In this article the following questions have been addressed:
What is Khilafah?
Is establishing Khilafah compulsory ?
Can there be more than one khalifa?
What about the currents Muslim countries are they not Khilafah State (Islamic state)?
What is the time limit for appointing a khalifa and the consequence of not fulfilling this duty ?
Is it possible to re-establish khilafah now?
How can we work to re-establish khilafah?
1. What is Khilafah?
The body responsible for the implementation of the divine laws (Ahkam Shariyah) and the propagation of Islam is known as the Khilafah. The Khilafah is the name given to the Islamic ruling system which is distinguishable from all other ruling systems. Based solely on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet the Khilafah system is unique. Khilafah state is also referred to as Dar al-Islam or Islamic State.
Although some refer to the system by the name of Imamah, the actual ruling system is one and the same. Numerous authentic traditions (Ahadith Sahiha) of the Prophet confirm this. Whilst either name can be used to identify the system, Islam demands that the Muslims adhere totally to the Islamic system these Hadith describe.
The Khilafah means the common leadership of all Muslims in the world, which implements the divine (Shariah) laws and conveys the invitation (Dawah) of Islam to the world. The Imamah means the same. The Muslim Leader who is appointed by the Ummah as head of the Khilafah is known as Khalifa (also referred to as Imam or Amir ul Mu'minin).
Allah(swt) commanded us to live by His law and Rasulullah (saw) showed us how to implement those laws comprehensively through the Khilafah system. Implementation of Islam is impossible without the presence of Khilafah . Rasulullah (saw) said :
“ The affairs of Bani Israeel were looked after by the prophets. After each prophet died, he was succeeded by another prophet. There is no prophet after me, but there will be Khulafaa (plural of Khalifa). They asked,” what do you order us to do? He replied , “ Give them bay’ah one after another, for Allah will ask them about what He entrusted them with.” [Bukhari]
“Indeed, the Khalifa is a shield, from behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected.” [Muslim]
2. Is establishing Khilafah compulsory ?
The establishment of a Khalif for Muslims is an obligation on all Muslims all over the world. The performance of this duty, like any of the duties prescribed by Allah , must be done. There is no choice in the matter. To be complacent, or to neglect this duty is one of the greatest sins for which Allah will punish severely. This understanding is supported by evidences from the Book of Allah , the Sunnah and the consensus of the companions of the Prophet , i.e. Ijma'a-as-sahaba. For detail evidences on this topic please read The Re-establishment of the Khilafah is an obligation upon all Muslims
3. Can there be more than one khalifa?
The Muslims are not allowed to have more than one khalifa and one state; this is confirmed by the following hadiths:
Abu Said al Khudri reported that the Prophet said: "When oath of allegiance (Baya) has been taken for two khalifas, kill the latter of them." [Muslim]
Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Ass reported that the Prophet said: "Whoso pledged allegaince (baya) to an imam giving him the clasp of his hand and the fruit of his heart shall obey him as long as he can. If another comes to dispute with him, you must strike the neck of that man." [Muslim]
Arfaja reported that the Messenger of Allah said: "Whoso comes to you, while your affair has been united under one man, intending to divide your staff or dissolve your unity, kill him." [Muslim]
When the Khilafah has been re-established its duty will be to annex all the other present day Muslim countries to it; thus forming one state for all Muslims. The existing boundaries that divide the Muslim Ummah must be removed. There is no Islamic evidence to support the view that they should remain once the Khilafah has been established. The modern state boundaries are completely artificial and are the creation of the colonialist nations that once occupied the land of Muslims.
4. What about the currents Muslim countries are they not Khilafah State (Islamic state)?
According to Shariah terminology, Dar al-Islam (Islamic state ) is defined as the land which is governed by the laws of Islam and whose security (Aman) is maintained by the security of Islam, i.e. by the authority and protection of Muslims inside and outside the land, even if the majority of its inhabitants are non-Muslims.
Dar al-Kufr is the land which is governed by the laws of Kufr, and whose security is not maintained by the security (Aman) of Islam, i.e. by other than the authority and security of Muslims, even if the majority of its inhabitants are Muslims.
So what matters in determining whether the land is Dar al-Islam or Dar al-Kufr is neither the land itself nor its inhabitants, rather it is the laws and the security. So if its laws are Islamic and its security is maintained by Muslims then it is Dar al-Islam. When its laws are the laws of Kufr (disbelief) and its security is not maintained by Muslims then it is Dar al-Kufr. These definitions have been derived from the Islamic evidences and discussed by the Ulema (scholars) in history.
[For or more clarification on Dar al-Islam and Dar al_kufr please read Clarifying the meaning of Dar al-Kufr & Dar al-Islam ]
When we look to the Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia we find all of them fundamentally contradicts Islam in many areas such as:
a. All these countries are nation states which uphold their nationalism:
Islamic state is founded on Islamic Aqeeda not on certain geographical entity, race or tribe. Nationalism is Haram in islam as it is evident from the following evidences:
"He is not one us who calls for `Asabiyah, (nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for Asabiyah or who dies for Asabiyah." [Abu Dawud]
" ...People should give up their pride in nations because this is a coal from the coals of hell-fire. If they do not give up this Allah (swt) will consider them lower than a lowly worm which pushes itself through filth." [abu Dawd and Tirmidhi].
"Leave it (refering to all forms of nationalism, racism, and tribalism) . It is Rotten " [Bukhari & Muslim]
b. Being part of the United Nations:
Every member of which has to agree with international law set by the UN. This puts the law of man above the law of Allah, which is Shirk.
c. Allying with the Kuffar against the Muslims:
Rulers of the Muslim countries have aligned themselves with the kuffar in war on Islam in the name of war on terror. They work with the kuffar to obstruct the Muslims from re-establishing Khilafah (Islamic state). Their intelligence service and military work hand in hand with the kuffar to capture, torture and kill Muslims. Many of the Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia have Kafir military presence which facilitate their objective to suppress Islam.
d. Accepting the legitimacy of the governments in the Muslim countries:
This is clear by the fact Muslim countries are part of the OIC and Muslim League and have their ambassadors in these different countries. This is definitively prohibited as Sharia doesn't allow Muslims to have more than one Khalifa.
The Prophet (saw) said: "When the oath of allegiance has been taken for two Khalifs, kill the latter of them". (Narrated in Sahih Muslim by Sa'id al-Khudri)
Prophet (saw) also said: "Whoso comes to you while your affairs has been united under one man, intending to break your strength or dissolve your unity, kill him." (Narrated in Sahih Muslim by 'Arfajah)
e. Implementing some aspects of Sharia and neglecting the rest of it:
Just because Saudi Arabia or any other Muslim country implement some part of Islamic laws such as in the judiciary, it doesn’t mean that it is an Islamic state or Khilafah. For example all these Muslim countries implement riba based economy. Muslims have no option to implement partial aspects of Islam.
Allah (swt) says in the Quran:
"So rule between them by that which Allah has revealed, and follow not their desires, but beware of them in case they seduce you from just some part of that which Allah has revealed to you" (TMQ 4:49).
"Then it is only a part of the Book that you believe in and do you reject the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who believe like this but disgrace in this life and on the day of judgement they shall be consigned to the most grieve chastisement." [Al-Baqarah: 85]
(for more on this please read Is Saudi Arabia a State of Islam or Kufr ?
5. What is the time limit for appointing a khalifa and the consequence of not fulfilling this duty ?
It is forbidden (Haram) for a Muslim to remain more than two nights without having a pledge of allegiance (Baya) on his neck.This is concluded from the consensus of the companions (ijma-assahaba).
As soon as the Sahaba heard the news that the Prophet was dead, they went to the courtyard of Banu Saida to discuss the appointment of a successor to the Messenger of Allah. At this time the Prophet had not been buried. The Sahaba continued discussing the matter into the second day following the death of the Prophet . Thereafter they gathered in the mosque to give the Baya to Abu Bakr. When the baya had been given, the Sahaba prepared the burial of the Prophet ; three days and two nights
after his death the Prophet was buried. Thus, the companions of the Prophet delayed the burial until after they had chosen a successor.
When Umar bin al-Khattab was close to death he nominated the six people among the companions who, when the Prophet had died, he had been pleased with them to select a khalifa from among themselves. The six included Uthman, Ali and Abdul Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with them). Omar decreed that if agreement on the choice of khalifa was not reached within three days, the one who disagrees should be beheaded after the three days. No one disputed this order, even though to kill someone without just cause is haram. And these six were not just anyone; they were the best of the companions who had been promised paradise. The agreement of the companions on this order is therefore an Islamic evidence for us that the Muslims are forbidden to be without a khalifa for more than three days. After the three days of discussion and consultation with the people of Medina, Uthman was chosen as khalifa.
The appointment of a khalifa is obligatory from the moment the previous khalifa dies or is disposed. If the delay exceeds two nights and the Muslims have not established a khalifa the matter must be examined: if the Muslims were busy engaging in appointing the khalifa, but due to overwhelming circumstances, they could not accomplish it within two nights, the sin will fall from them. This is so because they engaged in performing the duty but were unable to accomplish the duty in the prescribed time because of compelling circumstances. However, if they were not engaged in the duty they would be sinful.
To refrain from establishing a khalifa for Muslims is a great sin, because it is an absentation from fulfilling one of the most important duties of Islam. The implementation of the Sharia (divine law) and the very existence of Islam in the battlefield of life depend upon the fulfilment of this duty. Consequently, the Muslims as a whole commit a great sin if they refrain from establishing a khalifa for themselves. If they agree to abandon this duty, the sin would fall on every single Muslim in the entire world. If some of the Muslims embark on working to establish a khalifa whilst the others do not, the sin would fall from the shoulders of those working to establish the Khilafah, but would remain with the rest until the khalifa existed, becauseparticipating in the work to accomplish the duty (Fard) has the effect of removing the sin from the failure to fulfil the duty. This is the result of the participation in the work to accomplish it and a deep hatred of the thing that prevents the accomplishment of the duty.
Those who do not participate in the work to accomplish the duty will be sinful from three days after the departure of the khalifa until the new khalifa is appointed. This is so, because Allah had entrusted them with a duty that they neither carried out, nor participated in. Thus, they deserve the sin, the punishment and shame of Allah both in this life and the hereafter. They refrain from establishing the Khilafah and from performing the actions,which according to the divine law, establish him. The shunning of any obligatory duty that Allah has enjoined upon the Muslims, particularly the duty by which other duties are implemented, the divine law established the word of Allah exalted and Islam carried aloft, clearly deserves the punishment of Allah .
6. Is it possible to re-establish khilafah now?
Some Muslims carry the idea that it is not possible to unite the Ummah under one Khalifa as there are too many divisions and nationalistic feeling is widespread among the Muslims. So they surrender themselves to the status quo and refuse to take part in the work to re-establish Khilafah. They fail to recognize that the question of re-establishing khilafah is not a question of possibility or impossibility rather it's a hukm from Allah which has to be enacted. And Allah doesn't command us to do anything which is not possible.
"Allah doesn't place a burden upon a person except that which he is capable of " [Al-Baqara Verse 282]
So whatever obstacles blocking it's establishment has to be removed. It's defeatist mentality to give up by looking at some obstacles. Working to remove those obstacles is obligatory as establishing khilafah is obligatory.
When Sahaba established Khilafah over the vast lands, most of the inhabitants were non-muslims and they had different religion,culture,traditions and language. At that time people used to travel by camel or horse and means of communications was mouth to mouth. But now we live in information age and most of the people living in Muslim countries are Muslims. If it were not for the obstacles made by the rulers in our lands, khilafah would have been established in no time.
Khilafah is coming insha Allah and there is no doubt about it as Rasulullah (saw) told us in the following hadith:
"Prophethood shall remain with you as long as Allah Wills it. Then it shall be raised by Allah (His death SAAW) when He Wills to raise it. Then Khilafah upon the Manhaj (methodology and way of) Prophethood shall remain with you as long as Allah Wills it. Then it shall be raised by Allah when He Wills to raise it.Then their shall be kingship (inherited generation after generation) which shall remain with you as long as Allah Wills it. Then it shall be raised by Allah when He Wills to raise it. Then there shall be tyrannical governing which shall remain with you as long as Allah Wills it. Then it shall be raised by Allah when He Wills to raise it. Then there shall be Khilafah (once again) upon the Manhaj of Prophethood. Then he remained silent." [ Narrated by Ahmad]
So who can have any doubt after reading this Hadith?
7. How can we work to re-establish khilafah?
From examples set by Rasulullah (saw) we know that establishing khilafah is a group work. And the nature of the work is political. So we need to associate ourselves with an Islamic political group whose objective is to re-establish Khilafah. It is the Sharia not the mind who decides the method to re-establish Khilafah. Rasulullah (saw) has shown us how to establish it. The detail method has been explained in the article The Messenger's (saw) methodology of establishing the Deen
Established in Al-Quds (1953) Hizb ut Tahrir has been working to re-establish Khilafah in the Muslim Lands. For details you may visit the following links:
http://www.khilafah.com/
http://www.hizbuttahrir.org/
For more Questions and Answers on the issue of Khilafah please read http://flagbearersofislam.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-depth-q-on-khiafah-and-its-plan-for.html
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