Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 24
Khilafat Centenary conscious progression from the teachings of Hadhrat Adam as , to Hadhrat Noah as , Hadhrat Abraham as , Hadhrat Moses as to Hadhrat Muhammad saw. quote from late Hadhrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad ra. He writes: God Almighty does everything through wisdom and The will of God mentioned above is manifested foresight, and there is always a good reason and logic through His chosen ones, who, in terms of the Holy behind it. According to nature's physical laws, man has Qur'an, are called Khulafa or Prophets. History only a limited life span, but the task of reformation and tells us that after some Prophets their mission was training of society requires a much longer time. So, Allah carried out by their successors. These successors were has established the system of Khilafat after the system either Prophets themselves or -. --------. . . . . . . ---. . . . ,,. . _--. . . . . . . . of Prophethood. The Khalifa simply served as Khulafa to their continues and carries on the task respective Prophets. of the Prophet. The seed sown Three Types of Khulafa The Holy Qur'an mentions the following types of Khulafa (successors). Khulafa who are Prophets such as Adam and David. About Adam, God says in the Qur'an, "I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth,'' (2: 31) and about David He says: "O David, We have made thee a vicegerent in the earth. " (38: 27) Prophets who are the Khulafa of another (greater) Prophet such as the Israelite Prophets, who were the Khulafa of Moses. About them the Holy Qur'an says: "We have sent down the Torah, wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets who were obedient to Us judge for the Jews. " (5:45) Non-Prophet Khulafa of a Prophet, with or without temporal powers, such as godly people, learned in the Law. Their mission is to protect and preserve the law. "Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets, who were obedient to us, judge for the Jews, as did the Godly people and those learned in the Law, because they were required to preserve the Book of Allah, and because they were guardians over it. " (5:45) Briefly, verse 5:45 covers all categories of Khulafa, viz. , the Holy Prophet'ssawrightly guided Khulafa, the Promised Messiah (as) and his Successors, and the spiritual Reformers or Mujaddids. Their mission, according to the above verse is to protect the law and to bring back the erring flock into the Master's fold. To make the subject crystal clear I would like to by the Prophet is protected and nurtured by the Khalifa till it becomes a strong and sturdy tree. It shows that in fact Khilafat is an offshoot or branch of the system of Prophet hood; that is why the Holy Prophet sa w says that after every Prophet , the system of Khilafat is established. Appointment of Khalifa Just as Allah appoints a Prophet, it is He who appoints a Khalifa as well. He chooses the person who is most eligible to become a Khalifa, and guides a group of pious believers into manifesting His will through a process of selecting the Khalifa. Thus, it may apparently seem that the Khalifa is chosen by a group of pious people; it is in fact the will of Allah that guides their faculties into choosing the Khalifa of His choice. Once a Khalifa is selected, he remains a Khalifa for the rest of his life as a living testament to the Divine Will. Khilafat establishes Allah's authority on earth, and the Khalifa strives to uphold that authority within the community of followers. For the believers, Khilafat is an embodiment of Allah's Unity, as they choose to take Divine authority through the Khalifa. The believers partake of the blessings of Khilafat by holding firm to their faith and by remaining united behind him. The guidance that commenced through Adam reached its zenith through Hadhrat Muhammad saw in the form of the Holy Qur'an. Holy Qur'an: The Last Divine Law The Holy Qur'an is a compendium of all that is good; lasting and imperishable in its teachings and with a