journey from Mecca to Medina, accompanied by an entourage of Muslims. The announcement at the Ghadir Khumm took place during the return journey among a congregation of these Muslims, possibly numbering in the tens of thousands. The sermon At the Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad called the Muslim caravan to a halt ahead of the noon congregational prayer, before the pilgrims parted to go their separate ways, asking for a dais to be raised, shaded by palm branches. After the prayer, Muhammad delivered a sermon to a large number of Muslims in which, as related in the Hadith al-Thaqalayn, he emphasized the importance of two things: the Qur'an, and his ahl al-bayt (, his family). This hadith is widely reported by Sunni and Shia authorities. The version that appears in Musnad Ibn Hanbal, a canonical Sunni source, is as follows: Muhammad might have repeated this statement on multiple occasions, and there are several slightly different versions of this hadith in Sunni sources. For instance, the version that appears in as-Sunan al-kubra, another canonical Sunni source, also includes the warning, "Be careful how you treat the two [treasures] after me." Then, taking Ali by the hand, Muhammad asked if he was not closer () to the believers than they were to themselves, possibly a reference to verse 33:6 of the Qur'an. When they affirmed, the prophet declared, which is known as the Hadith of Walaya in Shia. Muhammad might have repeated this sentence three or four more times, as reported in Musnad Ibn Hanbal. He then continued, "O God, befriend the friend of Ali and be the enemy of his enemy," according to some sources, including the Sunni Shawahid al-tanzil and the Shia Nahj al-haqq. The Sunni Ibn Kathir () and also Ahmad ibn Hanbal () in his musnad relate that Muhammad's companion Umar congratulated Ali after the sermon and told him, "You have now become of every faithful man and woman." Historical accounts The historicity of the Ghadir Khumm is rarely disputed within the Muslim community, as its recorded tradition is "among the most extensively acknowledged and substantiated" in classical Islamic sources, even as the statements made at the event remain open to interpretation. Several variations exist in the classical sources, and there is a significant weight of different accounts. The narrative of the Ghadir Khumm is for instance preserved in Chronology of Ancient Nations by the Sunni al-Biruni (), which survives