Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 102
! ! 102 Khilafat , to what extent should one believe in the [institution] and w ill it be by election or by birthright? The second disagreement regarding the Holy Qur’ān is whether it was recorded as revealed or whether the thoughts and text were inspired? In this framework the question arises as to the matter of Divine attributes. Can God speak or does he communicate in a different manner ? The third disagreement concerns whether the Messenger has any right before Divine command ? These principles which lead to disagreement between the believers and non - believers of Khulafa are worth considering. a. Kharijites: They believe there wa s no Khilafat after the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa and instead, there should have been a Parliament. In their opinion , sin inevitably leads to hell and t here will be no intercession. The basis for their belief s is that it was an error , God forbid, to appoint a Khalifa after the [demise of the] Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Kharijites emerged during the time of Hazrat ‘ Ali ra Karam Allah Wajhahu [ May God exalt his face ]. b. Motazili Sect: ‘ Umar Bin Ameer founded this sect. He felt that human bei ngs should use the intelligence granted them by God. They deny predestination and verbal revelation. c. Shia: They believe that an Imam is chosen from among the Ummah. That right belonged to the progeny of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. After the Holy Prophet sa , Ha z rat ‘ Ali ra and his children were due this right. This sect is particularly against the Khulafa , and God forbid, dubs them as thugs. d. Naturee Sect: They wish to adapt Islam to European teachings. It is a grave error to modify God’s word to fit in with man’s knowledge. They apparently feel that there should be no distinction between God’s word and God’s work. However, when the two are assessed , they adapt to man’s word, rather than God’s word. This sect resembles the Motazili sect. e. Ahl - e - Qur’ān ( people of the Holy Qur’ān ): They say the Messenger’s role is that of a postman and is of no significant importance. Thus, they reject the Hadith and