Sirrul-Khilafah is an Arabic treatise penned by the Promised Messiah (as)—Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian—and published in July 1894. The book unveils the mystery surrounding Khilafah as the means by which the hidden hand of God dispels the darkness of an era and replaces fear with security for the Ummah. In such trying times, Allah raises a Khalifah and breathes into him the spirit to revive a nation against the impending threat of spiritual death. The book illustrates this through the example of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who the Promised Messiah (as) refers to as the second Adam of Islam.
After the demise of the Holy Prophet (sas), when the darkness of dissension, hypocrisy and rebellion reared its ugly head, Allah placed the mantle of Khilafah upon Abu Bakr (ra). He rose to the occasion and re-established the unity of the fledgling Muslim nation by reaffirming the commandments of the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (sas). He defended Madinah against the attacks of the hypocrites and rebels, and pursued an offensive to eradicate the false prophets who had recently emerged in Arabia.
A parallel is drawn for the darkness of the Latter Days. The Promised Messiah (as) would be crowned with Khilafah as the last Adam for the last age. He would fight the forces of dissension and reunite the Muslim Ummah under the banner of Islam.
One of the ways he would accomplish this was by exonerating the Companions (ra) who were maligned as a result of sectarian differences. Specifically, the Promised Messiah defends the honour and dignity of Abu Bakr (ra), ‘Umar (ra), and ‘Uthman (ra) from the unwarranted attacks of Shi‘ahs, while upholding the great status of ‘Ali (ra) and the Ahlul-Bait. For those who persist to slander the Companions, the Promised Messiah challenges them to a Prayer Duel, stating that if the result goes against him, he will concede that he is false and he will also offer a prize of 5,000 rupees. None came forward.
Similarly, the book was written in the most elegant Arabic as a challenge to his critics to author a book of comparable degree. A twenty-seven day period was given to write a similar book, with a cash prize of 27 rupees—one rupee per day—but, again, all critics fell silent with no one rising to accept the challenge.
Al-Haj Munir-ud-Din Shams
Additional Wakilut-Tasnif, London
February 2022