Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 66
66 KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH should be your Khalifah after my demise. After much contemplation and prayer, I have decided to nominate Hadrat Umar ra as Khalifah. So Hadrat Umar ra will be the Khalifah after me. ” 15 All of the Companions ra and others agreed to this Khilafat and took Bai‘at of Hadrat Umar ra after the demise of Hadrat Abu Bakr ra. Election of Hadrat Usman ra When Hadrat Umar ra was injured and realized that his demise was imminent, he nominated six persons and advised them to elect the Khalifah from among themselves. They included Hadrat Usman ra , Hadrat Ali ra , Hadrat Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf ra , Hadrat Sa‘d bin Al-Waqq as ra , Hadrat Zubair ra , and Hadrat Talhah ra 16. In addition to them, he included Hadrat Abdullah bin Umar ra as advisor, but did not declare him as entitled to Khilafat. He also admonished that these people should give their verdict within three days, and Suhaib ra should lead the prayer during that period of time. He appointed Miqd a d bin Al-Aswad ra to oversee the consultation and election process and directed him to gather the Electoral College at one place and to guard them. He issued more directions, the people should take the Bai‘at of the person who is elected by the majority of votes, and if any one 15 Al-K a mil fit T a r i kh , Vol. 2, p. 425, by ‘Izzuddin Abul Hasan Ali bin Abul Karam Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Abdul Kar i m bin Abdul W ah id Ash-sh i b a n i , known as Ibnil Ath i r, publisher D a ru Sa dir, D a r Beirut, AH 1385, AD 1965. 16 Ibid, p. 66.