Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 217
KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH 217 Some people say that the Promised Messiah as has mentioned this in Sirrul-Khil a fah , but it is not true. Whatever he said was to refute the Shias who say that the real successor of the Holy Prophet sa was Hadrat Ali ra. In reply to this allegation he says, the promise of Khilafat is in the verse of the Holy Quran: The conditions mentioned in it are found by degree of perfection in Hadrat Abu Bakr ra. 41 He means that the Khilafat of Hadrat Abu Bakr ra is more firmly established than that of Hadrat Ali ra , not that Hadrat Ali ra was not a Khalifah. He has also used the term four Khulaf a ’ in his books. 42 He has also specifically mentioned the Khilafat of Hadrat Ali ra. 43 Further proof regarding this is that of the late Maulaw i Abdul Karim ra delivered a lecture to refute the Shias’ viewpoint. In it he proved the Khilafat of Hadrat Abu Bakr ra , Hadrat Umar ra and Hadrat Usman ra , and has also the Khilafat of Hadrat Ali ra at several places. Later on, he published the lecture with some additions in book form named Khilafat-e-R a shidah. In this book he pointed out that the Promised Messiah as heard his lecture and read it time and again, and even quoted 41 Sirrul-Khil a fah , R uha n i Khaz a ’in by Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian as , Vol. 8, pp. 333-334. 42 Ibid, p. 326. 43 Ibid, pp. 358-359.