Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 120
120 KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH with all the verses. No doubt, in worldly affairs the obedience of every “authority” is obligatory, but with it we cannot ignore that in every age the obedience of “those among them [Muslims] who are vested with authority” is obligatory for them. Interpretation of “Refer to Allah and His Messenger in situations of Disagreement with Authority among You” Now I come to the topic that I had promised to explain before. Some people have raised the objection that in case of disagreement with “authorities” Allah, the Almighty says, “refer it to Allah and His Messenger”; it indicates that their obedience is not obligatory but in controversial situation, we have to look at what the command of Allah and His Messenger is. The answer to this question is that this interpretation makes the whole verse meaningless because every person considers his own viewpoint as correct. If this meaning of verse is adopted, then there cannot be any obedience. After all what will the command be that would be unanimously acknowledged by all the people as the command of God and His Messenger? There is no doubt that difference of opinion is always present. If everybody has the authority to declare a command to be against the teachings of God and His Messenger then in that situation Khalifah is left to rule upon his own self. Particularly in the present age, it is the condition that