What is Khilafat?

Introduction

Khilafat literally means: ‘the successorship of prophethood.’ After Prophethood, Khilafat is the most important institution in Islam. Khulafa are ultimately appointed by God through His Divine guidance.

Khilafat in the Holy Quran

اِنِّیۡ جَاعِلٌ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ خَلِیۡفَۃًؕ قَالُوۡۤا اَتَجۡعَلُ فِیۡہَا مَنۡ یُّفۡسِدُ فِیۡہَا وَیَسۡفِکُ الدِّمَآءَ ۚ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِکَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَکَؕ قَالَ اِنِّیۡۤ اَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
And when thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I am about to place a vicegerent (khalifa) in the earth,’ they said: ‘Wilt Thou place therein such as will cause disorder in it, and shed blood? — and we glorify Thee with Thy praise and extol Thy holiness.’ He answered: ‘I know what you know not.’
_2:31

وَ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ جَعَلَکُمۡ خَلٰٓئِفَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ رَفَعَ بَعۡضَکُمۡ فَوۡقَ بَعۡضٍ دَرَجٰتٍ لِّیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ فِیۡ مَاۤ اٰتٰىکُمۡ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ سَرِیۡعُ الۡعِقَابِ ۫ وَ اِنَّہٗ لَغَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ
And He it is Who has made you successors (khalifa) of others on the earth and has exalted some of you over others in degrees of rank, that He may try you by that which He has given you. Surely, thy Lord is quick in punishment; and surely, He is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
_6:166

ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنٰکُمۡ خَلٰٓئِفَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ لِنَنۡظُرَ کَیۡفَ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ
Then We made you their successors in the earth after them, that We might see how you would act.
_10:15

وَعَدَ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّہُمۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ کَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ۙ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَہُمۡ دِیۡنَہُمُ الَّذِی ارۡتَضٰی لَہُمۡ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِہِمۡ اَمۡنًا ؕ یَعۡبُدُوۡنَنِیۡ لَا یُشۡرِکُوۡنَ بِیۡ شَیۡئًا ؕ وَ مَنۡ کَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِکَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ

 Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors (khulafa) in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious.
_24:56

اَمَّنۡ یُّجِیۡبُ الۡمُضۡطَرَّ اِذَا دَعَاہُ وَ یَکۡشِفُ السُّوۡۤءَ وَ یَجۡعَلُکُمۡ خُلَفَآءَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ ءَاِلٰـہٌ مَّعَ اللّٰہِ ؕ قَلِیۡلًا مَّا تَذَکَّرُوۡنَ
Or, Who answers the distressed person when he calls upon Him, and removes the evil, and makes you successors in the earth? Is there a god with Allah? Little is it that you reflect.
_27:63

یٰدَاوٗدُ اِنَّا جَعَلۡنٰکَ خَلِیۡفَۃً فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَاحۡکُمۡ بَیۡنَ النَّاسِ بِالۡحَقِّ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعِ الۡہَوٰی فَیُضِلَّکَ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یَضِلُّوۡنَ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ شَدِیۡدٌۢ بِمَا نَسُوۡا یَوۡمَ الۡحِسَابِ
O David, We have made thee a vicegerent (khalifa) in the earth; so judge between men with justice, and follow not vain desire, lest it should lead thee astray from the way of Allah. Surely, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.
_38:27

Khilafat in Hadith

“Prophethood would remain among you so long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood would be established and remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then despotic rule would remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then a tyrannous rule would remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then the Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood would be established again (Khilafah ala Minhaji-Nabuwwah). Then, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) remained silent.”

_{[Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 30, pg. 355, no. 18406]}

Al Albani said, in Takhreej Mishkat al Masabih, the chain is hasan:

الراوي: النعمان بن بشير المحدث: الألباني – المصدر: تخريج مشكاة المصابيح – الصفحة أو الرقم: 5306
خلاصة حكم المحدث: إسناده حسن

_[dorar.net]

مَا‭ ‬كَانَتْ‭ ‬نُبُوَّةٌ‭ ‬قَطُّ‭ ‬اِلَّا‭ ‬تَبِعَتْهَا‭ ‬خِلَافَةٌ

There had not been any Prophethood which was not succeeded by Khilafa.

_{[Kanz al-Ummal, Hadith 3224]}

To read an in-depth explanation of the Musnad Ahmad hadith above click below ↓

Khilafat-e-Rashida: The Rightly Guided Caliphate

Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) (632 – 634 CE)

He was the closest companion of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He was gentle, humble, and deeply loyal. When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, people were shaken, but Abu Bakr (RA) stood firm and reminded them that it was Allah who lives forever and that all Prophets indeed pass away. His caliphate lasted only two years, but in that short time, he stabilized a chaotic situation. He fought against false prophets and tribes that broke away from Islam. He also started the process of gathering the Qur’an into one collection. His love for the Prophet ﷺ was unmatched, and he lived a simple life even as the leader of the Muslims.

Hazrat Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) (634 – 644 CE)

Hazrat Umar (RA) was appointed as Khalifa after the passing of Abu Bakr (RA). He had once been one of Islam’s fiercest enemies, but after converting, he became one of its strongest protectors. As the Caliph, he was a powerful and just ruler. He expanded the Muslim empire across vast regions, including Persia and Egypt. But even with all that power, he remained humble. His leadership was organized, wise, and strict, but full of care for the people. He was eventually assassinated during prayer by a Persian slave in 644 CE.

Hazrat Uthman Ibn Affan (RA) (644 – 656 CE)

The 3rd Khalifa of Islam, he was known for his shyness, generosity, and wealth, which he used for the cause of Islam. He was the one who compiled and distributed a standardized copy of the Qur’an across the Muslim world. His rule started peacefully, but over time, political tensions rose. People became divided, and sadly, he was killed in his own home while reading the Qur’an. His death was one of the events that led to deep divisions in the Muslim community and the next caliphate.

Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (RA) (656 – 661 CE)

He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ, as he married his (ﷺ) daughter Fatima (RA). He was known for his deep knowledge, wisdom, and bravery in battles, such as the battle of Khaibar against the Jews. As the Khalifa of Islam, he had to deal with intense political and civil conflict. Some companions disagreed with his leadership, which led to battles like Jamal and Siffin. Despite all this, he always tried to hold onto justice and avoid bloodshed. He was eventually assassinated while praying in the mosque.

Span of Khilafat-e-Rashida: Foretold by Muhammad ﷺ

The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ foretold the exact number of years Khilafat would remain amongst the Arabs before kingship and monarchies would begin:

Sa’eed bin Jumhan narrated:

“Safinah narrated to me, he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: “Al-Khilafah will be in my Ummah for thirty years, then there will be monarchy after that.”‘

^{[Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2226]}

Thus, we can see that words of Muhammad ﷺ came out to be true as Khilafat concluded after the exact number of years as the Prophet ﷺ foretold. Many monarchies and kingships claimed to be Caliphates after, however, they all ended in a miserable way as they were not true and real caliphates – they only pretended to be caliphates. However, just like Muhammad ﷺ foretold the end of Khilafat-e-Rashida, he also prophesied the coming of another Khilafat, the Khilafat after the Messiah and Mahdi. This Khilafat was to remain until the Day of Judgement.

Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya: The Decreed Everlasting Khilafat

Hazrat Maulvi Hakeem Maulwi Nooruddin (RA) (1908 – 1914)

He was the first Khalifa after the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) passed away on May 26th, 1908. He was a quiet, wise man, a scholar and Hafiz (memorizer) of the Qur’an with lots of knowledge in Fiqh and Hadith as well. He had been the Promised Messiah’s physician and closest supporter. When the Jama’at was at risk of splitting after the founder’s death, his calm and firm leadership kept the community together. He emphasized Qur’anic education and helped lay the foundation for the system of Khilafat to continue.

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad (RA) (1914 – 1965)

He was the Promised Son, Musleh Maud, who was promised by Allah to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS). He became Khalifa at a young age of 25, but he turned out to be a visionary leader. Under his leadership of 52. years, the community expanded worldwide and many prophecies of the Promised Messiah (AS) came into fruition under his leadership, such as the arrival of the Mahdi in Damascus and Europe. He introduced many departments and organizations like Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Atfalul Ahmadiyya, and Lajna Imaillah. He was incredibly intelligent, wrote deeply on Islam, and trained missionaries to spread the message globally. His greatest contribution by far was his monumental Tafsir (exegesis) of the Holy Quran. He authored 10 volumes of detailed commentary, and as more of his Tafsir writings continue to be discovered, it is estimated that the complete collection will exceed 10 volumes.

Hazrat Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad (RA) (1965 – 1982)

He was a calm and intellectual leader. He had studied at Oxford and became Khalifa during a time when the Jama’at faced harsh persecution in Pakistan. In 1974, the government declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslim by law, and he responded with dignity and courage. He also started the Nusrat Jahan Scheme, sending doctors and teachers to Africa. His leadership was full of compassion and wisdom.

Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (RA) (1982 – 2003)

He was appointed as Khalifa in 1982. After being forced to leave Pakistan in 1982 due to plots to arrest him, he settled the headquarters in London. The Khilafat of Mirza Tahir Ahmad (RA) is widely recognized as the dawn of the digital age for the Ahmadiyya community. He launched MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) in 1992, which connected Ahmadis all over the world. He had a unique style: passionate, humorous, and deeply spiritual. He wrote and spoke powerfully about Islam and reason. His greatest work was his translation of the Holy Quran and his monumental book: Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge, and Truth. People loved him for how easily he connected with everyone, especially the youth.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (ABA) (2003 – present)

He is the current Khalifa who was elected after the passing of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (RA) in 2003. He’s known for being firm, yet gentle. Under his leadership, the Jama’at has expanded even more globally and has greatly improved in office and administrative work. He writes to world leaders, speaks in parliaments, and constantly calls for peace and justice. Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) has been a glocal voice for peace and justice since 2003 and has been advocating to world leaders to make peace before another disastrous and poetntial third world war takes place. Under his Khilafat, Jama’at Ahmadiyya celebrated 100 years of Wasiyyat in 2005 and 100 years of Khilafat in 2008. However, the Jama’at has also had to face a lot of persecution during this time, such as the brutal Lahore Attack in 2010. Despite the persecution in Pakistan and other parts of the world such as Africa, he continues to guide the community with patience and strength. He places strong focus on prayer, moral training, and the youth. May Allah preserve and protect him and enable the true message of Islam to spread through him to corners of the Earth. Amin.