The PPK Muslims (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgable) : 09/30/17

Khilaafat/Caliphate and khalifatun Nabi
Is it based on Islamic Shari’ah and its Central Message?
OR
Just a fantasy of very Passionate but totally Unrealistic Muslim Ummah?

ABSTRACT

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS

We had discussed four ayahs in our last session. I had commented then that some important issues arising from these ayahs could not be covered. I intend to examine them now.

We are commanded to أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ “Oh you Believers, be Conscious of Allah as this act of consciousness demands”. The explanation of the eminent Aalim Amin Ahmed Islahi is discussed.

In his tafseer he further declares that this ayah makes the institution of Khilaafat compulsory (waajib) for this Ummah. Aa against this his student and eminent research scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamdi opines that in an Islamic State the Friday sermons and the department of Police fulfill the demands of this ayah. A wide divergence of opinion between an eminent Teacher and his outstanding Pupil. Obviously this needs further search and enquiry. Let us first, however talk about the problem itself: khilaafat. What is it?

The term Khalifa is used by Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo right at the birth of humanity when HE declared to the Malaikaa at the creation of Adam:³

“AND LO! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: "Behold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it.”

Man is declared as khala’if al-ard i.e. successor on the earth at many other places in the Quran⁴

Khilaafat is very forcefully, emotionally and widely regarded as a model of political system and philosophy for Muslims that provides them with a system and form of government; a sort of Sunni Islamic model of polity and State. This seems to be the prevalent sentimentalism and romanticism of Muslim psyche which blocks any reasonable thinking which in fact clearly states otherwise. The article quickly goes through the chronology of our religio-political history to evaluate khilaafat. Starting from 0ur Holy Prophet who was the undisputed Spiritual and Temporal leader and head of the Ummah par excellence, the article highlights the golden period of the exalted Caliphs, followed by quick outline of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties, leading to the plunder and devastation of the Mongols rectified in a way by their Islamization and finally the rise (when Ottoman sultans ruled over an empire that covered Anatolia, most of the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and extended deep into Eastern Europe) and fall of the Ottoman dynasty resulting ultimately in the abolition of the system of Caliphate in 1924 by Kamal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic. It is evident, the article continues that after the death of the fourth rightly guided Caliph, the Muslims were ruled by a long list of hereditary and dynastic monarchy, the “King-Caliphs”; an extended peri0d of kingship and despotism followed under the flag of Caliphate. The Abbasid wrenched power from Umayyads through use of abominable deception and violence. Both sides were Muslims. Unfortunately this struggle for dominance and power grab within the Islamic fold by the use of deceit and the sword persisted through out the Khilaafat period. Even after the Mongol ruler had converted to Islam, it had little to no effect on its hostility towards other Muslim states, and Ghazan continued to fight the Mamluks for control of Syria. As I have stated earlier “the collective Muslim soul yearns for a global caliphate, which is cherished as a legacy of our Holy Prophet, memory of past glories and timeless ideals”. Osama bin Laden had called the 9/11 attacks “a great step towards the unity of Muslims and establishing the righteous caliphate.” But I would agree with the scholar when he says “which (caliphate), even in its imperial heyday, never represented the Muslim Ummah nor had it exercised any positive influence over them since the 13th century”. The caliphate has never been a steady and lasting institution nor is it central to Islam and Islamic thought. The overt and covert sympathy and support for ISIS which was nothing short of a pathogenic monster is a good example of this intense but totally unrealistic passion of Muslims for Caliphate. So much for “khalifa-tun Nabi”, a totally human concept. We now have to deliberate on the meaning and message of وَهُوَ الَّذي جَعَلَكُم خَلائِفَ الأَرضِ “And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth”, a fully Devine proposition. Next time, Insha Allah.

September 30, 2017

Read ONLY, IF AND WHEN you have time and mood for:

“An Ayah of the Quran for 30 Days” -- September 2013

Choose the section you have time, in the next 30 days to read this ayah:-

Prelude: Recurrent Primary Message 1st. Page

Starting Dua, a note & The Ayah 2nd. Page

A Short Summary: For the Busy Bee Three Pages

The Main Story: Recommended Five Pages

Footnotes: For the Perfectionist One Pages

PRELUDE

From the Pen and Perspective of a self-styled PPK Muslim (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgeable) with a humble submission that Islam totally rejects Blind Following BUT vigorously focusses on the Limitations of Pure Human Reasoning..............and clearly and comprehensively AlLAH knows best.

In the beginning of the seventh century C.E., the folks of Mecca and Medina had a fascinatingly unique window: they had direct access to the Heavens through one of their own. They were blessed with a regular stream of Divine counseling and guidelines. Question and answer sessions were part of the program. Even individual questioner was graced by an answer. In the short Introduction to this scheme they were assured that at the end of this twenty-two year project, Divine Directions and Admonitions will continue through the agency of the PEN. The whole discourse has been preserved and archived till eternity under the guarantee of our Lord and Creator. This record in known as the Quran.

It should sound unbelievable but factually appears to be true: Many of our prevalent, widespread and important concepts and opinions about religious matters do not have a basis in the Quran and sometimes even appear to be in obvious conflict with the teachings of the Quran. It would be very educative and helpful to discuss an Ayah once a month to see if it supports or rejects our views and actions in our daily life. I wish and hope this generates a fruitful interactive discussion.

DUAA’

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

In the name of Allah, we praise HIM, seek HIS help and ask for HIS forgiveness. Whosoever Allah guideth none can misguide; whosoever HE allows to fall astray, none can guide him right. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah alone and we bear witness that Mohammed, SAW is HIS slave-servant and the Seal of HIS Messengers.

Further, we recall that Allah Ta’aala has declared in HIS Book¹

“He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message (or remember or receive admonition) but men of understanding (or intellect)”

and we also recollect that he has warned us about the day of judgement²

“Then on that day you shall most certainly be questioned about the boons (joy, pleasure).”

We realise, that there cannot be a greater boon or blessing or benefit than wisdom and we wonder if this should be a timely reminder to very many of us sincere and practicing Muslims who use our critical thinking to enhance the mundane for ourselves and our families but in matters religion we choose to

resort to blind following -- taqleed, doctrine of classical Sunni Islamic Fiqh.

(NOTE: I have filtered out the proofs and details into the Footnotes for those who have the time and interest for them. The main text will then be of reasonable length, hopefully for the busy majority. What follows is not a sermon; I do not feel qualified to give one, anyhow. I wish, it may provide a food for thought. A caveat seems in order: If the ayah selected pertains to issues we face in our daily life with our family, friends, neighbours or peers it may affect us personally and lead to some self analysis and soul searching which in turn could be divisive and distressing. If taken in the right spirit, it can be a humble attempt towards finding the “straight path”.)

THE AYAH

CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS:

Surah Al Imraan No. 3, Ayahs 102 to 105

أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ وَلا تَموتُنَّ إِلّا وَأَنتُم مُسلِمونَ ; وَاعتَصِموا بِحَبلِ اللَّهِ جَميعًا وَلا تَفَرَّقوا ۚ وَاذكُروا نِعمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيكُم إِذ كُنتُم أَعداءً فَأَلَّفَ بَينَ قُلوبِكُم فَأَصبَحتُم بِنِعمَتِهِ إِخوانًا وَكُنتُم عَلىٰ شَفا حُفرَةٍ مِنَ النّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِنها ۗ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُم آياتِهِ لَعَلَّكُم تَهتَدونَ ; وَلتَكُن مِنكُم أُمَّةٌ يَدعونَ إِلَى الخَيرِ وَيَأمُرونَ بِالمَعروفِ وَيَنهَونَ عَنِ المُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُفلِحونَ ; وَلا تَكونوا كَالَّذينَ تَفَرَّقوا وَاختَلَفوا مِن بَعدِ ما جاءَهُمُ البَيِّناتُ ۚ وَأُولٰئِكَ لَهُم عَذابٌ عَظيمٌ

“O you who have attained to faith! Be conscious of God with all the consciousness that is due to Him, and do not allow death to overtake you ere you have surrendered yourselves unto Him ; And hold fast, all together, unto the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another, and remember the blessings which God has bestowed upon you: how, when you were enemies, He brought your hearts together, so that through His blessing you became brethren, and [how, when] you were on the brink of a fiery abyss, He saved you from it. In this way God makes clear His messages unto you, so that you might find guidance ; and that there might grow out of you a community [of people] who invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state ; And be not like those who have drawn apart from one another and have taken to conflicting views after all evidence of the truth has come unto them, for these it is for whom tremendous suffering is in store.

A SHORT VERSION

“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.” — Imam Shafa’i

A We had discussed these four ayahs in our last session. I had commented then that some important issues arising from these ayahs could not be covered. I intend to examine them now.

In the tafseer of this ayah Maulana Amin Ahmed Islahi, after some explanation makes this statement:…….. In our view, this ayah proves that the institution of Khilaafat is compulsory (waajib) for this Ummah………. Aa against this his student and eminent research scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamdi has this to say about the same ayah:

چنانچہ اسلامی ریاست میں جمعہ کا منبر اور پولیس کا محکمہ یہی خدمت انجام دیتے ہیں Hence, in an Islamic State the Friday sermons and the department of Police carry out these functions. A wide divergence of opinion between an eminent Teacher and his outstanding pupil. Obviously this needs further search and enquiry. Let us first, however talk about the problem itself: khilaafat. What is it?

The term Khalifa is used by Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo right at the birth of humanity when HE declared to the Malaikaa at the creation of Adam:³

“AND LO! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: "Behold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it.”

In this ayah, the term khallafah - derived from the verb khalafa, means "he succeeded [another] “. So the literal meaning would be "establish on earth a successor" or a “vicegerent”. As HIS deputy man “ shall inherit the earth" (in the sense of being given possession of it) which makes him supreme on the earth. Man is declared as khala’if al-ard successor on the earth at many other places in the Quran⁴ …………….

The Muslim community has very strong penchant for Khilaafat without, yes I feel without any clear

concept of what does it mean? The Quran mentions it time and again.……………… However, as stated earlier we will take up the Quranic theory of خَلائِفَ الأَرضِ “khalaif-u-Arz” after we have deliberated on the general understanding of the human concept of “Khalifat-u-Nabi”.

suggest and support the commonly prevalent view on this issue, that is a fully defined politico-religious system — the Khilaafat — to bring Muslims across the planet under the rule of one fully autocratic Khalifaa. To fully grasp and comprehend this issue, let us quickly go through the chronology of our religio-political history.

Our Holy Prophet was the undisputed Spiritual and Temporal leader and head of the Ummah par excellence. His mandate was the Holy Quran. He did not design and propose any other political and administrative system. We have the principles and prototypes exemplified by him in his tenure as the Messenger of Allah, the head of the State, the Commander in Chief and the Chief Justice of ten years in Madinah to learn from.

After his demise Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique took charge with the title of “Khalifatun Nabi” i.e. successor .of the Nabi. To start with it was simply a designation in the prevalent Arabic language. Quran and the traditions are silent about any specific method for selecting/electing a Khalifa. The companions of the prophet seem to have been guided by the concept of Shurah as enshrined in the book of Allah^5:^…………Ali Abd al-Raziq (1888-1966) has argued n his book “Al-Islam Wa Usul Hukum” (Islam and the foundations of government) that Islam did not specify a particular form of political system; nor did it require the caliphate. Both by tradition and by theory, Muslims generated and established the concept of Caliph as an absolute monarch over a united Islamic world; it is therefore almost impossible to find a place for him in a national state. The caliphate has never been a steady and lasting institution, central to Islam and Islamic thought. The caliphate is a political or religious idea whose importance has varied at different times in Muslim history.

In due course, Khilaafat came to be regarded as a politico-administrative system………… under the formidable title of “Khilaafat ala Minhaaj-e-Naboowat” ……………

Sayyidna Umer ibn Khattab, the second caliph was initially designated as “Khalifatun, Khalifatun Nabi” that is khalifa of the khalifa of the Nabi. But he, true to his far thinking personality realized that very soon this type of nomenclature will become a long chain. So he opted for the designation of Ameer ul Momineen. However this practice did not survive and later rulers were all called Khalifa. The Exalted or rightly guided Khulafaa followed the tribal system of governance, aggressively dominated by the Quran. Hazrat Umer brought in many new ideas and practices for governance on the basis of his personal sagacity and wisdom. He also did not devise a political system. Hazrat Usman was exceedingly high in nobility and piety but rather low in politics and administration. The latter half of his domain was Khilaafat under siege. Ultimately he was “lynched” (I also do not like this strong term; however this is the bitter truth. It gets worst when we realise that he was reciting the Holy Quran at that moment!! We have refused over the centuries to learn any lesson from ugly parts of our history). Next we see five years of tormented and divided Khilaafat. This gifted and talented son of Islam, cousin and son-in-law of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Ali was not given a chance to demonstrate and execute his real genius and power. He was forced to fight two internecine battles between Heavy Weights of early Islam so lethal to thousands of Muslim lives and so damaging to the reputation of Islam that I, like most of my brothers and sisters do not want to talk about. At the end of short five years, he was cruelly murdered by one of us bringing to an abrupt end the golden period of the Exalted Khalifa. During this period the Khalifa did enjoy spiritual influence if not authority mainly because of their personal character, high integrity, intense devotion and piety developed under the tutelage of our cherished holy Prophet. No other Khalifa after them did or could claim a spiritual authority. Please note that even during this period no political philosophy or system was evolved for the Ummah. It remained tribal albeit under strict supervision of the Quran.

Caliph Ali’s demise was followed by long twenty years of usurped Khilaafat of Muawwiah. He dealt the last nail in the coffin of khilaafat by nominating his son for the post. The Muslims thereafter were ruled by a long list of hereditary and dynastic monarchy, the “King-Caliphs”; an extended peri0d of kingship and despotism followed under the flag of Caliphate

We all are proud of them and feel elated because they built a formidable empire……….The Abbasid wrenched power from Umayyads through use of abominable deception and violence. Both sides were Muslims. Unfortunately this struggle for dominance and power grab within the Islamic fold by the use of deceit and the sword persisted through out the Khilaafat period.

Hulagu Khan died in 1265. The Mongol ruler, Ghazan converted to Islam and officially declared Islam as the state religion. In foreign relations though, the ruler’s conversion to Islam had little to no effect on its hostility towards other Muslim states, and Ghazan continued to fight the Mamluks for control of Syria. As I have stated earlier, it is a clear delusion to state that it was the unity of the Ummah that sustained the Khalifaa. On the contrary it was the strong autocratic Khalifaa that restrained the different segments of Ummah together. Please recall, towards the end, Arabs colluded with the British to over throw Ottoman control from their lands.

The Ottoman Empire, were the last Sunni Islamic caliphate of the late medieval and the early modern era. Ottoman rulers claimed caliphal authority after Murad I's conquest of Edirne in 1362. Later Selim I, through conquering and unification of Muslim lands, particularly the conquest of Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula in 1517 became the defender of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina which further strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate in the Muslim world; ………..the Ottoman sultans ruled over an empire that, at its peak, covered Anatolia, most of the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and extended deep into Eastern Europe.

However this monarchy-caliphate had started decaying and crashing downwards for centuries earlier…….. Being a Caliph, the Ottoman emperor was nominally regarded as the supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world. However, this authority could never be actually used.

End of World War One saw the ultimate demise of the Ottoman empire. ………..The Armistice of Mudros formalizing Ottoman surrender was signed aboard a British warship on October 30, 1918. Allied troops arrived in Constantinople and occupied the Sultan's palace shortly thereafter.

Kamal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic finally abolished the institution of the caliphate in 1924………..

The minimal precondition for a Caliphate of some sort is political unity of Muslims of the world which I am afraid sounds hilarious and ludicrous for the moment. To recount a few recent glaring examples of our utter and rampant disunity: …………..

ISIS is a good example of this intense but totally unrealistic passion of Muslims for Khilaafat…….. the system of governance was abominable and horrifying, caused tremendous death and destruction to Muslims….. Yet this “pathogenic monster” did receive overt and covert sympathy and support of large section of Muslims because of the blind but intense emotional attachment of Muslims to the mere mention of Caliph-caliphate even if it is devoid of any substance or even if it is wicked and depraved as in this case.

So much for “khalifa-tun Nabi”, a totally human concept. We now have to deliberate on the meaning and message of وَهُوَ الَّذي جَعَلَكُم خَلائِفَ الأَرضِ “And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth”, a fully Devine proposition. Next time, Insha Allah.

TO BE CONTINUED

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

THE MAIN STORY

We had discussed these four ayahs in our last session. I had commented then that some important issues arising from these ayahs could not be covered. I intend to examine them now.

We are commanded to أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ “Oh you Believers, be Conscious of Allah as this act of consciousness demands”. According to the eminent Aalim Amin Ahmed Islahi and mentor of another prominent scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamdi this part of the ayah is an explanation of how to وَاعتَصِموا بِحَبلِ اللَّهِ جَميعًا “hold fast, all together the rope of Allah” ordered in the following ayah. This fear —lexicon meaning of Taqwaa — of Allah, rather reverence and veneration of Allah is quite distinct from the fear and awe of fellow human beings on several counts. First Allah has exclusive rights over HIS creatures. Second, all the Divine rules and regulations for the conduct of HIS creation and the retribution for infringing on them are meant for the mundane and spiritual salvation of humans. God Almighty has no interest in this. Third, Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo is All Knowing, even of your thoughts and feelings. Lastly, there is no running away from HIS strong and permanent grip, here and in the hereafter. The objective of God consciousness cannot be achieved until one is aware of all these aspects. This will entail lots of opposition from friends and foes alike. God consciousness demands that we wholeheartedly fight this human disapproval and resistance and smilingly follow the dictates of God Almighty. This ayah ends with an announcement وَلا تَموتُنَّ إِلّا وَأَنتُم مُسلِمونَ and do not die except as Muslims indicating that observing Taqwaa is a life long mission scattered with trial and tribulations, with ups and downs.

Holding on to a rope ensures association and relationship between those who hold the two ends and also results in covenant and contract between these parties. Thus holding on to the Quran by reading it, understanding it and practicing it faithfully and completely will lead us and connect us with God Almighty. The ayah wants us to hold the rope جَميعًا collectively and alerts us وَلا تَفَرَّقوا not to become divided. This will ensure a strong and united Ummah.

In the tafseer of this ayah Maulana Amin Ahmed Islahi, after some explanation makes this statement:

ہمارے نزدیک اس آیت سے اس امت کے اندر خلافت کے قیام کا واجب ہونا ثابت ہوتا ہے۔ چنانچہ اسی حکم کی تعمیل میں مسلمانوں نے نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی وفات کے بعد پہلا کام جو کیا وہ خلافت علی منہاج النبوت کا قیام تھا۔ In our view, this ayah proves that the institution of Khilaafat is compulsory (waajib) for this Ummah. Hence, in compliance of this directive, the first step that Muslims took after the demise of Nabi SAW was formation of Khilaafat Ala Minhaj-e-naboowat. Aa against this his student and eminent research scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamdi has this to say about the same ayah:

The term Khalifa is used by Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo right at the birth of humanity when HE declared to the Malaikaa at the creation of Adam:³

“AND LO! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: "Behold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it.”

“It is He Who hath made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth:………..”

“……………and has made you inherit the earth…………………”

“He it is who has made you inherit the earth.”

“God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, (Lit., "cause them to be successors on earth”) even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to accede to it”

The Muslim community has very strong penchant for Khilaafat without, yes I feel without any clear concept of what does it mean? The Quran mentions it time and again. So it has to have great significance for us. Allah Ta'aala Subhaanahoo has addressed the whole mankind and endowed it with khilaafat. In other words all human beings are “Khalifa of Allah”or representatives or successors of Allah on earth. We are required to implement HIS design and model of life in this world. This can be termed as the Moral and Spiritual Khilaafat; it is non-controversial in principle because it is the clear call of God Almighty. But HE has decided to remain silent about the “prerogative, scope, authority, or manner of establishment of this Khilaafat”. Hence we meet the devil in the details. There are strong difference of opinion about what are HIS directives, how to enforce it and who should execute it. Allah Ta’aala Subhanahoo has repeatedly declared that HE has made mankind HIS successors or HIS vicegerent/deputy on this earth. This is generally accepted by the mufassirs to mean power an authority on the earth. To do what? God Almighty, in HIS eternal wisdom does not specify it as one, two and three. HE wants us to dip into the Quran and ponder and deliberate for the answers. Little wonder, there are multiple responses and explanations. For the sake of brevity, allow me to quote one comprehensive view by the outstanding Islamic scholar and the first Foreign Minster of Pakistan, Mohammad Zafrullah Khan (we could ill afford to, but we did dump him just because he happened to belong to one of the Qadiani sects; an example of a common and widespread affliction of bigotry in the “Ummah”). He explains “As God’s sovereignty extends over the universe, the ultimate ideal of a state in Islam is a universal federation or confederation of autonomous states, associated together for upholding freedom of conscience, for the maintenance of peace, and for cooperation in promoting human welfare throughout the world………” However, as stated earlier we will take up the Quranic theory of خَلائِفَ الأَرضِ “khalaif-u-Arz” after we have deliberated on the general understanding of the human concept of “Khalifat-u-Nabi”.

After his demise Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique took charge with the title of “Khalifatun Nabi” i.e. successor of the Nabi. To start with it was simply a designation in the prevalent Arabic language. Quran and the traditions are silent about any specific method for selecting/electing a Khalifa. The companions of the prophet seem to have been guided by the concept of Shurah as enshrined in the book of Allah^5:

^“^{and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer;}^{and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves}^{; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance”}

Shurah or consultative council is therefore an important principle of the political theory of Islam . The prophet and the rightly guided khulafah followed this principle though none of them ever tried to give any specific shape to it. Ali Abd al-Raziq (1888-1966) has argued n his book “Al-Islam Wa Usul Hukum” (Islam and the foundations of government) that Islam did not specify a particular form of political system; nor did it require the caliphate. Both by tradition and by theory, Muslims generated and established the concept of Caliph as an absolute monarch over a united Islamic world; it is therefore almost impossible to find a place for him in a national state. The caliphate has never been a steady and lasting institution, central to Islam and Islamic thought. The caliphate is a political or religious idea whose importance has varied at different times in Muslim history.

In due course, Khilaafat came to be regarded as a politico-administrative system whereby the absence of a prophet is filled by a person who officiates on his behalf and who sits as a deputy. He becomes a central authority. It has been given the formidable title of “Khilaafat ala Minhaaj-e-Naboowat” and literally volumes have been written on it by prominent Islamic scholars like Dr. Israr Ahmed and Maulana Maudoodi and endorsed generally by Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Bernard Lewis, the pre-eminent historian of Islam: “Abu Bakr was given the title of Khalifa or ‘Deputy’ (of the prophet) … and his election marks the inauguration of the great historic institution of the Caliphate. His electors can have no idea of later functions and development of the office. At the time, they made no attempt to delimit his duties or powers. The sole condition of his appointment was the maintenance of the heritage of the Prophet.”

We all are proud of them and feel elated because they built a formidable empire and matured as the torch bearer of civilisation. It is a source of great pride and jubilance for us, Muslims. But the “political system” was a strong autocratic ruler at the head, named sultan, Ameer, khalifa etc. who governed the whole Muslim world. However the mere title of Khalifa continued as a formality to be used by fourteen Umayyad kings of Damascus (661-750) and and later by the thirty-eight Abbasid monarchs of Baghdad (750-1258). There were multiple simultaneous Caliphate for a certain period: the Umayyads continued to rule Spain at Córdoba (755–1031) and the Faṭimid ruled Egypt (909–1171).

The Abbasid wrenched power from Umayyads through use of abominable deception and violence. Both sides were Muslims. Unfortunately this struggle for dominance and power grab within the Islamic fold by the use of deceit and the sword persisted through out the Khilaafat period.

The center of the Islamic Empire at that time was Baghdad, ruled by the Abbasid for 500 years; at the end the dynasty started suffering from internal divisions. When its caliph al-Mustasim refused to submit to the Mongols, Baghdad was besieged and captured by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan in 1258, an event considered as one of the more catastrophic events in the history of Islam. The best period of the Abbasid rule was from 170 A.H. to 218 A.H. under the reign of Caliphs Haroon-ul-Rashid and Mamoon. With the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, Hulagu had an open route to Syria and moved against the other Muslim powers in the region. In 1260 Mongol forces combined with those of their Christian vassals in the region conquered Muslim Syria, a domain of the Ayyubid dynasty and sent advance patrols as far ahead as Gaza. The invasion effectively destroyed the Ayyubids, which was until then a powerful dynasty that had ruled large parts of the Levant, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula. The last Ayyubid king, An-Nasir Yusuf, was killed by Hulagu in 1260. With the Islamic power center of Baghdad gone and Damascus weakened, the center of Islamic power shifted to the Mamluk Sultans' capital of Cairo. When Hulagu headed further west, the Armenians from Cilicia, the Seljuks from Rum and the Christian realms of Antioch and Tripoli submitted to Mongol authority, joining the Mongols in their assault against the Muslims. Hulagu intended to continue southward through Palestine towards Cairo to fight the Mamluks but was obliged to return to Mongolia for the election of a new Khan.

The Ottoman Empire, were the last Sunni Islamic caliphate of the late medieval and the early modern era. Ottoman rulers claimed caliphal authority after Murad I's conquest of Edirne in 1362. Later Selim I, through conquering and unification of Muslim lands, particularly the conquest of Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula in 1517 became the defender of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina which further strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate in the Muslim world; they gradually came to be viewed as the de facto leaders and representative of the Islamic world almost for four centuries. From Edirne and later from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), the Ottoman sultans ruled over an empire that, at its peak, covered Anatolia, most of the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and extended deep into Eastern Europe.

However this monarchy-caliphate had started decaying and crashing downwards for centuries earlier. Ottoman emperor Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909) launched his Pan-Islamic program in a bid to protect the Ottoman empire from Western attack and dismemberment, and to crush the Westernizing democratic opposition at home. He sent an emissary, Jamaluddin Afghani, to India in the late 19th century. The cause of the Ottoman monarch evoked religious passion and sympathy amongst Indian Muslims. Additionally many Muslims, faced with the triumph of European colonialism in their own countries, did come to admire the idea of a pious and powerful leader like the Ottoman sultan defying Western imperialism on behalf of the entire Muslim world. Being a Caliph, the Ottoman emperor was nominally regarded as the supreme religious and political leader of all Muslims across the world. However, this authority could never be actually used.

I would agree with the scholar when he says “which (caliphate), even in its imperial heyday, never represented the Muslim Ummah nor had it exercised any positive influence over them since the 13th century”.We all are proud and elated because they built a formidable empire and matured as the torch bearer of civilisation. By and large the “political system” was a strong autocratic ruler at the head, named sultan, khalifa etc. who governed the land and people in his domain.

End of World War One saw the ultimate demise of the Ottoman empire. Sultan Mehmed VI, who was proclaimed Sultan after his brother Mehmed V died of a heart attack in July, agreed to an armistice. The Armistice of Mudros formalizing Ottoman surrender was signed aboard a British warship on October 30, 1918. Allied troops arrived in Constantinople and occupied the Sultan's palace shortly thereafter.

Kamal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic finally abolished the institution of the caliphate in 1924. There was no clear or coherent outcry from the Muslim world as a whole. Many Muslims, particularly those in India protested. The Khilaafat movement (1919–22) was a pan-Islamic, political protest campaign launched by Muslims of India to influence the British government not to abolish the Ottoman Caliphate. The movement collapsed by late 1922 when Turkey gained a more favorable diplomatic position and moved toward secularism. By 1924, as stated earlier Turkey simply abolished the roles of the Sultan and Caliph. Many others in Muslim lands were more interested in maneuvering to claim the title for themselves.

Egyptian scholar Ali Abd al-Raziq, in his criticism of the idea of a caliphate claimed that the Koran contains “no reference to the caliphate that Muslims have been calling for.” This was also the period where a number of thinkers, secularists and religious Muslims alike, began discussing the possibility that the caliph should be a purely religious figure, like an “Islamic pope,” unencumbered by any temporal power. Caliphate as a political and administrative system is not based on a clear well-defined Islamic mandate despite centuries-long debate over it. Historically, as we have seen in this short discourse this concept was only occasionally significant in the Islamic World. It would be a mistake to think that twenty-first-century Islamist movements trying to revive the caliphate are doing so with a clear Islamic authority and sanction. They are just participating in a centuries-long debate about a concept that has only occasionally taken on widespread significance in the Islamic world.

Recently there have been many attempts by Islamic scholarship to formulate an Islamic System of governance based on their interpretation of Quran and Sunnah. There are several and conflicting versions. To my knowledge none have suggested the name of Khalifaa. We can adopt the name because of the emotional attachment but make no mistake: the name in itself means nothing except the nostalgic association with the memory of our four great leaders succeeding our Holy Prophet; the name in itself does not legitimize him as an autocratic ruler nor does it spell out any system of governance.

As I have stated earlier “the collective Muslim soul yearns for a global caliphate, which is cherished as a legacy of our Holy Prophet, memory of past glories and timeless ideals.” Osama bin Laden has called the 9/11 attacks “a great step towards the unity of Muslims and establishing the righteous caliphate.” The fundamentalist political parties have no problem using brute force to unite Muslims under a Caliph— an autocrat and dictator. Two popular and well organized pan-Islamic parties tend to prefer a militant Islamic State as they have no patience for the spiritual and grass root basis of rightly-guided Khulafaa. The minimal precondition for a Caliphate of some sort is political unity of Muslims of the world which I am afraid sounds hilarious and ludicrous for the moment. To recount a few recent glaring examples of our utter and rampant disunity: Black September of Jordan (1970), the failure of the Pan Arabic movement and of the United Arab Republic (1971), division of Pakistan (1971), the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), the Darfur conflict (2003-2008), and the decision of the southern Sudan to secede from the north (2011). More recently Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict, the bombing of Yaman, Saudi led movement against Qatar and the utter chaos and pandemonium (due to the hidden hand of Hunood, Yahood and the Great Satan against poor, simple and naive Muslims!!! if you like it; I certainly do not) in Syria and to a lesser extent in Libya.

ISIS is a good example of this intense but totally unrealistic passion of Muslims for Khilaafat. A self styled Caliph announced the formation of a Caliphate. The Caliph himself was crude and cruel, his system of governance was abominable and horrifying, caused tremendous death and destruction to Muslims in the short span of their caliphate! It belies statements like “In conclusion, we can say that Khilaafat does not only mean that the President should be called Khalifa, it is much more than that. It is in essence the political system of Islam.” Yet this “pathogenic monster” did receive overt and covert sympathy and support of large section of Muslims because of the blind but intense emotional attachment of Muslims to the mere mention of Caliph-caliphate even if it is devoid of any substance or even if it is wicked and depraved as in this case.

TO BE CONTINUED

........and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding--“fahm”--of our Deen, Aameen.

Dr. Khalid Mitha

FOOTNOTES

(1) Surah 2/269

يُؤتِي الحِكمَةَ مَن يَشاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤتَ الحِكمَةَ فَقَد أوتِيَ خَيرًا كَثيرًا ۗ وَما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلّا أُولُو الأَلبابِ

(2) Surah 102/8

ثُمَّ لَتُسأَلُنَّ يَومَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعيمِ

(3) Surah 2/30

وَإِذ قالَ رَبُّكَ لِلمَلائِكَةِ إِنّي جاعِلٌ فِي الأَرضِ خَليفَةً

(4)

Surah 6/165

وَهُوَ الَّذي جَعَلَكُم خَلائِفَ الأَرضِ

Surah 27/62 (part of ayah)

وَيَجعَلُكُم خُلَفاءَ الأَرضِ

Surah 35/37

هُوَ الَّذي جَعَلَكُم خَلائِفَ فِي الأَرضِ

Surah 24/56 (part of the ayah)

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذينَ آمَنوا مِنكُم وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ لَيَستَخلِفَنَّهُم فِي الأَرضِ كَمَا استَخلَفَ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم

(5) Surah 42/38

وَالَّذينَ استَجابوا لِرَبِّهِم وَأَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَأَمرُهُم شورىٰ بَينَهُم وَمِمّا رَزَقناهُم يُنفِقونَ

The PPK Muslims (Proud, Practicing, Knowledgable)

Search This Blog

Khilaafat/Caliphate and khalifatun Nabi: Based on Islamic Shari’ah and its Central Message? OR Just a fantasy of very Passionate but totally Unrealistic Muslim Ummah?