Diametrically opposed to the Sunni belief that the Holy Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are totally silent about succession of Muhammad (SAW), Shias believe that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did in fact appoint his successor and it was Ali Ibn Abi Talib. In fact they believe that had he not done so, he fell short of being a perfect man (insan al-Kamil). Since he was perfect man, he was obliged to appoint his successor.

Any discussions maybe done either from an intellectual point of view or from a narrative point of view and when they converge, the best conclusion can be arrived at. From an intellectual point of view, Shias find that man through his God-given nature realizes without any doubt that no organized society, such as a country or city or village or tribe or even a household consisting of a few human beings, can continue to subsist without a leader and ruler who puts the wheel of the society in motion and whose will govern each individual's will and induces the members of that society to perform their social duty. Without such a ruler the parts of this society become dispersed in a short time and disorder and confusion reign. Therefore, he who is the ruler and governor of a society, whether it be great or small, if he is interested in his own position and the continued existence of his society, will appoint a successor for himself if he is to be absent from his function temporarily or permanently. He will never abandon the domain of his rule and be oblivious to its existence or annihilation. The head of a household who bids farewell to his house and household for a journey of a few days or months will appoint one of the members of the household or someone else as his successor and will leave the affairs of the house in his hands. The head of an institution, or the principle of a school, or the owner of a shop, if he is to be absent even for a few hours will select someone to represent him.

In the same way Islam is a religion which according to the text of the Holy Book and the Sunnah is established upon the basis of the primordial nature of things.

Then set your face upright for religion in the right state—the nature made by Allah in which He has made men; there is no altering of Allah's creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know (Qur'an 30:30)

It is a religion concerned with social life, as has been seen by every observer near and far. The special attention Allah and the Prophet have given to the social nature of this religion can never be denied or neglected. It is an incomparable feature of Islam. The Holy Prophet was never oblivious to the problem of the formation of social groupings wherever the influence of Islam penetrated. Whenever a city or village fell into Muslim hands he would, in the shortest time possible, appoint a governor or ruler in whose hands he would leave the affairs of the Muslims. In very important military expeditions ordered for the Holy War (jihad), he would appoint more than one leader and commander, in order of succession. In the war of Mu'tah he even appointed four leaders, so that if the first were to be killed the second would be recognized as the head and his command accepted and if the second were to be killed, then the third, and so on.

The Prophet also displayed great interest in the problem of succession and never failed to appoint a successor when necessary. Whenever he left Medina he would appoint a governor in his own place. Even when he migrated from Mecca to Medina and there was as yet no idea as to what would occur, in order to have his personal affairs managed in Mecca for those few days and to give back to people what had been entrusted to him, he appointed Ali - may peace be upon him - as his successor. The Shias claim that for this very reason it is not conceivable that the Prophet should have died without appointing someone as his successor, without having selected a guide and leader to direct the affairs of Muslims and to turn the wheels of Islamic society.

Man's primordial nature does not doubt the importance and value of the fact that the creation of a society depends on a set of common regulations and customs which are accepted in practice by the majority of the groups in that society, and that the existence and continuation of that society depend upon a just government which agrees to carry out these regulations completely. Any one who possesses intelligence does not neglect of forget this fact. At the same time one can doubt neither the breadth and detailed nature of the Islamic Shari'ah, nor the importance and value the Prophet considered it to possess, so that he made many sacrifices for its application and preservation. Nor can one debate about the mental genius, perfection of intelligence, perspicacity of vision or power of deliberation of the Prophet (beside the fact that this is affirmed through revelation and prophecy).

According to established traditions in both Sunni and Shi'ite collections of hadith (in the chapter on temptations and seditions and others) transmitted from the Prophet, the Prophet foretold seditions and tribulations which would entangle Islamic society after his death, and the forms of corruption which would penetrate the body of Islam, and later worldly rulers who would sacrifice this pure religion for their own impure, unscrupulous ends. How is it possible that the Prophet should not neglect to speak of the details of events and trials of years or even thousands of years after him, and yet would neglect the condition that had to be brought into being most urgently after his death? Or that he should be negligent and consider as unimportant a duty that is on the one hand simple and evident and on the other significant to such a degree? How could he concern himself with the most natural and common acts such as eating, drinking and sleeping and give hundreds of commands concerning them, yet remain completely silent about this important problem and not appoint someone in his own place?

Even if it is accepted the hypothesis (which Shias do not accept) that the appointment of the ruler of Islamic society is given by the Shari'ah to the people themselves, still it would be necessary for the Prophet to give an explanation concerning this matter. He would have had to give the necessary instructions to the community so that they would be aware of the problem upon which the existence and growth of Islamic society and the life of religious symbols and observances depended and relied. Yet there is no trace of such a prophetic explanation or religious instruction. If there had been such a thing, those who succeeded the Prophet and held the reins of power in their hands would not have opposed it. Actually, the first caliph transferred the caliphate to the second caliph by bequest. The second caliph chose the third caliph through a six-man council of which he was himself determined and ordered. So, how could it be imagined that the first and the second Caliphs felt a need to either to appoint their successor or at least give directions how to choose one but Holy Prophet completely forgot about it? For the Shias, it is totally unreasonable that the Prophet did not appoint his successor.

Shias have studied and investigated the primordial nature of man and the continuous tradition of wisdom that has survived among men. It has penetrated into the principal purpose of Islam which is to revivify man's primordial nature, and has investigated such things as the methods used by the Prophet in guiding the community; the troubles which entangled Islam and the Muslims and which led to division and separation; and the short life of the Muslim governments of the early centuries, which were characterized by negligence and lack of strict religious principles. As a result of these studies Shias have reached the conclusion that there are sufficient traditional texts left by the Prophet to indicate the procedure for determining the Imam and successor of the Prophet. This conclusion is supported by Quranic verses and hadiths of Ghadir, Safinah, Thaqalayn, Haqq, Manzilah, Da'wat-i 'ashirah-i aqrabin and others. But of course these hadiths, most of which are also accepted by Sunnis, have not been understood in the same way by Shias and Sunnis. Otherwise the whole question of succession would not have arisen. Whereas these hadiths appear to Shias as a clear indication of the Prophet's intention in the question of succession, they have been interpreted by Sunnis in quite another way so as to leave this question open and unanswered.

Shia belief stems from the fact that it was the way of previous prophets to foretell who the next prophet would be so that people would recognize them when they came. Holy Qur'an says that Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) name was mentioned in the previous revealed books:

And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! surely I am the messenger of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat and giving the good news of an Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear magic (Qur'an 61:6)

Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong (Qur’an 7:157)

Because of these predictions many Jews and Christians recognized Prophet Muhammad fully:

Those unto whom We gave the Scripture recognize him as they recognize their sons (Qur’an 2:146).

If we try to find references in the new and old testaments, we see that not only Jesus (A.S) foretold about Muhammad (SAW), but also Moses (A.S) predicted the coming of our Prophet (SAW). Please refer to our book "Qur'an and Gospel of Barnabas" on this site in the section "Muhammad in the words of Jesus."

So why should it surprise us that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) appointed his successor, especially when there would be no prophet after him? Why should the Sunnah of Allah change in the case of the last prophet of Allah?

Such has been the course of Allah (Sunnatullah) with respect to those who have gone before (Qur'an 33:38)

You shall not find a change in Our course (Qur'an 17:77)

Moreover, the whole question of choosing guide is not on the people, rather it is Allah who chooses:

And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not theirs; glory be to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate (with Him). (Qur'an 28:68)

Allah sent thousands of prophets throughout the human history. Never did Allah consult with any human being about who to choose as a guide for people. 

To prove the succession of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Shias have had recourse to Quranic verses, including the following: "Your friend [wali] can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor-due, and bow down while bowing down (in prayer)"]" (Qur'an, 5: 55). Shia and Sunni commentators alike agree that this verse was revealed concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib, and many Shia and Sunni traditions exist supporting this view.

Abu Dharr Ghifari has said: "One day we prayed the noontime prayers with the Prophet. A person in need asked people to help but no one gave him anything, 'Oh God! Be witness that in the mosque of the Prophet no one gave me anything.' Ali ibn Abi Talib was in the position of genuflection in the prayers. He pointed with his finger to the person, who took his ring and left. The Prophet, who was observing the scene raised his head toward heaven and said: 'Oh God! My brother Moses said to Thee, "Expand my breast and make easy my tasks and make my tongue eloquent so that they will comprehend my words, and make my brother, Harun, my help and vizier" [cf. Quran, 28:35]. Oh God! I am also Thy prophet ; expand my breast and make easy my tasks and make Ali my vizier and helper.'" Abu Dharr says, "The words of the Prophet had not as yet finished when the verse [cited above] was revealed."  (In his Ghyat al maram, p.103, Bahrani cites 24 hadiths from Sunni sources and nineteen from Shia sources concerning the conditions and reasons for the revelation of this Qur'anic verse).

Another verse which the Shia consider as proof of the caliphate of Ali is this:

"This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (even harming) your religion ; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL-ISLAM" (Qur'an, 5:3).

The obvious meaning of this verse is that before that particular day the infidels had hopes that a day would come when Islam would die out, but God through the actualization of a particular event made them lose forever the hope that Islam would be destroyed. This very event was the cause of the strength and perfection of Islam and of necessity could not be a minor occasion such as the promulgation of one of the injunctions of religion. Rather, it was a matter of such importance that the continuation of Islam depended upon it.

This verse seems to be related to another verse which comes toward the end of the same chapter:

"O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord, for if thou do it not, thou will not have conveyed His message. Allah will protect thee from mankind." (Qur'an 5:67).

This verse indicates that God commanded a mission of great concern and importance to the Prophet which if not accomplished would endanger the basis of Islam and prophecy. But the matter was so important that the Prophet feared opposition and interference and in awaiting suitable circumstances delayed it, until there came a definite and urgent order from God to execute this command without delay and not to fear anyone. This matter also was not just a particular religious injunction in the ordinary sense, for to preach one or several religious injunctions is not so vital that if a single one of them were not preached it would cause the destruction of Islam. Nor did the Prophet of Islam fear anyone in preaching the injunctions and laws of religion.

While returning from his last hajj, in 10 Hijra, the Holy Prophet, along with the huge caravan of nearly one hundred thousand Muslims, made a halt at Ghadir Khum, a midway stop between Makka and Madina after the revelation of Verse 5:67.

These indications and witnesses add weight to the Shia traditions which assert that these verses were revealed at Ghadir Khumm and concern the spiritual investiture (walayat) of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Moreover, many Shia and Sunni commentators have confirmed this point.

Abu Sa'id Khudari says: "The Prophet in Ghadir Khumm invited people toward Ali and took his arm and lifted it so high that the white spot in the armpit of the Prophet of God could be seen. Then this verse was revealed: 'This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL-ISLAM.' Then the Prophet said, 'God is great (Allahu akbar) that religion has become perfected and that God's bounty has been completed, His satisfaction attained and the walayat of Ali achieved.' Then he added, 'For whomever I am the authority and guide Ali is also his guide and authority. Oh God! Be friendly with the friends of Ali and the enemy of his enemies. Whoever helps him, help him, and whoever leaves him, leave him.'" (Bahrani, Ghyat al-maram, p.336, where six Sunni and fifteen Shia hadiths concerning the occasions and reason for the revelation of verse 5:3).

In summary it can be said that the enemies of Islam who did everything possible to destroy it, when they lost all hope of achieving this end, were left with only one hope. They thought that since the protector of Islam was the Prophet, after his death Islam would be left without a guide and leader and would thus definitely perish. But in Ghadir Khumm their wishes were brought to naught and the Prophet presented Ali as the guide and leader of Islam to the people. After Ali this heavy and necessary duty of guide and leader was left upon the shoulders of his family.

So, the verse 5:67 commands the Prophet of Allah to deliver what was revealed to him and if he did not, it would be as if he did deliver Allah's message. After receiving this express order from Allah, he gathered his companions and introduced Ali as their Maula as he was the Maula of the believers. Then verse 5:3 was revealed to announce that Islam was completed and perfected. Obviously, this proves that Islam was perfected by the appointment of Ali as the successor of the Prophet. There could be no other explanation.

Many people try to twist the intent of verses 5:67 and 5:3 and the saying of the Prophet - Ali is the mawla of all those of whom I am mawla - in a way that is completely opposed to any reason. One does not have to look too far than to see how the companions of the Prophet themselves understood the whole episode.

While commenting on Surah al-Ma'arij (Q70:1), Ishaq Thalabi in his commentary of the Qur'an has recorded from two authentic sources the tradition that on the day of Ghadir the Holy Prophet summoned the people through Ali and said:

"Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla."

The news quickly spread over all urban and rural areas. When Harith ibn Numan al-Fahri came to know of it he rode his she-camel and came to Madina to see the Holy Prophet. When he reached his destination he made the she-camel sit, got down, approached the Holy Prophet and said: "You commanded us to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that you are the messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to say prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You directed us to pay zakat and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during Ramadan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to perform pilgrimage to Makka and we obeyed. But you were not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin by the hand and imposed him upon us as our master by saying: "Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla Is this imposition from you or from Allah?" The Holy Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only Deity! This is from Allah, the mighty and glorious." On hearing this Harith turned back and proceeded towards his she-camel saying: "O Allah! If what Muhammad says is correct then fling on us a stone from the sky and subject us to severe pain and torture." He had not yet reached his she-camel when Allah, who is above all defects, flung at him a stone which struck him on his head, penetrated into his body and passed out through his anus and left him dead. It was on this occasion that Allah caused to descend the first three verses of al-Ma-arij .

A questioner questioned about the punishment about to fall. For the disbelievers there is nothing to avert it, from Allah the Lord of Ascent. (Qur'an 70:1)

Many of the Sunni scholars of traditions have classified this tradition with the traditions universally accepted to be genuine. Other Sunni commentators of the Qur'an have recorded this tradition in the commentary of verse 70:1. This tradition definitely proves that Harith ibn Numan al-Fahri clearly understood that - Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla - meant that Ali was the successor of the Prophet.

Some of the hadiths pertaining to Ghadir Khumm, the investiture of Ali, and the significance of the Household of the Prophet are cited here: 

Hadith-i safinah:

Ibn 'Abbas says, "The Prophet said, 'My household is like the ship of Noah ; whoever embarks upon it will be saved and whoever turns away from it will be drowned.'" (In his Ghayat al-maram, p.237, Bahrani cites eleven chains of transmission for this hadiths from Sunni sources and seven from the Shia sources).

Hadith-i thaqalayn:

Zayd ibn Arqam has recounted that the Prophet said, "It seems that God has called me unto Himself and I must obey His call. But I leave two great and precious things among you : the Book of God and My Household. Be careful as to how you behave toward them. These two will never be separated from each other until they encounter me at Kawthar (in paradise)." (In Ghyat al-maram thirty-nine  versions of this hadith have been recorded from Sunni sources and forty-three from Shia sources).

Hadith-i thaqalayn is one of the most strongly established hadiths, and has been transmitted through many chains of transmission and in different versions. Shias and Sunnis agree concerning its authenticity. Several important points can be deduced from this hadith and its like:

(1) In the same way that the Holy Qur'an will remain until the Day of Judgment, the progeny of the Holy Prophet will also remain. No period of time will be without the existence of the figure which Shias calls the Imam, the real leader and guide of men.

(2) Through these two great trusts (amanat), the Prophet has provided for all the religious and intellectual needs of the Muslims. He has introduced his Household to Muslims as authorities in knowledge and has pronounced their words and deeds to be worthy and authoritative.

(3) One must not separate the Holy Qur'an from the Household of the Prophet. No Muslim has a right to reject the "sciences" of the members of the Household of the Prophet and remove himself from under their direction and guidance.

(4) If people obey the members of the Household and follow their words they will never be led astray. God will always be with them.

(5) The answers to the intellectual and religious needs of men are to be found in the hands of the members of the Household of the Prophet. Whoever follows them will not fall into error and will reach true felicity ; that is, the members of the Household are free from error and sin and are inerrant. From this it can be concluded that by "Members of the Household" and "progeny" is not meant all the descendants and relatives of the Prophet. Rather, specific individuals are meant who are perfect in the religious sciences and are protected against error and sin so that they are qualified to guide and lead men. For Shias these individuals consist of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his eleven descendants who were chosen to the imamate one after another. This interpretation is also confirmed by the Shia and Sunni traditions. For example, Ibn 'Abbas has said, "I said to the Prophet, 'Who are your descendants whose love is obligatory [upon Muslims]?' He said, 'Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn.'" (Yanabi al-mawaddah of Sulayman ibn Ibrahim Qunduzi, Tehran, 1308, p.311).  Jabir has transmitted that the Prophet has said, "God placed the children of all prophets in their 'backbone' but placed my children in the backbone of Ali." (Yanabi al-muwaddah, p. 318).

Hadith-i haqq:

Umm Salmah has said, "I heard from the Prophet of God who said, 'Ali is with the Truth (haqq) and the Qur'an, and the Truth and the Qur'an are also with Ali, and they will be inseparable until they come upon me at Kawthar.'" (Ghyat al-maram, p.539, where the substance of this hadith has been recounted in fifteen versions from Sunni sources and eleven from Shia sources).

Hadith-i manzilah:

Sa'd ibn Waqqas has said, "The Prophet of God said to Ali, 'Are you not satisfied to be to me what Harun was to Moses except that after me there will not be another prophet?'" (In Ghyat al-maram, p.109, one hundred versions of this hadith have been recounted from Sunni sources and seventy from Shia sources).

Hadith-i da'wat-i 'ashirah:

The Prophet invited his relatives for luncheon and after the meal told them, "I know of no one who has brought to his people better things than I have brought to you. God has commanded me to invite you to draw toward Him. Who is there who will assist me in this matter and be my brother and inheritor (wasi) and successor (khalifah) among you?" All remained silent, but Ali, who was the youngest of all, exclaimed, "I shall be your deputy and aide." Then the Prophet put his arms around him and said, "He is my brother, inheritor and successor. You must obey him." Then the group began to depart laughing and telling Abu Talib, "Muhammad has ordered you to obey your son." (Tarikh Abil Fida, vol. I, p.116.).

Hudhayfah has said, "The Prophet of God said, 'If you make Ali my vicegerent and successor - which I do not think you will do - you will find him a perspicacious [clear-sighted] guide who will direct you toward the straight path !" (Hilyat al-awliya of Abu Nu'aym Isfahain, vol. I, Cairo, 1351, p.64; Kifayat al-talib, p.67).

Ibn Marduyah has said that the Prophet said, "Whoever wishes that his life and death be like mine and that he enter paradise should after me love Ali and follow my household, for they are my descendants and have been created from my clay. My knowledge and understanding have been bestowed upon them. Therefore woe unto those who deny their virtues. My intercession [on the Day of Judgment] will never include them." (Muntakhab kanzul ummal, on the margin of Musnad-i Ahmad, Cairo, 1368, vol. V, p. 94).

Much of the argument of Shias concerning the succession to the Prophet rests on the belief that during the last days of his illness the Prophet in the presence of some of his companions asked for some paper and ink so that something could be written which, if obeyed by the Muslims, would prevent them from going astray. Some of those present considered the Prophet to be too ill to be able to dictate anything and said, "The Book of God is sufficient for us." There was so much clamor raised over this matter that the Holy Prophet told those present to leave, for in the presence of a prophet there should not be any noise or clamor:

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Number 114: Narrated 'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah: Ibn 'Abbas said, "When the ailment of the Prophet became worse, he said, 'Bring for me (writing) paper and I will write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.' But 'Umar said, 'The Prophet is seriously ill, and we have got Allah's Book with us and that is sufficient for us.' But the companions of the Prophet differed about this and there was a hue and cry. On that the Prophet said to them, 'Go away (and leave me alone). It is not right that you should quarrel in front of me." Ibn 'Abbas came out saying, "It was most unfortunate (a great disaster) that Allah's Apostle was prevented from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise.

Sahih Muslim,  Number 4016: Ibn Abbas reported: When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to leave this world, there were persons (around him) in his house, 'Umar b. al-Kbattab being one of them. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Come, I may write for you a document; you would not go astray after that. Thereupon Umar said: Verily Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) is deeply afflicted with pain. You have the Qur'an with you. The Book of Allah is sufficient for us. Those who were present in the house differed. Some of them said: Bring him (the writing material) so that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) may write a document for you and you would never go astray after him And some among them said what 'Umar had (already) said. When they indulged in nonsense and began to dispute in the presence of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), he said: Get up (and go away) 'Ubaidullah said: Ibn Abbas used to say: There was a heavy loss, indeed a heavy loss, that, due to their dispute and noise. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) could not write (or dictate) the document for them.

Ibn Abi'l-Hadid reported a conversation that took place between 'Umar b. al-Khattab and 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas in which 'Umar said while questioning Ibn 'Abbas: "Is there anything in 'Ali's soul for the Caliphate?" Ibn 'Abbas said: "Yes". 'Umar said: "The Prophet of Allah wanted, during his illness, to clearly mention his name, but I prevented him from that, out of love and care for Islam". (Tijani, Ask those who know, chapter 8)

Considering what has been said above about hadiths concerning succession and the events that followed upon the death of the Prophet, especially the fact that Ali was not consulted in the question of selecting the Prophet's successor, Shias conclude that the Holy Prophet had wanted to dictate his definitive views about the person who was to succeed him but was not able to do so.

The purpose of the utterances of some of those present seems to have been to cause confusion and prevent this final decision from being clearly announced. Their interruption of the Holy Prophet's discourse does not seem to be what it appears outwardly, that is concern with the possibility that the Prophet might utter incongruous words due to the intensity of his illness. For, first of all, throughout his illness the Holy Prophet was not heard to have uttered any meaningless or incongruous words and no such things has been transmitted concerning him. Moreover, according to the principles of Islam the Prophet is protected by God from uttering delirious or senseless words and is inerrant.

Secondly, if the words mentioned by some of those present on that occasion before the Prophet were meant to be of a serious nature there would have been no place for the next phrase, "The Book of God is sufficient for us." In order to prove that the Prophet might utter incongruous words under unusual circumstances the reason of his serious illness would have been used rather than the claim that with the Qur'an there was no need of the Prophet's words. For it could not be hidden from any Muslim that the very text of the Book of God considers the obedience to the Holy Prophet to be obligatory and his words to be in a sense like the Word of God. According to the text of the Holy Qur'an, Muslims must obey the injunctions of both God and the Prophet.

Thirdly, an incident involving illness occurred during the last days of the life of the first caliph, who in his last will and testament chose the second caliph as his successor. When Uthman was writing the will according to the order of the caliph, the caliph fainted. Yet the second caliph did not repeat the words that had been uttered in the case of the Prophet according to the hadith of "Pen and Paper." This fact has been confirmed in a hadith related by Ibn Abbas. And it has been accounted of the second caliph that he said, "Ali deserved the caliphate but the Quraysh would not have been able to bear his caliphate, for had he become caliph he would have forced the people to accept the pure truth and follow the right path. Under his caliphate they would not have been able to transgress the boundaries of justice and thus would have sought to engage in war with him." (Tarikhi Yaqubi, vol. II, p. 137.)

For the Shias, "deliver that which has been revealed to you from your Lord" (Q 5:67) was a direct reference to the appointment of Imam Ali (A.S.) as the successor of the Prophet. The Prophet (SAW) in obedience to Allah, introduced Imam Ali as such at Ghadir Khumm while returning from last pilgrimage and the companions of the Prophet (SAW) did in fact understand this clearly as it is evident in the story of Harith Ibn Numan al-Fahri.

Allahumma Salli ala Muhammad, wa ale Muhammad kama sallaita ala Ibrahim wa ale Ibrahim innaka hamidummajid.