KHALÎFAH – خليفة

 

Literally means a successor. A substitute.  A Caliph.

This title given to the successors of the prophet Muhammad (asm) as his representatives and the leaders of Islam. It encompasses the absolute authority in both religious and civil governance. Additionally, it refers to Âdam (as) and humankind as Allah's vicegerents on earth. The Imam of both worlds for the entire ummah.

A Khalîfah must be obeyed in the commands which conform to the Sharîah, like the jamâ’ah who follow the Imam in the salâh. The conditions of being a Khalîfah according to the Sharî’ah are:

1. Being a Muslim (al-Islam).

2. Being a Male.

3. Maturity (al-bulugh).

4. Being free (hurran).

5. Being rational (al-‘aql).

6. Sufficiency: being sufficient of qualities like farâsah, shajâ'ah, comprehension and subtlety of intellect for holding the trust (amanah)  (al-kifâyah).

7. Knowledgeable (al-‘ilm).

8. Justice and probity with all its conditions (al-‘adâlah).

9. Sound senses (salâmât al-hawas), physical fitness (salâmât al-a’dha).

 

قَالَ الَّذِى عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ اَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ اَنْ يَرْتَدَّ اِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنْدَهُ

“O people of sovereignty! If you wish to rule with pure justice, work to see and understand the face of the earth with all its regions, like Sulaymân. For, a just ruler and sultân, who cherishes his subjects, will be saved from ma’nawî responsibility or may rule with complete justice by rising to the degree of being informed of regions of his dominions whenever he wishes.” Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the allusive tongue of this âyah, “O Sons of Âdam! I bestow on one of My ‘abds an extensive possession and being informed of the states and events of the earth in order to rule with complete justice within that extensive possession of his, and since I have given each man the capacity to be khalîfah of the earth by fitrah, and since My hikmah requires to give the disposition, too, that will see, look and understand the face of the earth according to that capacity, I certainly have given it. If man does not reach that point individually, he can reach it as mankind. And if he cannot reach it physically, he can reach it in a ma’nawî manner like the people of walâyah.  In which case, you can benefit from this great ni’mah. Come on, let's see you do it! On the condition, you do not forget your duty of ‘ubûdiyyah, work so hard that you may transform the face of the earth into a garden every part of which is seen by each of you and a garden that makes you hear the sounds in every corner of it.

The Twentieth Word – The Second Station

 

Also, for example, وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ اْلاَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا1 says: “The greatest miracle of Hazrat Âdam ‘Alayhissalâm proving the claim of the supreme khilâfah is the teaching of the Names (Al-Asmâ).” Thus, like the miracles of the other Prophets allude to a particular wonder of mankind, the miracle of Hazrat Âdam ‘Alayhissalâm, the father of all the Prophets and the opener of the council of nubuwwah, indicates almost explicitly the final limits of all perfection and progress and the furthest aims of mankind. Janâb-i Haqq (Jalla Jalâluhu) says in a ma’nawî manner through the indicative tongue of this âyah:

“O Sons of Âdam! Since as a proof of his superiority over the malâikah in the claim of the khilâfah, I taught your father all the Names and since you are his sons and the inheritors of his capacities, by learning all the Names, you should show your worthiness for superiority over all creatures in the rank of the supreme trust. For, in the universe, the way is open to you to go to the highest ranks over all creatures and the exalted degrees such as huge creatures like the earth being subjugated to you. Come on, step forward, adhere to each of My Name and rise! But your father was once deceived by shaytan and temporarily fell to the face of the earth from a rank like Jannah. Beware! In your progress, letting yourself be tempted and led astray by shaytan, do not make it a means to fall from the samâwât of the hikmah of Allah into the dhalâlah of nature. By raising your head and paying attention to My Asmâ Al-Husnâ from time to time, make your sciences and progress stairs in order to ascend to that samâwât, so that you may rise to My Rabbânî Names, which are the haqiqahs and sources of your sciences and perfections, and you may look to your Rabb with your hearts through the telescope of those Names.”

The Twentieth Word – The Second Station

 

“Despotism is dhulm and oppression. Constitutionalism is justice and Sharî’ah. The Sultân is the khalîfah in so far as he obeys the commands of our Prophet and follows his path. We too will obey him. Otherwise, even if they happen to be the sultân, those who do not obey the Prophet and oppress are bandits.” Biography (69)

 

“They asked me there: "What do you think about the Republic?"

I replied: "As my biography which you have in your hands proves, I was a religious republican before any of you, with the exception of the old Chairman of the Court, was born. A summary is this: like now, I was living at that time in seclusion in a remote tomb. They used to bring me soup, and I would give grains of the soup to the ants. I used to eat my bread having dipped it in the water of the soup. They asked me about it and I told them: the ant and bee nations are republicans. I give the grains to the ants out of respect for their republicanism."

Then they said to me: "You are opposing the Salaf as-Sâlihîn."

I told them in reply: “The four Rightly-Guided Khalîfah were both Khalîfah and Presidents of the Republic. Siddîq Al-Akbar (ra)2 was like a president to the ‘Asharah al-Mubashsharah3 and the Sahâbah. But not as a meaningless name and title, they were heads of the meaning of religious republic which bore the haqiqah of justice and freedom of the Sharî'ah.”The Rays ( 386 )