An Exposition of Some Criticisms Against Khilafat-e-Rashida — Page 13
13 II. Can Kh ilafat Lead to Dictatorship The second criticism of Khilafat - i - Rashida is that if it means an individual Khalifa, it is likely to lead to dictatorship, for the accumulation of vast powers in one individual’s hand, without the corresponding checks and balances available in a corporate body, is susceptible to abuse. This criticism arises out of lack of knowledge both of the institution of Khilafat - i - Rashida and its distinc tive characteristics and of the real stature of those who occupied this office in the past. Distinctive Features of Khilafat - i - Rashida The Promised Reformer, the Second Successor to the Pro - mised Messiah, has listed the special features which distinguish Khilafat - i - Rashida from monarchial sovereignty and other powers and I have the privilege of setting them below: In Islam, Khilafat - i - Rashida has seven distinctive features: 1. Election. God says in the Holy Quran : “Indeed Allah orders you to bestow trusts upon those best suited to them”. Here the word used is “trusts”, but since it occurs in the context of government, it means the trust of government. The method of elections has been le ft to believers to decide. As Khilafat in those early days