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In another hadith he says,
"I am leaving behind me two things, the book of God, that is the Holy Qur'an and my descendants. They are tied with a long rope and cannot be separated till the Day of Judgment. Verily, if you cling to them you will never go astray."
Our Holy Prophet not only uttered these sayings but he also pointed out to Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali as the Mowla of the believers. On various occasions he had indicated that Mowla Ali would be the Imam after him. Finally, it was at Ghadir-e-Khumm that Prophet Muhammad made this very clear to all the Muslims who were returning with him after the last pilgrimage. He took Mowla Ali by his hand and declared:
"He whose Mowla I am, Ali is his Mowla."Then he prayed saying:
"O Allah! be a friend to Ali's friends and a foe to his foes. Help those who help Ali and frustrate the hopes of those who betray Ali."
After he had declared Hazrat Ali as the Imam, men and women started giving the oath of allegiance on the hands of Mowla Ali. The first to do the Baiyat was Hazrat Omar, whoafterwards became the second Caliph of Islam. The incident of Ghadir-e-Khumm is mentioned in many of the Sunni books, one of which is called 'Masnadul Kabir' written by the Sunni Imam, Ahmad bin Hambal.
The Imamat has continued in the descendants of Hazrat Ali, and Mowlana Shah Karim al Husayni Hazar Imam is our 49th Imam. We must understand the most important aspect of Imamat and it is this that although one Imam is followed by another Imam the Divine Noor is the same. Physically, Imams differ one from another but in essence and in their authority, they are the same.
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