Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 8
8 KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH establishment of spiritual Khilafat would also have to be considered an interim arrangement made by the Muslims of that time, it would not be an authority for establishing spiritual Khilafat in the future. If the institution of Khilafat were not proven to have existed from the beginning, its establishment in the later era would not be a valid issue. Thus, if the issue of Khilafat were to be affected in any way, not only would people declare the Turkish Khilafat unlawful, but also they would deny Khilafat altogether. As a result, we, who believe in Khilafat, would not escape its effects. For example, if an objection is raised against Hindus and Christians which can also apply to Islam, then, it cannot be said that it only affects Hindus and Christian, and not Muslims. If the same objection can also be made against Islam, it would be our duty to resolve it, for if it were to cause people to turn away from religion, Islam would also be affected. The fourth point is that we cite the precedent of Khilafat-e-R a shidah of the Holy Prophet sa to prove the truthfulness of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. We declare that just as Hadrat Abu Bakr ra , Hadrat Umar ra , Hadrat Usman ra , and Hadrat Ali ra became Khulaf a ’ after the Holy Prophet sa , likewise there should be Khilafat after the Promised Messiah as as well. If the first Khilafat were to lose its validity, Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya would also become invalid.