Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 10
10 KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH a basic religious principle and is only done to follow the actions of the Holy Prophet sa , then it would be concluded that the actions of the Holy Prophet sa related to the establishment of an organization are not religious and do not need to be followed. Just as in the matter of food and clothing no one says that we should follow the Holy Prophet sa literally. For instance, no one says that the Holy Prophet sa wore a loincloth so others should also wear it, or that the Holy Prophet sa used to eat dates so we should also eat the same. Only a general principal is deduced from these practices that we should live a simple life. Similarly, if the steps taken by the Holy Prophet sa , which are concerned with the establishment of an organization, are not considered religious but are called provisional measures, then they would not be an authority for us to follow. At the most, we would be able to assert that with the fall of the rival Arabian empire, all of Arabia came under his command, so, he was compelled to establish a kind of organization. Since laws and regulations were required for the establishment of an organization, he made some as well. His only purpose was to improve the condition of people and not to establish an organization bearing religious authority for all time. In short, by accepting this doctrine, we would also have to accept that the measures taken by the Holy Prophet sa related to the establishment of an organization carry no religious significance, and that