Khilafat - a source of discipline and obedience

BY A. ABDUL Aziz

Press Secretary, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, Sri Lanka

"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, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whose is ungrateful after that, they are the rebellious." (Holy Quran: 24; 56)

To manage the affairs of mankind and to enable it to achieve its noble aims and objectives, there have been various types of institutions in the world. These institutions being man-made have not been of much benefit to man.

Some of them if not all, turned out to be a form of exploitation of man by man. But Allah being most merciful did not leave man to wander in confusion and darkness. He sends His prophets from time to time for the guidance of mankind.

As a prophet is not to live forever, after he has sown the seed of faith and it has germinated into a tender plant, he passes on to his creator. At this stage of confusion and agitation of mind of the believers, the opponents of the prophet rejoice and think that the mission of the prophet will come to an end. At this time, Allah through the believers appoints another persons as the representative of the Prophet.

A Caliph (Khalifat) to a prophet acting as a magnetic force brings all the believers together, consoles their hearts and unites them.

The system of Caliphate (Khilafat) was established by God Almighty after the demise of the Holy Prophet when Allah appointed Hazrat Abubakr to be the first Caliph (Khilafat). After many centuries, Muslims lost the blessings of (Caliphate) Khilafat, as was prophesied by no less a person than the Holy Prophet himself.

The Holy Prophet said: "O Muslims, Prophethood will remain with you as long as Allah wishes it to remain. Then it would come to an end, to be replaced with Khilafat (system of Caliphate), which would be on the pattern of prophethood and would remain as long as Allah wills. Then this Khilafat would also come to and.

The cruel rulers will replace it. It will then remain for as long as Allah wills. Then this period will also come to an end. Then there will be the rule of dictatorship, and that period too will come to an end. After that Khilafat, on the pattern of prophethood, would re-emerge." After saying this, the Holy Prophet did not add any further comment. (Masnad Ahmad Vol. p. 273).

There is always wisdom, far sightedness, good reason and logic behind whatever Allah does. According to the laws of nature, man has only a limited life span, but the task of reformation and training of society requires a much longer time.

So, Allah has established the system of Caliphate (Khilafat) after the system of prophethood. The Khalifat continues and carries on the task of the prophet. The seed sown by the prophet is protected and is nurtured by the Khilafat till it becomes a strong tree.

It is a fact that when the believers stopped fulfilling the above requirement of the institution of Khilafat, obedience and righteousness disappeared, and they started fighting each other, Allah took away the blessings of Khilafat from the Muslims, and long period of unjust and cruel leadership ensued.

However in this age by Allah's grace, once again through the Promised Messiah and Mahdi a Jama'at has been established, and the institution of Khilafat has once again been revived in May 27, 1908, in the tradition of Khilafat-I-Rashida after the demise of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - the Promised Messiah and Mahdi.

It may not be out place to mention here that, as the case in the early days of Islam, the Ahamadiyya Muslim community is guided and governed by a spiritual Head, who is elected by the community. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad is the 5th Caliph of the Promised Messiah.

The Ahmadiyya Khilafat is the second manifestation and Allah has assured Ahmadi Muslims that this Khilafat (system of caliphate) will remain with them till the end of time provided the rules of conduct are taken care of.

Therefore, entering into covenant of allegiance to the Khilafat becomes imperative, because it provide unity, security, solidarity and progress. The fact is that, whenever the believers split into several sects, such that none has a link with the unifying institution of Khilafat, then in accordance with the teachings of Islam, their link with Allah is nullified.

It is a fact that, apart from the institution of Khilafat, there is no other system in the world that can guarantee unity. You can observe many sects but no sect shows the unity, which is the hallmark of Khilafat.

Muslims who should have been united and be in harmony, are divided in countless sects and divisions. By discord and disharmony the power of the Muslim world has not only disintegrated, but also they are using this broken strength against one another. When such are the conditions, the result will be zero.

Therefore, Muslims are obligated to unite at the hand of one Imam (leader) throughout the world. But without Khilafat, it is just impossible. You see when a person goes to the mosque for prayers five times a day, there must be an Imam. Standing behind an Imam is a demonstration of unity, and discipline among people.

Imam is given so much importance that if the Imam falters, the entire congregation must follow his mistake if even they know that a mistake has been committed. What better instance can be presented for the need of an Imam and unity in his following? If Imam is mandatory in a small mosque, then how can the whole Muslim community survive without an Imam?

The word 'Jama'at' means a community that is under an Imam. Those who do not have an Imam are not a Jama'at, Divine blessings cannot descend on those who are not a Jama'at.