What is the Day of al-Ghadeer? AND The Rituals of the Day

What is the Day of al-Ghadeer? After completing his last pilgrimage ten years after hijrah, the Messenger of God (saws) left Mecca and headed back to Madina, but not before stopping at a place called Ghadir Khumm. In this very place, the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed:  "O Apostle! Deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you don't do it, you have not delivered His message (at all); and Allah will protect you from the people ..."  (Qur'an 5:67) The Messenger of God (saws) then stated:  "It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. I am leaving for you two precious things and if you adhere to them both, you will never go astray after me. They are the Book of Allah and my Progeny, that is, my Ahlul Bayt. The two shall never separate from each other until they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."   He continued:  "Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?"   People cried and answered:  "Yes, O' Messenger of God." He then made one of the most important statements in Islamic history. He held up the hand of 'Ali and said:  "He over whom I have primacy, Ali has primacy. O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him."

The Covenant of Brotherhood During the annual celebration of Eid al-Ghadeer, it is customary for believers to engage in a "covenant of brotherhood." They interlock right hands and say the following: "I hereby make you my brother/sister for God's sake; I hereby choose you for God's sake; I hereby take your hand for God's sake. And I make a covenant before God, his angels, his scriptures, his messengers, his prophets, and his immaculate imams, that if I am judged to be among the denizens of paradise, worthy of intercession, and am given permission to enter paradise, I shall not enter it unless you are with me." The other person should then say, "I accept your covenant, and I relieve you of all the responsibilities of brotherhood except that you must intercede on my behalf before God, you must pray for me, and you must visit me." The Rituals of the Day There are numerous a'amal to be performed during this blessed day, including: 1. Observe fasting on this day, as it erases the sins of sixty years. It has also been narrated that it is equal to fasting for one's whole lifetime and is equal to the rewards of one hundred performances of Hajj and `Umrah.  2. Perform ghusl. 3. Recite the following three ziyaraat: a. Special Ghadir ziyarah b. Ziyarah Ameenulla c. Ziyarah Mutlaqah of Imam Ali (as) 4. Recite Dua Nudba 5. Pray the first of two special two rakat prayers (details) 6. Pray the second of two special two rakat prayers (details) 7. When greeting fellow believers, recite the special greeting. 8. Recite the special dhikr and two duaa