Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 279
279 believe and act righteously 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 security and peace in exchange for their present fear. They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious” (24:56). The office of Khalifa is elective. He may be elected directly or, as happened in the case of Umar, the second Khalifa, he may be nominated by his predecessor, the nomination being subject to approval by the people after the death of the nominating Khalifa. The Khalifa holds office for life and must devote his whole time, all his faculties, and his full capacity to the service of the people. He is bound by the ordinances of Divine law and by the principles on which they are based. He must carry them out both in the letter and in the spirit, and see that they are put into effect within the state in the most beneficent manner possible. The Khalifa must decide questions of policy and all major questions of administration after consultation with the chosen representatives of the people, both for the purpose of informing himself in arriving at a decision with regard to the matter in