The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 543
XII - First Era of Life in Madīnah Comes to an End and the Islāmic System of Government 543 was martyred shortly thereafter, 1 but they did not bow their heads to this autocratic government, which they believed to be in contradiction to Islāmic practice. However, this mistake of Amīr Mu‘āwiyyah became a precedent for those who came after him and from that time onwards, kingship took on the form of a hereditary system. There is also additional evidence which substantiates that the leadership of Amīr Mu‘āwiyyah and his succession did not constitute true Islāmic Khilāfat , rather, was only a system of kingship. The Holy Prophet sa made a prophecy that after his demise, true Islāmic Khilāfat would only remain for thirty years and after this era a system of kingship would be introduced. 2 Hence, if one calculates, up to the Khilāfat of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra or Imām Ḥasan ra , this thirty year period comes to a close. From the era of Amīr Mu‘āwiyyah, the time period of that era begins which has been referred to as kingship. Conditions for the Appointment of a Successor In summary, the true Islāmic teaching and real Islāmic practice is that Khilāfat and leadership should be established with the consultation of the people, as was done in the case of the first Khalīfah of Islām after the demise of the Holy Prophet sa. 3 Nonetheless, if a Khalīfah feels the need to appoint a successor himself, in certain circumstances, such a practice has been permitted. However, as proven in light of the Islāmic teaching and the practice of the Four Khulafā’ , there are five conditions. Firstly, such special circumstances should be prevalent at the time as would make such 1 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 6, pp. 245-246, Thumma Dakhalat Sanatu Iḥdā Wa Sittīna / Dhikrul-Khabari ‘Ammā Kāna Fīhā Minal-Aḥdāthi, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Al-Kāmilu Fit-Tārīkh (Tārīkhu Ibnil-Athīr), By ‘Izzuddīn Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad Ibnul- Athīr, Volume 3, pp. 432-434, Tumma Dakhalat Sanatu Iḥdā Wa Sittīna, Dhikru Maqtalil-Ḥusaini Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2006) * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 7, pp. 195-196, Thumma Dakhalat Sanatu Thalāthin Wa Sab‘īna / Dhikrul-Kā’inilladhi Kāna Fīhā, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Al-Kāmilu Fit-Tārīkh (Tārīkhu Ibnil-Athīr), By ‘Izzuddīn Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad Ibnul- Athīr, Volume 4, pp. 125-126, Tumma Dakhalat Sanatu Thalāthin Wa Sab‘īna (71), Dhikru Qatli ‘Abdillāhibniz-Zubairi, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2006) 2 Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, By Waliyyudīn Abū ‘Abdillāh Muḥammad bin ‘Abdillāh, Volume 2, p. 281, Kitābul-Fitan, Al-Faṣluth-Thānī, Ḥadīth No. 5395, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003) 3 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Aḥkām, Bābul-Istikhlāf, Ḥadīth No. 7218 * Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Imārati, Bābul-Istikhlāfi Wa Tarkihī, Ḥadīth No. 4713-4714