THE CONCEPT OF THE CALIPHATE
Successors on Earth
THE Quran tells us that when God made man, a dialogue took place
between God and the angels. In the course of this dialogue, God
explained the purpose of creating man, saying: “I am putting a
successor on earth.” ( 2: 30 )
The dictionary meaning of the word khilafat (or caliphate in English)
is ‘to come after’. Khalifa (or, in English, caliph) is someone who takes
the place of someone else, or, in other words, ‘successor’. This is the
literal meaning of the word khalifa. But it is generally in politics that a
person becomes the successor of someone else. That is why the word
khalifa began to be used solely for political rulers, both for one who
became a ruler through succession as well as someone who acquired
this position without succession.
Until the Day of
Judgment, man has
freedom to spend his
life in this world, in
the sphere that is in
his control. He is free
to use this freedom
in whatever way he
wants—properly or
otherwise.
The word khalifa in the above-quoted Quranic
verse is used in this second sense. This means
God settled man on earth as a creature
possessing free-will. The earth was given to
man’s charge for a temporary period. In line
with the system of nature, although man is
running the affairs of the world just as angels
are running the affairs of other parts of the
universe, it is only in a limited sense that the
world is in man’s control. Until the Day of
Judgment, man has freedom to spend his life
in this world, in the sphere that is in his control.
He is free to use this freedom in whatever way
he wants—properly or otherwise.
An important principle to bear in mind while seeking to understand
the Quran is that one part of the Quran explains another part. In the
light of this principle, it is clear from several verses of the Quran what
appointing man as khalifa means. One of these verses ( 10: 14 ) reads:
“Then We made you their successors in the land, so that We might
observe how you would conduct yourselves.”
God has created man as an intelligent being. In terms of his abilities,
the first man ever was as complete as the 21st century man. The place
where man was settled—planet earth—had everything in it for man’s
needs. However, these were mostly present only in potential form.
It was man’s task to convert the potential into the actual. The whole
of human history is a reflection of this journey; this journeying from
potential to actual.
The most appropriate word for this journey is ‘civilization’. Man’s entire
history, from Adam till the Day of Judgment, is but another name for
this civilizational journey. The Creator has made the earth as the abode
of civilization. It was man’s task to develop this ‘potential civilization’
into ‘actual civilization’. Khalifa is the name of the creature who would
play this role—irrespective of whether he is religious or secular.
The word ‘civilization’ is generally employed to refer to material
progress. A conventional understanding of the term ‘civilization’ is that
it refers to a stage of high social, cultural and scientific progress. But
this is a limited understanding of the term. To fully understand what
‘civilization’ means, one must see it in the context of God’s creation
plan. The builders of civilization do not create anything on their
own. Rather, they progress along the journey of civilization using the
natural resources that the Creator has created. The human builders
of civilization are, as it were, workers of the Creator. They are giving
practical shape to God’s creation plan.
Although man is
running the affairs
of the world just as
angels are running
the affairs of other
parts of the universe,
it is only in a limited
sense that the world
is in man’s control.
In reality, this journey of civilization is a journey
of divine civilization. It is taking man to that
stage where he can have a high experience of
praise for God and gratitude to Him, where he
can reach the higher stages of God-realization.
But because this work is happening while
keeping human freedom intact, people have
not been able to understand its significance.
To properly understand this journey of
civilization, it is necessary to set apart the
evils produced as a result of human freedom
and then see how God is managing human history. To meaningfully
understand human history, it is most important to keep apart the
human element and look at the working of the divine element in history.
A Survey
God has bestowed man with freedom. Man has been granted this
freedom so that he can discover things himself and cultivate a selfdeveloped
personality.
Man sometimes uses this freedom properly. At other times, he misuses
it. But the All-powerful God is managing history and taking it towards
the stage that is its real stage—the completion of the realization of
God.
Since the beginning of human history, God sent a series of messengers
to the world to tell people of His creation plan. They tried to keep
the journey of human civilization progressing in the right direction.
But a study of history reveals that people
did not prove to be responsible in using the
freedom that they had been granted. Soon,
history in general deviated from the path
of monotheism and began travelling on the
path of polytheism. This was because people
found that they did not see the God that the
prophets told them about, while they could
see the things made by God abounded all
around them. Because of this, people left the
invisible God and began considering visible
objects their deities. They began considering
every object that appeared to them to be
great as gods or partners of God. This is how
‘nature worship’, emerged.
To properly
understand
the journey of
civilization, it is
necessary to set
apart the evils
produced as a result
of human freedom
and then see how
God is managing
human history.
Nature worship spread far and wide. One reason for this was kings
in ancient times found nature worship to be convenient to them, and
so they patronised it. They employed this form of worship to claim
a mandate for their rule. In this way, in ancient times polytheism
acquired the status of official religion throughout the world. As a result
of this nexus between nature worship and political power, polytheism
acquired dominance all across the world.
Monarchy
In ancient times—and this continued for thousands of years—much
of the world was under monarchy. Monarchical rule would very soon
turn into personality cult. And personality cults gradually acquired the
form of idol worship. This is why in ancient times monarchical rule
finally turned into religion based rule. For instance, the Egyptian ruler
at the time of Moses, the Quran ( 79: 24 ) tells us, proclaimed, “I am your
supreme Lord”.
The system of monarchical rule emerged as the greatest evil in ancient
times. It was the gravest misuse of human freedom. This system was ended at the political level through the democratic revolution.
In the Hereafter, the wrongs of the monarchical system of rule will
become clearly manifest. A part of the Hadith report refers to this in
these words: “God, the Exalted and Glorious, on the Day of Judgment
would say: ‘I am the Lord; where are the lords of the earth?’” (Sahih
Muslim)
Three Periods of the Caliphate
In the Quran, the word ‘khilafat’ is not used in the sense of ‘Islamic
Caliphate’. According to the Quran ( 10: 14 ), all those people were ‘khalaif
fi al-arz’ who, in different ages, were given the role of ruler, irrespective
of whether, in terms of belief, they were
religious or non-religious. Throughout history
those who received the opportunity to play
the role of ruler (khilafat-e-arzi), can be classed
into three groups:
The rulers who used religion as the basis of
their rule: It lasted from ancient times to the
7th century CE.
The rule of monotheists: This was the age of
Muslim Sultans. It lasted from around the 8th
century to the 18th century.
The rule of secular people: This period began
in the 19th century, and continues today.
The journey of
civilization is a
journey of divine
civilization. It is
taking man to that
stage where he
can have a high
experience of praise
for God and gratitude
to Him, where he
can reach the higher
stages of Godrealization.
In the first period people did not enjoy
religious freedom. It was an age of religious
persecution and coercion. During such an age people lost their right to
think freely. And so, the process of intellectual development came to a
complete halt. It was impossible for intellectual progress to continue.
God wanted man to discover the laws hidden in nature so that he
could discover the Creator of these laws, and so that such means be
developed that the task of inviting people to God could be carried out
more effectively. This process had been completely blocked in the age of
persecution and coercion. God sent a large number of prophets to the
world to tell people that by misusing their freedom they were placing a
hurdle in His plan. However, the peaceful efforts of the prophets to call
people to God were ineffective in preventing man from continuing on
the course he had adopted.
After this, God did not put an end to human freedom but decided to
take away the despotic role of rulers. The Quran refers to this Divine
decision thus: “Fight them until there is no more [religious] persecution,
and religion belongs wholly to God.” ( 8: 39 ). In other words this verse
is referring to the end of religious persecution and coercion and the
opening of the door to God's blessings upon man.
As is well known, the Prophet of Islam and his Companions did precisely
this. They transformed the entire political map of ancient times.
The role that Muslims played in this period was not of establishing any
political system. In actual fact, it is not the aim of the Muslim ummah to
establish any particular system. The task that
was accomplished in the Muslim period had
two major aspects to it: to usher in the age of
freedom in the world, and to initiate the task
of the scientific study of nature.
God wanted man to
discover the laws
hidden in nature
so that he could
discover the Creator
of these laws, and
so that such means
be developed that
the task of inviting
people to God could
be carried out more
effectively.
The Quran ( 42: 38 ) refers to people who “conduct
their affairs by mutual consultation”. This
reference is not in a limited sense. It conveys
news of a global revolution. It means that God
wants that the age of monarchy be ended
and that the age of democracy take its place,
so that people can think freely, that their
potentials can unfold, that they can discover
the secrets of nature, and bring in the age of
the divine civilization, which is referred to in
the Quran ( 31: 27 ) in the following words: “If all
the trees on earth were pens, and the sea [were] ink, with seven [more]
seas added to it, the words of God would not be exhausted: for, truly,
God is Almighty and Wise.”
The Age of Democracy
The age of democracy is another name for the age of freedom. In line
with God’s creation plan, it was essential for an environment of freedom
to remain on earth. The role that is required for man to play is possible
only in an environment of freedom. This age of democracy started in
the Muslim period. It advanced further, in the form of a process, till it
culminated in the form of the French Revolution of 1789.
Democracy is a great stage in human history. It was in this age that for
the first time freedom and peace became a choice for people. Prior to
this, people could enjoy freedom and peace only if they were granted to them as a gift by their rulers. But now it no longer remained something
that could be had only if it were given as a gift by someone else. Instead,
it became an absolute right of everyone. It was not possible for any
individual or group to snatch this right away from others.
Many people today complain that they are deprived of the opportunity
to live and work in an atmosphere of freedom and peace. Such people
are simply unaware of the secret of life. If you want to enjoy the
blessings of freedom and peace that we have been bestowed with in
this age, you must know that you should set such a goal for yourself
that can be achieved without having to resort to violent confrontation
with anyone. If you devise a goal for yourself
that will disturb someone else’s life, you will
be left to complaining and protesting against
others. But if you devise a purpose for yourself
that will not, in any way, become a problem
for others, you can carry on with your work
for the rest of your life, and you will have no
complaints against others.
God has bestowed
man with freedom.
Man has been
granted this freedom
so that he can
discover things
himself and cultivate
a self-developed
personality.
This secret is referred to in the Quran ( 4: 128 )
thus: “Reconciliation is best”. This indicates
that the aim that you set for yourself should
not lead to you entering into confrontation
or conflict with others. In this way, you will
find that everything in this world is favourable for you. It will become
possible, then, for you to achieve your purpose, while being safe from
developing the psyche of complaints against others. On the other
hand, if you speak the language of complaint, it only means that you
have chosen a wrong aim for yourself. It is a problem of a wrong aim,
not one of other people’s oppression or enmity.
Another major development that occurred in the Muslim period was
that nature was removed from the pedestal of an object of worship
and was made an object of study and investigation. This happened in
stages, till it finally reached the age of the scientific revolution. The
scientific revolution fulfilled this prediction in the Quran ( 41: 53 ): “We
shall show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves, until
it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth.”
The democratic revolution and the scientific revolution in modern
times are fully favourable to Islam. The modern age is completely in
Islam’s favour. This phase started in the period of Muslim political rule,
but its culmination happened in the third period of history, the age of
the rule of secular people.
New Role of the Muslim Ummah
Indicating a principle of nature, the Quran says:
Say, “Lord, sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on
whom you will and take it away from whom You please; You exalt
whoever You will and abase whoever You will. All that is good lies in
Your hands. You have the power to will anything” ( 3: 26 ).
This means khilafat-e-arzi or political rule is not the monopoly of
any group. It is a role that God, in accordance with His Plan, gives
sometimes to one group, and sometimes to another. When a particular
group receives political rule, it must find out for what purpose this role
has been given to it. And when political rule is snatched from it, then,
too, it should know why this post has been taken away from it. Lack of
awareness of this will deprive the group of God’s help. Consequently, it
will be unsuccessful in every way.
The conditions of
this new age show us
that the role of the
Muslim ummah has
now changed. And
this role is just one:
global dawah.
The Muslim empire was established in the 8th
century CE. This was a sign that the role of
khilafat-e arzi had now been given to Muslims.
This role was to end the system of kingship of
the ancient type. This task was accomplished
through Muslims on a global scale. For
centuries, in whichever land Muslims entered,
they put an end to the centuries-old system
of political dictatorship. But then a time came
when Muslim Sultanates began to decline.
The early 19th century announced the end of
Muslim political dominance. Across the world,
one Muslim Sultanate after another began crumbling before Western
powers and started coming under their domination. Following this,
Muslims made many efforts—on a massive scale—to restore their
political glory. But despite many struggles over a period of 200 years,
they completely failed in this regard.
This is no ordinary matter. It was, in fact, an announcement of the
change in the Muslims’ role. In the 18th century, the Muslims’ political
role had ended. The role that was now required of them was another
one—to use modern opportunities to communicate the religion of God
at the global level. In the modern period, God had according to His
plan given Western powers the opportunity to discover new means
and resources, and make them available for common use. Through the
Western powers those things came into being for the first time that
were necessary for engaging in dawah at the global level—for instance, religious freedom, openness, global travel and communications, the
printing press and much more.
These new conditions were an indication that the role of the Muslim
ummah (community) had now changed. This new role of the Muslim
ummah was predicted in a Hadith in the following words: “There shall
not remain on the face of earth any house, big or small, in which the
word of God will not have reached.” Muslims’ role now was to use
modern opportunities to convey the universal message of Islam to the
whole of humankind. But strangely, almost the whole of the Muslim
ummah remained unaware of this fundamental reality. They did not
understand this change in their role. Instead they sought to regain
their lost political glory by fighting against their supposed enemies.
This action was against the divine plan. That is why it did not receive
God’s help, and failed miserably and completely.
Change of Role
The 19th and 20th centuries have taken the Muslim ummah into a new
age. The conditions of this new age show us that the role of the Muslim
ummah has now changed. And this role is just one: global dawah.
However, Muslim leaders remained completely unaware of today’s
age. As a result, they could not even tell the Muslim ummah about
their new role. A major tragedy of the Muslim ummah in this age is its
unawareness of the role that it should play at this time. That is why the
whole ummah seems to have no knowledge of
the direction in which it should head.
The democratic
revolution and the
scientific revolution
in modern times are
fully favourable to
Islam. The modern
age is completely in
Islam’s favour.
This age is a period of the degeneration of the
ummah. In this age, almost all Muslim leaders,
through their rhetoric and writings, fed to the
degenerated psyche that Muslims had come
to develop. But this was definitely against
God’s creation plan. In the 19th and 20th
centuries, Muslims witnessed many efforts
and struggles—but these were based on a
self-created communal role that Muslims saw
for themselves, and not for the role that God
wanted. Because of this, the ummah remained bereft of God’s help in all
of this. The aims that the Muslims devised in this period for themselves
were all communal aims, devised in line with the degenerate mindset
that they had developed. Therefore, they failed to achieve what they
wanted.
Another failure that the Muslims have had to face was that the whole
Muslim ummah developed a negative psyche. Despair, negative
thinking, complaint, protest-mentality, hot-temperedness, violence,
considering the rest of the world as enemies, imagining conspiracies
lurking everywhere, gun culture, and, finally, an extreme manifestation
of a sense of failure—suicide-bombing: this is the general image of
the Muslim ummah in the 21st century. Because of this, the whole
community has come to be embroiled in a violent psyche—some of its
members are engaged in active violence, while others are engaged in
passive violence.
This is a situation of general destruction. There is only one way for the
ummah to come out of this destruction—and that is for it to completely
stop negative thinking and to replace this completely with positive
thinking. It must be prepared to, once again, carry on with its actual
mission—that is, the mission of inviting people to God. No excuse that
seeks to avoid this mission is acceptable.
Dawah Efforts
In the past, Muslims established political empires. Today, many Muslims
still dream of reviving these empires. But this is an anachronism.
Muslims should understand God’s plan for human history and chalk
out their aims accordingly. The fact is that the age of building political
empires has gone. But there is now another, bigger opportunity for
Muslims that is fully available to them—and that is, to work at the
global level for peaceful dissemination of the divine message.
In the past, deadly wars were fought to establish political empires,
resulting in much loss of life. But today to establish a ‘dawah empire’,
to invite people across the whole world to God, there is no need for war
at all. In the new conditions, it has become fully possible to engage in
dawah globally in a peaceful manner.
