The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 227
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI. KHILAFAT-E-AHMADIYYA. In Surah Atoner of the Holy Quran (24:56), there is a promise by Allah that He will raise Khalifas (successors of the Holy Prophet) among righteous Muslims with the result that Allah will establish their religion which He had chosen for them and that He will give them peace and security after their fear. Thus, after a Prophet passes away, a series of successors follow to carry on the Prophet's mission. . When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) passed away, it was a time of grief and fear and great crisis. Rebellions broke out in many parts of Arabia. At that critical time, Allah raised Hadhrat Abu. Bakr as the first Khalifa to the Holy Prophet. Muslims were again united, Islam was firmly established, and their fears changed into peace, security, and progress. Hadhrat Abu Bakr was followed by other Khalifas, namely, Hadhrat Umar, Hadhrat Uthman, and Hadhrat. Ali. They were all righteous and guided by Allah. May Allah be pleased with them. This glorious period of early Islam is known as. Khilafat-e-Rashida (i. e. , righteous and guided Khilafat). No student of the history of Islam can ignore this glorious period of success and victory, when all Muslims were united and guided by Khalifas. Later on, Khilafat took a different shape. Kingship or monarchy followed. . Some of them were saintly and have great names in the history of. Islam. There have been a great number of saints and reformers in each century of Islam, who provided spiritual guidance in their times and spheres, with the blessings of the Holy Prophet. Many of them were persecuted by the authorities of their time. . In one Hadees in (Musnad Ahmad, vol. 5 page 404, the Holy. Prophet said: "O ye Muslims the present prophethood period amongst you will last as long as Allah wills. On its conclusion there will be a period of Khilafat on the design, pattern and succession of Nabuwwat, i. e. , in continuation of the Prophet's mission. This Khilafat will be followed by a succession of kingship, which will be dictatorial regimes of tyranny and oppression, which will be followed by non227