِ ), but the man would not stop beating him.

As soon as the slave saw the Holy Prophet, he cried, “I seek refuge in the Messenger of Allah!” ( اَعُوذُ بِرَسُولِ اللّه ). Upon seeing the Prophet, the man stopped immediately.

The Prophet—who is a mercy to the worlds (peace be upon him and his family)—said: “It would have been better if you had stopped beating him when he invoked the name of Allah.”

The man replied, “Because of these words of yours, I free him.”

The Prophet then said: “If you had not done so, your face would have been burned by the fire of Hell.”

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذی عَلا فی تَوَحُّدِهِ وَ دَنا فی تَفَرُّدِهِ وَجَلَّ فی سُلْطانِهِ وَعَظُمَ فی اَرْکانِهِ، وَاَحاطَ بِکُلِّ شَیءٍ عِلْماً وَ هُوَ فی مَکانِهِ وَ قَهَرَ جَمیعَ الْخَلْقِ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَ بُرْهانِهِ، حَمیداً لَمْ یَزَلْ، مَحْموداً لایَزالُ (وَ مَجیداً لایَزولُ، وَمُبْدِئاً وَمُعیداً وَ کُلُّ أَمْرٍ إِلَیْهِ یَعُودُ).(خطبه غدیر خم)

All praise is due to Allah, Who is exalted in His oneness, Who is near in His uniqueness, Who is majestic in His sovereignty, and mighty in His pillars. He encompasses everything with His knowledge while He remains in His place. He has subdued all creation by His power and His proof. He is ever-praised, never ceasing to be praised; ever-glorious, never ceasing to be glorious; the Originator and the Restorer, and to Him all matters return.

بارِئُ الْمَسْمُوکاتِ وَداحِی الْمَدْحُوّاتِ وَجَبّارُ الْأَرَضینَ وَ السّماواتِ، قُدُّوسٌ سُبُّوحٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلائکَةِ وَالرُّوحِ، مُتَفَضِّلٌ عَلی جَمیعِ مَنْ بَرَأَهُ، مُتَطَوِّلٌ عَلی جَمیعِ مَنْ أَنْشَأَهُ. یَلْحَظُ کُلَّ عَیْنٍ وَالْعُیُونُ لاتَراهُ.

He is the Creator of the heavens above and the Spreader of the earth below, the Compeller of the earths and the heavens, Most Holy, Most Pure, the Lord of the angels and the Spirit. He bestows favors on all whom He has created and extends His grace to all whom He has brought into being. He observes every eye, while eyes cannot see Him.

• الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا {18:46} 

امام صادق (ع) الْوَلَدُ سَيِّدُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ، وَ عَبْدُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ، وَ وَزِيرُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ.”   

0-7: Freedom + Love

8-14: Discipline + Teaching  

15-21: Partnership + Leadership

Explaining the Third Stage: The Minister (Wazir)

When a child reaches the age of 14, they enter adolescence and early adulthood. The Imam beautifully uses the word Wazir (وزير), which means a minister, counselor.

In a kingdom, a minister is not a servant who is mindlessly ordered around, nor are they the king who makes absolute decisions without accountability. Instead, a minister is an essential partner in governance.

By framing a teenager as a “minister,” Islamic psychology teaches us to shift our parenting style in three profound ways:

1. Shift from “Commanding” to “Consulting”

During the second stage (7–14), parents use direct instruction and discipline. In the third stage, this approach fails and often causes rebellion. As a “minister,” the young adult needs to be consulted.

• How it looks: Instead of saying, “You must do this,” a parent asks, “What do you think is the best way to handle this situation?” You involve them in family decisions, budgets, or planning.

2. Granting Autonomy with Accountability

A minister holds a position of high responsibility. Parents must begin treating their teenagers as capable adults. This means giving them the freedom to make choices, but also allowing them to face the real-world consequences of those choices. This builds true maturity, confidence, and critical thinking.

3. Friendship and Companionship

At this stage, the parent-child dynamic transitions into a deep, respectful friendship. The teenager should feel that their parents respect their intellect and respect them as independent individuals. If a teenager feels heard and valued at home like a trusted minister, they will naturally seek their parents’ counsel when facing life’s major temptations and challenges.

The Core Takeaway: This 1,400-year-old wisdom perfectly mirrors modern developmental psychology. It reminds us that we cannot treat a 16-year-old like a 10-year-old. The goal of the third stage is gradual release—moving from a manager to a mentor, preparing them to stand completely on their own two feet by age 21.

وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ عليا و أبىنائه المعصومين حجج الله ، 

أُوصِيکُمْ عِبَادَاللهِ و نفسي، بِتَقْوَى اللهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ،

Second S.:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِی یُؤْمِنُ الْخَائِفِینَ وَ یُنَجِّی الصَّالِحِینَ وَ یَرْفَعُ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِینَ وَ یَضَعُ الْمُسْتَکْبِرِینَ وَ یُهْلِکُ مُلُوکا وَ یَسْتَخْلِفُ آخَرِینَ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ قَاصِمِ الْجَبَّارِینَ مُبِیرِ الظَّالِمِینَ مُدْرِکِ الْهَارِبِینَ نَکَالِ الظَّالِمِینَ صَرِیخِ الْمُسْتَصْرِخِینَ مَوْضِعِ حَاجَاتِ الطَّالِبِینَ مُعْتَمَدِ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ. اَللّـهُمَّ اجْعَلْنا مِنْ جُنْدِكَ فَاِنَّ جُنْدَكَ هُمُ الْغالِبُونَ وَاجْعَلْنا مِنْ حِزْبِكَ فَاِنَّ حِزْبَكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ وَاجْعَلْنا مِنْ اَوْلِيآئِكَ  فَاِنَّ أولياءك لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ …والصلاه و السلام علی…

Ghadeer Khum

The Event of Ghadir in Tarikh al-Tabari

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari) was a renowned commentator, historian, and jurist of the 3rd and 4th centuries AH (224–310 AH). He was born in 224 or 225 AH in Amol, Tabaristan (Iran), and passed away in 310 AH in Baghdad.

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari collected multiple chains of transmission (isnads) for this event in his book and declared this narration authentic. According to Tabari, upon returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage, on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah at the location of Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) raised the hand of Ali (peace be upon him) and proclaimed: “Man kuntu mawlahu fa hadha Aliyyun mawlahu,” meaning, “For whomever I am the master, this Ali is his master.” After this, he prayed: “Allahumma waali man waalahu wa ‘aadi man ‘aadaahu,” meaning, “O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends Ali and be hostile to whoever is hostile to Ali.”

فَأَوْحی إِلَی: (بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمانِ الرَّحیمِ، یا أَیُهَاالرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ ما أُنْزِلَ إِلَیْکَ مِنْ رَبِّکَ – فی عَلِی یَعْنی فِی الْخِلاَفَةِ لِعَلِی بْنِ أَبی طالِبٍ – وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَما بَلَّغْتَ رِسالَتَهُ وَالله یَعْصِمُکَ مِنَ النّاسِ).

So He revealed to me: (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Messenger, convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord—concerning Ali, meaning regarding the succession of Ali ibn Abi Talib—and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people).

مَعاشِرَالنّاسِ، ما قَصَّرْتُ فی تَبْلیغِ ما أَنْزَلَ الله تَعالی إِلَی، وَ أَنَا أُبَیِّنُ لَکُمْ سَبَبَ هذِهِ الْآیَةِ: إِنَّ جَبْرئیلَ هَبَطَ إِلَی مِراراً ثَلاثاً یَأْمُرُنی عَنِ السَّلامِ رَبّی – وَ هُوالسَّلامُ – أَنْ أَقُومَ فی هذَا الْمَشْهَدِ فَأُعْلِمَ کُلَّ أَبْیَضَ وَأَسْوَدَ: أَنَّ عَلِیبْنَ أَبی طالِبٍ أَخی وَ وَصِیّی وَ خَلیفَتی (عَلی أُمَّتی) وَالْإِمامُ مِنْ بَعْدی، الَّذی مَحَلُّهُ مِنّی مَحَلُّ هارُونَ مِنْ مُوسی إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ لانَبِی بَعْدی وَهُوَ وَلِیُّکُمْ بَعْدَالله وَ رَسُولِهِ.

O people, I have not fallen short in conveying what Allah, the Exalted, has revealed to me, and I will now explain to you the reason for this verse: Indeed, Gabriel descended upon me three times, commanding me on behalf of my Lord—Who is peace—that I should stand in this gathering and inform every white and black (i.e., everyone) that Ali ibn Abi Talib is my brother, my executor (wasiy), my successor (khalifa) after me, and the Imam after me. His position to me is like the position of Aaron to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me. He is your guardian (wali) after Allah and His Messenger.

وَقَدْ أَنْزَلَ الله تَبارَکَ وَ تَعالی عَلَی بِذالِکَ آیَةً مِنْ کِتابِهِ (هِی): (إِنَّما وَلِیُّکُمُ الله وَ رَسُولُهُ وَالَّذینَ آمَنُواالَّذینَ یُقیمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَیُؤْتونَ الزَّکاةَ وَ هُمْ راکِعُونَ)، وَ عَلِی بْنُ أَبی طالِبٍ الَّذی أَقامَ الصَّلاةَ وَ آتَی الزَّکاةَ وَهُوَ راکِعٌ یُریدُاللهعَزَّوَجَلَّ فی کُلِّ حالٍ. 

And Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has revealed to me a verse from His Book about this: (Indeed, your guardian is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, those who establish prayer and give zakat while they bow [in prayer]). And Ali ibn Abi Talib is the one who established prayer and gave zakat while bowing, seeking Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in every circumstance.  

وَسَأَلْتُ جَبْرَئیلَ أَنْ یَسْتَعْفِی لِی (السَّلامَ) عَنْ تَبْلیغِ ذالِکَ إِلیْکُمْ – أَیُّهَاالنّاسُ – لِعِلْمی بِقِلَّةِ الْمُتَّقینَ وَکَثْرَةِ الْمُنافِقینَ وَإِدغالِ اللّائمینَ وَ حِیَلِ الْمُسْتَهْزِئینَ بِالْإِسْلامِ، الَّذینَ وَصَفَهُمُ الله فی کِتابِهِ بِأَنَّهُمْ یَقُولُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ مالَیْسَ فیقُلوبِهِمْ، وَیَحْسَبُونَهُ هَیِّناً وَ هُوَ عِنْدَالله عَظیمٌ.

And I asked Gabriel to request exemption for me (peace be upon him) from conveying this to you, O people, because I know the scarcity of the pious, the abundance of hypocrites, the cunning of those who find fault, and the tricks of those who mock Islam—those whom God has described in His Book as saying with their tongues what is not in their hearts, and they think it is insignificant, while it is, in the sight of God, tremendous.