“Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them successors in the earth as He made successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear; they will worship Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious.” (Ch. 24:56)
Before proceeding with the exposition of criticism against Khilafat, it is important to bear in mind that the institution of Khilafat is the heavenly means of sustaining the unity of Islam and fostering its spiritual strength. The growth and power which Islam and its followers gained during the times of the Khilafat of Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Omar need no mention, but when during the times of Hazrat Usman certain rebellious elements made the unholy attempt of destroying the institution of Khilafat and killing its occupant, its jugular importance was brought home by Abdallah bin Salam, an ex-Jewish scholar who had embraced Islam at the hands of the Holy Prophet, who addressed the crowds as follows:
“Hearken ye to my words! The Sword of Allah is still not unsheathed. The angels of heaven have made this town of the Holy Prophet, their abode. Fear God and abstain from creating hardship for Usman. If you are bent upon taking his life, then beware! The heavenly angels will desert this town and the divine sword will be drawn and will remain unsheathed till the end of days.”
The companions of the Holy Prophet may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, held the firm belief that Khilafat was a guarantor for the growth and power of Islam and its followers, without which its unity could not be preserved. How prophetic were the words of Usman when he warned the mutineers:
“If you succeed in killing me, you shall never be able to remain united, nor able to offer your prayers or face the enemy in unity.” (Tabri, Vol. III, p. 482).
Ordinarily speaking, Khilafat-e-Rashida is understood to mean the period of succession to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, beginning with the Khilafat of Abu Bakr in the 12th year after Hijra and ending with the Khilafat of Ali in the 40th year. However, from a saying of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reported by Huzaifa, it can be construed that Khilafat-e-Rashida consists of two eras-the first as mentioned above and the second to occur in later days. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is reported to have said:
Prophethood shall remain among you as long as God shall will. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood for as long as He shall will and then bring about its end. An unimaginative kingship shall then follow to remain as long as God shall will and then come to an end. There shall then be a cruel rule which shall remain as long as God shall will and come to an end upon his decree. There will then emerge Khilafat on the precept of Prophethood. The Holy Prophet said no more. (Masnad-i-Ahmad as quoted by Mishqat in Babul Inzar-wa-Tahzir).
From this prophecy of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, therefore, it is clear that the Khilafat which would come into being after him would consist of two eras – one would follow immediately after his death and between the other would intervene a period of suppressive, oppressive and cruel regimes. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, defined the span of the first era as well. Safina reports that she heard the Holy Prophet say:
“Khilafat shall reign for 30 years and then there shall be monarchy.” (Mishkat, Kitabul Fitn)
This is exactly what happened, in that the first Khalifa was Abu Bakr, the second Omar, the third Usman and the fourth Ali, who were elected to their august offices by democratic means of one description or another and covered a span of thirty years as prophesied by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
From the citings of Huzaifa mentioned earlier, it is clear that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had prophesied about the second era of Khilafat-e-Rashida and had said that after the first era a long period of unimaginative, oppressive and suppressive regimes would intervene before the draw of the second era. It is significant to note that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, specified no time limit for the second era, and this, coupled with the words that “the Holy Prophet said no more” occurring in Huzaifa’s report could well be construed to mean that the second era shall last for a long long time, or perhaps for ever. This is certainly the view of Hazrat Ismail Shaheed who was one of the great thinkers and scholars of Islam. After a lengthy discourse in his book “Mansab-e-Imamat” he writes:
“Khalifa Rashid is a person who holds the office of Imamat and effervesces divine prudence. Whosoever is bestowed with this office, therefore, is a Khalifa Rashid irrespective of whether he lived in earlier or present times or comes into being in later days … It is not correct to say that Khilafat-i-Rashida was confined to the period of the first four Khalifas, or to its second era alone.” (Mansab-e-Imamat, pp. 77 and 78).
Apart from the Quranic verse of Khilafat and Huzaifa’s report of the Holy Prophet, the Promised Messiah, who is the exponent of Islam in this age, has confirmed the continuance of Khilafat-e-Rashida beyond the earlier era of thirty years. In Al-Wassiyat, p. 6-7, he says:
“Therefore, do not be grieved by that which I have told you and let not your hearts suffer anxiety, for it is necessary for you to see the Qudrat-e-Thaniyya (the second manifestation of Divine Power).
Its coming is the better for you for it is permanent and will not be cut off till the Day of Judgment. This second manifestation will not happen till after my departure.” (The Will, pp. 6-7).
Furthermore, he writes in Shahadatul Quran, p. 58:
“Since it is not possible for a man to live for ever, God has planned to keep alive, forever up to the last days, His messengers who bear a mark of distinction over the rest of His creatures. To this end he has established the institution of Khilafat so that the world shall never remain without the blessings of prophethood.”
The two eras of Khilafat-e-Rashida were described by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as “Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood” and he enjoined upon believers to:
“Follow in my footsteps and in the footsteps of Kholafa-e-Rashidin who were fully guided” (Masnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. IV).
The exaltation of Khilafat to Prophethood’s precepts and so much exhortation of believers to adhere to the institution was necessary because through Khilafat is not only righteousness secured, and the mission of establishing the unity of God, preserving Islam and consummating its beliefs accomplished, but it also leads to the spiritual and temporal growth and strength of the believers.