An Assessment of the Sources of the Article "Hajjah al-Wida’ [Farewell Hajj]" in Leiden Encyclopedia of Qur’an

The last Hajj of the Holy Prophet (P) which took place in the last year of his honorable life is called Hajj al-Balagh. One of the topics discussed in this Hajj is the issue of Wilayah [guardianship], which is mentioned in verse 3 of Surah Ma'idah ﴿ الیوم اکملت لکم دینکم و اتممت علیکم نعمتی و رضیت لکم الاسلام ﴾ [Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion.] [5:3], according to Imamia and few Sunni scholars, it is the day of Ghadir Khum and Imam Ali (A)’s caliphate. By explaining the issue of Wilayah, religion is completed. The issue of Wilayah has been frequently discussed in reliable sources; But in some cases, it has been overlooked by Orientalists and has not been mentioned for any reason. The current article examines and criticizes the view of an Orientalist named Devin Stewart with a descriptive-analytical approach and a critical method. He is an Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at Emory University. He has written an article entitled "Hajjah al-Wida’ [Farewell Hajj]" in Leiden Encyclopedia which describes the reports of the Prophet's (P) departure to Mecca in detail; However, he did not mention the news of his return to Medina and the most important part of Hajj al-Balagh, which is the introduction of Amir al-Mumineen Ali (A) as the Walli and guardian of the Muslims. In this article, the sources used by the author are criticized and that even these sources are not used well and he did not have enough information about the sources used. Therefore, the article of Devin Stewart's "Hajjah al-Wida’ [Farewell Hajj]" is unacceptable on the basis of Qur'anic and narrational arguments.