TEHRAN – The oath of allegiance to Imam Ali (AS) by the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) at the Ghadir event has been portrayed in two paintings by Hassan Ruholamin.

The artist who is best known for his paintings on early Islamic historical events unveiled the artworks on Sunday on the eve of Eid al-Ghadir, Shia Muslims’ celebration on Dhul Hijjah 18, the day on which Imam Ali (AS) was appointed as successor to the Prophet Muhammad (S).

Huge digital copies of the paintings entitled “Ghadir Oath of Allegiance” were set up in the holy shrine of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf, Iraq on Monday, some Persian news agencies announced.

On the way back home from Hajj in 632, which is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad (S) asked for a stop in a region called Ghadir Khum, where in his sermon, he announced his cousin Ali (AS) as his successor and first Imam shortly before his death based on a revelation from God.

Afterwards, two tents were pitched, in one of which Muslims congratulated the Prophet (S) for his excellent choice and, in other one, Muslims from all tribes gave their allegiance to Ali (AS). One of the Muslims was Hazrat Fatima (SA), the wife of Imam Ali (AS) and daughter of the Prophet (S).

However, Ruholamin’s paintings show Muslims pledging their loyalty to the Imam in an open-air gathering.

One of the paintings shows a man wearing a Yemeni jambiya in the left corner. In his introduction to the painting, Ruholamin wrote an Arabic phrase reading, “We do not forget our Yemeni brothers.”

The phrase refers to the historical fact that when the Prophet (S) began his journey to perform the Hajj rituals in Mecca, Imam Ali (AS) was in Yemen to promote Islam. However, he left Yemen soon to join the Prophet (S) for the Hajj rituals.

Ruholamin has several other canvases depicting stories on Imam Ali (AS). One of them is “The Conqueror of Khaybar” which depicts the Imam removing the door of the enemy’s fort in the Battle of Khaybar, which was fought in the year 628 between Muslims and the Jews living in the oasis of Khaybar.

He has reproduced the artwork in the form of a mural on the Imam Ali (AS) Highway, which was unveiled to celebrate Eid al-Ghadir on Monday.

Photo: One of the paintings from Hassan Ruholamin’s collection “Ghadir Oath of Allegiance”.

MMS/YAW