Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 191
KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH 191 It is against the Sunnah of Companions ra that a Father Should propose His Son for Khilafat The father’s nomination of his son for Khilafat also indicates that it was not a real election because the nomination by the father is against the sunnah of the Companions ra. When Hadrat Umar ra was on his death bed, many delegations came to him and all unanimously suggested that his son Abdullah was the most suitable person for Khilafat after him, and they asked him to appoint his son Khalifah. But he said that for a long time the Muslims had been under the rule of his family, and now he wanted to let someone else have this blessing. 34 If the people had elected his son Abdullah for Khilafat after his death that would have been something different, but the nomination by Hadrat Umar ra would not have been lawful. Similarly, if Muawiyah ra had not presented the case of Yazid before the people in his presence, and later on, the people had elected him, we could have called him an elected king. But now we can neither call him Khalifah nor an elected king. We do not call Muawiyah ra sinful, as he did it under the pressure of the circumstances. But we cannot give the title of Khilafat to Yazid, nor to Muawiyah ra. We can only call them kings. 34 Al-K a mil fit T a r i kh , Vol. 3, p. 65, 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.