Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 45
The Rightly Guided Khulafa and Human Rights --------------------------Lutfur Rahman Mahmood The Rightly Guided Khulafa The Khilafat of the first four successors to the Holy Prophet Muhammad saw is termed Khilafat-e-Rashida and these Khulafa are known as Khulafa-e-Rashideen, that is the Rightly Guided Khulafa. The traditions of the Holy Propher •w point out that the reign of the Rightly Guided Khulafa would continue for about 30 years. He further said that it would be followed by the advent of monarchs, tyrant dynastic rulers and finally the resurgence of Khilafat-ala min hagun Nabuwah, the Khilafat embodying the blessings of the Prophethood. The above prophecy was fulfilled in the Khilafat of the following four prominent companions of the Holy Propher •w : 1. Hadhrat Abu Bakr r• bin Abi Quhafa (632 - 634 C. E. ) 2. Hadhrat Umar r• bin Al-Khattab (634 - 644 C. E. ) 3. Hadhrat Uthman r• bin Affan (64 4 - 656 C. E. ) 4. Hadhrat Ali ra bin Abi Talib (656 - 66 1 C. E. ) Chronologicall y, the blessed Khilafat lasted for twenty nine and half years. Some historians ha ve included Hadhrat Hasan 'sr• six month rule in this period with the view of fulfilling the Holy Prophets saw prophec y literall y. Distinctive Position of the Rightly Guided Khu la fa The Khulafa-e-Rashideen were the be st representation of the class of early converts. They were not only the first recipients of the Qur'anic message, but also their character was molded by the Holy Prophet Muhammad s•w. All of them served as the scribes of the Qur 'anic revelations and belonged to the group of the Ashrah Mubasharah (top ten companions) who were given the glad tidings by the Holy Propher •w in their earthly lives that they would inherit paradise. All of them were fortunate to be by the side of the Holy Propher •w in peace, persecution and state of war. All four were also related to him by marriage, with the first two being his father-in-laws and the remaining two his son-in-laws. The blessed quartet served the Holy Propher•w as close advisors and trusted consultants and faithfully imitated his way of life. That privilege enabl ed them to implement Islamic teachings, in letter and spirit, during the Khilafat era. Islam and Human Rights Maddex defines human rights as "those rights that an individual acquires by reason of being a human being" (Maddex, p. 168). Islam has laid more stress on human rights as compared to all other religions put together. Without exaggeration, we can call the Holy Prophet Muhammad saw the greatest champion of human rights. The following opening words of the Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be regarded as the gist of the Qur'anic teachings on humanity: "The inherent dignity, the equal and inalienable rights of all member s of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. " It is noteworthy that Islam was the pioneer in the seventh century. Magna Carta (1215 C. E. ) Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen adopted during the French Re volution (1789), the US Bill of Rights (1791) came into existence centuries afterwards. Islam not only recognizes human rights, but emphasizes their application and promulgation. Islam has based these rights on the belief of equality of human beings, which have been created by one and the same universal God. The U. N. Charter of Human Rights was launched on December 10 th, 1948, but the Charter of Medina, the first written constitution mankind has known, was drafted in 622 C. E. The following few clauses have been taken as an example from that Charter and will appear to the readers as belonging to modern times: