Holiday Calendar

Eid-e-Ghadir

Next celebratedMonday, May 24, 2027

Shia Islam's great communal festival, kept on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah, marks the sermon at Ghadir Khumm where Muhammad took Ali by the hand; Sunnis record the same sermon but read its key word, mawla, differently.

Countdown to the day
--DAYS
--HRS
--MIN
--SEC
Last updated August 30, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar TeamHave an update or spot an error?
YEARLY DATE18th of Dhu al-Hijjah
OBSERVED INIran
CATEGORYReligion
SUBCATEGORYIslamic
ORIGIN

Religious Origin

FOUNDING ENTITY
Shia Muslim tradition
FIRST OBSERVED
632
“Returning from his farewell pilgrimage, Muhammad took Ali by the hand at Ghadir Khumm and named him the crowd's mawla.
HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

The roadside sermon at the heart of Shia Islam.

Eid al-Ghadir commemorates the day in 632 CE, the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah in 10 AH, when the Prophet Muhammad returned from his farewell pilgrimage, stopped at the pond of Ghadir Khumm, and took Ali ibn Abi Talib by the hand before the crowd. Shia Muslims mark it as Ali's appointment as successor, and it was first made a public state holiday in Baghdad under the Buyid ruler Mu'izz al-Dawla around 963 CE.

Read Encyclopaedia Iranica entryvia Encyclopaedia Iranica
INTRO

The one word Sunni and Shia never settled

On the road home from his farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet Muhammad halted a great crowd at a desert watering hole called Ghadir Khumm. He took his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib by the hand. Then he told the pilgrims that whoever took him as their mawla should take Ali as their mawla too.

Sunni and Shia Muslims agree the sermon happened. They have never agreed on what that word, mawla, meant. Shia Muslims read it as the moment Ali was chosen as the Prophet's successor, and they keep the anniversary as Eid-e-Ghadir.

For Shia Islam this is no minor date. It is a major festival, one Shia communities keep wherever they live.

Advertisement
ORIGINS

Eid-e-Ghadir history

INTRODUCTION

The sermon came at the close of the only pilgrimage the Prophet Muhammad ever led. Tens of thousands had traveled with him to Mecca. Now they were starting the long walk back toward their scattered provinces.

He stopped them at Ghadir Khumm, a marshy pool near al-Juhfa, in fierce midday heat. Helpers stacked camel saddles into a rough pulpit, and from it he gave a long address. According to the traditional accounts he first entrusted the crowd with two things he said would never part, the Book of God and his own family, and then he raised Ali's hand before them all.

CHAPTER 01

A council chooses another man

About three months later the Prophet died. A council of leading Muslims meeting at Saqifa chose Abu Bakr, a close companion, as the first caliph. Ali was passed over.

Shia Muslims held that Ghadir had already settled the question. Sunni Muslims recorded the same sermon but read mawla as a word of affection and kinship, not a grant of authority. The disagreement never closed, and it hardened into the deepest divide in Islam.

CHAPTER 02

From private feast to public holiday

For generations the day lived as a Shia observance with no state behind it. By the tenth century it was well established, marked in the hadith collection of al-Kulayni and noted by the historian al-Mas'udi, who wrote that Ali's followers honored the date.

The first government to make it official was the Buyids, a Shia dynasty that ruled Baghdad. Around 963, their ruler Mu'izz al-Dawla ordered the city to keep Eid al-Ghadir in public, more than three centuries after the sermon itself.

CHAPTER 03

How Iran made it a national day

Other Shia states took it up, including the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt. The turning point for Iran came in 1501, when Isma'il I founded the Safavid dynasty and made Twelver Shiism the state religion.

Eid-e-Ghadir became an Iranian holiday and never stopped being one. It remains a national holiday in Iran today, and the year's great celebration for Shia communities from Iraq to South Asia.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why We Love Eid-e-Ghadir

SCRIPTURE

In Shia belief, Islam was not complete until Ali was named.

Shia tradition holds that as the sermon ended, the Quranic verse 'today I have perfected your religion for you' came down at Ghadir. Read that way, the religion itself was not finished until Ali was named, which is why the day carries such weight.

IMAMATE

It anchors the doctrine of the Imamate

Shia Islam teaches that the community should be led by divinely chosen successors, the Imams, beginning with Ali. Ghadir is the event tradition points to as the first of those appointments.

COMMUNITY

The great communal Eid of Shia Islam

It works as the binding festival of the Shia year, a public, shared celebration rather than a private devotion. That communal character sets it apart from the solemn fasts and vigils elsewhere in the Shia calendar.

TIMELINE

Timeline

The sermon at Ghadir Khumm

Returning from his farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet Muhammad raises Ali's hand and names him the crowd's mawla.

The celebration is recorded

The hadith collector al-Kulayni documents Shia observance of the day, showing the Eid was already established.

A historian notes the day

The historian al-Mas'udi records that the followers of Ali venerated the anniversary of Ghadir.

Baghdad's first public Eid

The Buyid ruler Mu'izz al-Dawla orders Baghdad to celebrate Eid al-Ghadir openly, its first state recognition.

An official Eid in Egypt

The Fatimid caliphs of Egypt keep Eid al-Ghadir as an official festival of their state.

Iran adopts the holiday

Isma'il I founds the Safavid dynasty, makes Twelver Shiism Iran's religion, and the day becomes a national holiday.

GOOD TO KNOW

Surprising facts about Eid-e-Ghadir

One day's fast is said to equal sixty years of worship

A tradition attributed to the sixth Shia Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, holds that fasting on Eid al-Ghadir carries the reward of sixty years of worship.

Even Umar reportedly congratulated Ali that day

The traditional accounts say that after the sermon Umar ibn al-Khattab, later the second caliph, told Ali, 'Well done, son of Abu Talib; today you became the master of every believing man and woman.'

It is not only a Twelver Shia holiday

Zaydis, Ismailis, and Alawites also keep Eid al-Ghadir, each tracing part of its understanding of leadership to the sermon at Ghadir Khumm.

Shia tradition ranks it above the two great Eids

Shia sources call the day 'Eid Allah al-Akbar,' the greatest Eid of God, placing it above even Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha that all Muslims keep.

The Prophet chose a crossroads so no one would miss it

Ghadir Khumm sat where the pilgrim caravans toward Egypt, Iraq, and Syria parted ways, so the Prophet gathered everyone before they scattered toward home.

GET INVOLVED

How to Celebrate Eid-e-Ghadir

EDITOR'S PICK

Give food and charity to those in need

Sharing meals and giving to the needy are among the day's oldest customs. Cook for neighbors or donate to a cause in the spirit of the occasion.

CONGRATULATE

Congratulate family, friends, and neighbors

Exchanging greetings and good wishes is a central Ghadir tradition. Reach out in person or by message so people mark the day together.

PREPARE

Prepare a festive meal and gather

Bring family and friends around a shared table for the occasion. Many households wear new clothes and make the day feel like a true feast.

RECITE

Recite the Du'a Nudba or visit a shrine

Shia tradition pairs the day with the Du'a Nudba and with visits to the shrines of the Imams. Where travel is not possible, many read the recommended supplications at home.

READ

Read the story of Ghadir Khumm

Set aside time to learn what happened at the pool and why it matters to Shia Muslims. A reliable reference such as Encyclopaedia Iranica lays out the event and its history.

Test your knowledge

How well do you know Eid-e-Ghadir?

1 / 8

At Ghadir Khumm, whom did the Prophet Muhammad take by the hand?

Answer

Yes, in Iran, where it is a national holiday and a day off from work and school. Shia communities in other countries observe it widely, but it is not an official public holiday everywhere.

COLOPHON

Sources

How we know what’s on this page. References, not endorsements.

6sources
0primary records
1independently dated
Encyclopaedia Iranica
GADIR KOMM
Scholarly entry on the event, its date and place, and its first public celebration.
View source
Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library (Al-Islam.org)
Event of Ghadir Khumm in the Qur'an, Hadith, History
Traditional account of the sermon, the declaration, and the verses tied to the day.
View source
WikiShia
Eid al-Ghadir
Shia reference on the day's names, early observance, adoption in Iran, and rites.
View source
WikiShia
Buyid Dynasty
History of the Shia dynasty that first made the day a public holiday in Baghdad.
View source
Office Holidays2026
Eid-e-Ghadir in Iran
Confirms the day as a national public holiday in Iran, with the Gregorian date each year.
View source
Wikipedia
Eid al-Ghadir
Overview of who observes the day and how, across the main Shia communities.
View source
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Related holidays

TUE
03
Aug 2026
Martyrdom of Imam Reza
Religion

Martyrdom of Imam Reza

Commemorate the Martyrdom of Imam Reza – a day of reflection, faith and tribute to the 8th Imam of the Shia Islam.

11Read
SAT
15
May 2026
Waqfat Arafat Day
Religion

Waqfat Arafat Day

Observe Waqfat Arafat Day - a day of spiritual reflection and prayer, marking the pinnacle of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Honor and deepen your faith!

69Read
SUN
28
Feb 2026
Martyrdom of Imam Ali
Religion

Martyrdom of Imam Ali

Honor the Martyrdom of Imam Ali - a day of deep reflection on sacrifice, faith, and devotion. A spiritual journey of enlightenment awaits you.

0Read
FOR MARKETERS & CREATORS

Turn every day into a moment your audience actually shows up for.

8.4M
Monthly readers
5K+
Holidays tracked
Holiday Calendar for Brands Developer API