Approaching the West — Page 21
A pproaching the West—21 Moreover, the words Khal ā ’if and khulaf ā ’ (the plural of Khal ī fah) are used in the Qur’ ā n for succeeding generations or nations in the sense that God made them the leading nations because of their piety as against those people who were ruined in the past because of their sinfulness. The Qur’ ā n specifically uses the term khulaf ā ’ (in plural) indicating the institution of Khil ā fat as a special favor and blessing of God to the people, not only by giving them temporal power, but more specifically as a reward for them for remaining righteous. In this sense, from the Qur’ ā nic perspective, the concept is that Khil ā fat is a gift of God, and to retain this esteemed position, the Qur’ ā n requires vigilance on the part of the believers in maintaining moral and spiritual uprightness and upholding firm faith in the existence of God. In the Chapter of the Qur’ ā n entitled Al-N ū r—The Light, it is clearly stated that God has promised Khil ā fat to those who possess faith, and do good works: 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… (24:56)