Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 197
KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH 197 the death of the Prophet sa , we find that only a few individuals were bestowed Khilafat; not all of them. Therefore, either believe that after the death of the Prophet sa the people did not remain worthy of being called [those who believe and do good works], or as Shia believe that there were left only two and a half believers in ummah. In this way you will have to declare that all who were left were hypocrites (God forbid), so the promise of national Khilafat could not be fulfilled by them. But if they were on the path of their faith and acts of goodness then who can be more worthy to fulfill the promise than them? However, the way that Allah, the Almighty established Khilafat amongst the Muslims after the Prophet sa is the only evidence needed to show that the promise with the people is fulfilled through individuals. Resemblance of the Four Khulaf a ’ with the Previous Ones is not Necessary in Every Matter The second objection to this verse is that the Khilafat of specific individuals is promised in this verse. However, it is a shared common belief that the Khilafat of the previous Khulaf a ’ was either through Prophethood or through kingdom, but then it is also agreed that the four Khulaf a ’ after the Holy Prophet sa were neither prophets nor kings. Then how was this promise fulfilled, and how can it be a testimony of