The Reality of Khilafah — Page 53
C H AP T E R ON E—K HIL C H AP T E R ON E—K HIL A A FAH FAH 53 can, therefore, never accept the accusation that they quarrelled for worldly gains or bore such rancour for one another that it resulted in fighting, estrangement, and all-out animosity. If we assume that the most truthful person [Ab u Bakr] was one of those who prioritised the pleasures of this world and its tempta- tions or that he was a usurper, then we are forced to admit that ‘Al i , the Lion of Allah, was also a hypocrite and not the ascetic whom we believe him to be, and that he was beguiled by the world, running after its ornaments and desiring its charms, and that this is why he did not turn away from the ‘apostates and dis- believers’ but cajoled them and chose to hide his faith for approx- imately thirty years. If a s - S idd i q was a usurper and disbeliever in the eyes of ‘Al i al-Murta da , may Allah be pleased with him, why did he agree to swear allegiance to him? Why did he not migrate from the land of oppression, tribulation and apostasy? Was not Allah’s earth vast enough for him to emigrate, as has been the practice of many righteous ones? Look at the example of Ibr a h i m [Abraham], who fulfilled the commandments. How strong and powerful he was in bearing witness to the truth, and how when he saw that his father had erred and had gone astray and his people worshipped idols instead of the Supreme Lord, he turned away from them. He was not afraid and did not care for the consequences. He was thrown into the fire and subjected to suffering at the hands of the wrongdoers, but he did not choose to conceal his faith out of fear. This is the way of the righteous. They do not fear swords or blades. They consider the hiding of their faith to be one of the great sins and a matter of shame and transgression. Even if they commit a minor mistake, they return to Allah seeking forgiveness.