The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 544
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 544 a practice more appropriate instead of the general practice. Secondly, the successor should be appointed with the consultation of the people. Thirdly, the appointment should remain limited to the next Khalīfah or Amīr alone. It is not permitted that a Khalīfah should order that after him such and such person would be the Amīr , then so and so, and so forth, because this practice is equivalent to snatching the right of election from future generations. Fourthly, the successor should not be a near relative of the Khalīfah. Fifthly, the Khalīfah who is appointing a successor should be an elected Khalīfah himself. 1 ُ وَاللّٰه ُ اَعْلَم Can A Person Resign from Leadership? The question as to whether a Khalīfah or Amīr can resign from office on the basis of a certain wisdom after being officially elected or appointed is a question for which no specific directive has been given. However, it is obvious that in the case of worldly rulers, there can be no reason for prohibition, albeit, the question of religious Khulaf ā’ is worthy of contemplation. It is ascertained from history that in the era of Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān ra , the third Khalīfah , when the rebels pressed him to resign from the office of Khilāfat , or suffer forceful dethronement or murder, Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān ra responded, “I shall never take off the garment of honour which God has conferred upon me. ” 2 This was an indication towards a statement of the Holy Prophet sa addressed to Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān ra that, “Allāh shall confer upon you a garment, and the people will struggle to snatch it from you, but you should not surrender it. ” 3 However, in contrast to this, the action of Ḥaḍrat Imām Ḥasan ra , upon witnessing signs of dissension in the community of 1 And Allāh knows best [Publishers] 2 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 5, pp. 167-168, Thumma Dakhalat Sanatu Khamsin Wa Thalāthīna / Dhikrul-Khabari ‘An Qatlihī Wa Kaifa Qutila, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Al-Kāmilu Fit-Tārīkh (Tārīkhu Ibnil-Athīr), By ‘Izzuddīn Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad Ibnul- Athīr, Volume 3, pp. 60-61, Sanatu 35, Dhikru Maqtali ‘Uthmāna, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2006) 3 * Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, By Waliyyudīn Abū ‘Abdillāh Muḥammad bin ‘Abdillāh, Volume 2, p. 425, Kitābul-Manāqibi , Bābu Manāqibi ‘Uthmāna Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu, Al-Faṣluth-Thānī, Ḥadīth No. 6077, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003) * Sunanut-Tirmidhī, Kitābul-Manāqib, Wa Fī Manāqibi ‘Uthmānabni ‘Affān, Ḥadīth No. 3705