Islamic Evidences for the Obligation of the Khilafah

Islam has been reduced to merely a state "religion" and Secularism is hailed
as the states Ideology.  The Kuffar succeeded in divorcing our system, the
Khilafah, from our lives.

"We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between
the sons of the Muslims.  As we have already succeeded in finishing off the
Khilafah, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the
Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity."
The British Foreign Minister addressing the British Prime Minister shortly
before World War II.

"The situation now is that Turkey is dead and will never rise again, because
we have destroyed its moral strength, the Khilafah and Islam."
Lord Curzon, British Foreign Minister, in front of the House of Commons
after the Lausanne Treaty of July 24th, 1924.

Is it any wonder, then, that Muslims today don't even know about their true
ruling system?  That they have never even heard the word Khilafah uttered in
any discussion related to their revival?  The British have succeeded in
"educating" us to such an extent that we run towards their system and rush
to abandon our Deen.  So what is this Khilafah? Why is it so vital for
Islam?

The mechanism through which we live Islam is the Khilafah ruling system.
This is the same Khilafah ruling system that the Khulafa Rashideen
implemented and the same one which existed right up until 3rd March, 1924,
when it was destroyed by the British agent and traitor, Mustafah Kemal.  The
Prophet (saw) said:

"The knots of Islam will be broken one by one until everyone of them is
undone.  The first to be undone will be the knot of ruling and the last will
be the knot of Salah"  (Musnad of Imam Ahmed)


THE FARD (OBLIGATION) OF AL-KHILAFAH

In the Glorious Qur'an:

Allah (SWT) says in the translation of the meaning of the Qur'an ul-Kareem
(TMQ):

1. "But no, by your Lord, they will not have iman until they make you (O
Prophet) rule between them in that which they dispute, and they find in
their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the
fullest conviction" (TMQ 4:65).

2. "Indeed, we have revealed to you the book with the truth so that you may
rule between mankind by that which Allah has shown you" (TMQ 4:105).

3. "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).

4. "Whosoever does not rule by that which Allah has revealed, they are
disbelievers (Kafiroon).....the dhaalimoon (oppressors)....the fasiqoon
(evil doers)"
(TMQ 4. 5:44-47)

These ayaat(versus) of Qur'an, and many others, prove beyond doubt the
obligation of ruling by what Allah has revealed.  The first one in
particular refers to the Muslims directly by stating that we have no real
Imaan (belief) until we make them judge between us by Allah's revelation.
This is an indication of the obligation for all Muslims to establish Allah's
ruling system.



In the Ahadeeth of our beloved Prophet (saw):

1: Imam Muslim narrated from Abu Hazim who said:
I was with Abu Hurairah for five years and I heard him narrate from the
Prophet (SAW) that he said: "The Prophets used to rule Bani Israel. Whenever
a prophet died another prophet succeeded him, but there will be no prophets
after me; instead there will be Khulafaa' (Khalifahs) and they will number
many". They asked: what then do you order us? He said: "fulfil allegiance to
them one after the other.  Give them their dues. Verily Allah will ask them
about what he entrusted them with".

This Hadeeth is a clear statement of the fact that the form of government in
Islam, after the Prophet (SAW) is the Khilafah, and not an Islamic Republic,
Islamic Socialist Republic or Islamic Imarah.  This understanding is
supported by numerous other Hadeeth that indicate the only system of
government in Islam is the Khilafah.

2: Imam Muslim narrated from Abdullah bin 'Umar who said that the Prophet
(saw) said,

"One who dies without having bound himself by an oath of allegiance (to a
Khalifah) will die the death of one belonging to the days of ignorance
(Jahiliyah)".

3. Ahmed and Ibn abi 'Asim narrated that the Prophet (saw) said,

"Whosoever dies and he does not have over him an Imaam, he dies the death of
Jahiliyyah".

Thus the Prophet (SAW) made it compulsory that every Muslim should have over
him an Imaam, which is also represented by having a pledge of allegiance
(bayah) on his or her neck. The pledge of allegiance is not given to anyone
except the Khalifah.  The Ahadeeth inform us that those who run the affairs
of Muslims are Khalifahs (some times called Amir ul-Mu'mineen or the Imam).
Therefore, this is a command to establish or appoint them.

In the sayings of the Sahabah:

Ali ibn abi Taalib (r.a.) said, "The people will not be straightened except
by an Imaam (Khaleefah), whether he is good or bad".
(Bayhaqi, No. 14286, Kanz ul-ummal)

Abdullah ibn 'Umar (r.a.) said "The people in the Ummah will not suffer even
if they were oppressors and sinful if the rulers were guided and were
guiding.  But the people in the Ummah will suffer and perish even if they
were guided and were guiding if the rulers were oppressors and sinful".
(Abu Nu'aim narrated in 'Hulayat Awliyyah.)

'Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) said,
"Laa Islam bi laa Jamaa'ati wa laa jamaa'ati bi laa Imaarah, wa laa Imaaratu
bi laa sam'on wa taa'ah".
"There is no Islam without a community, and there is no community without a
leadership, and there is no authoruty without hearing and obeying".

In the sayings of the Ulemaa:

Imam al-Qurtubi said in his Tafseer of the verse, "Indeed, man is made upon
this earth a Khaleefah" (TMQ 2:30) that:
"Haatheeh il-Aayatu asalun fee nasabi Imaamin wa Khaleefatin, yosma'oo lahu
wa yotaa'u li-tajtami'i bihi il-kalimatih, wa tonaffithu bihi ahkaam
il-Khaleefah, wa laa khalaafu fee wajoobi thalik bayna al-Ummati wa laa bayn
al-a'immah, illa maa rawaya 'an il-Asam al-Mu'tazzili..."
"This Ayah is a source in the selection of an Imaam, and a Khaleefah, he is
listened to and he is obeyed, for the word is united through him, and the
Ahkam (laws) of the Khaleefah are implemented through him, and there is no
difference regarding the obligation of that between the Ummah, nor between
the Imams except what is narrated about al-Asam, the Mu'tazzili (a deviant
group)...".
(Tafseer ul-Qurtubi 264/1.)

Imam al-Qurturbi (rh.a.) also said,
"The Khilafah is the pillar upon which other pillars rest".

Imam an-Nawawi (rh.a.) said,
"Ijma'oo 'alaa annahu yajib 'alal-Muslimeena nasabun Khaleefah".
"(The scholars) consented that it is an obligation upon the Muslims to
select a Khaleefah".
(Sharhu Sahih Muslim page 205 vol 12)

Imaam al-Ghazali (rh.a.) when writing of the potential consequences of
losing the Khilafah said,
"The judges will be suspeneded, the Wilayaat (provinces) will be nullified,
... the decrees of those in authority will not be executed and all the
people will be on the verge of Haraam".
(al Iqtisaad fil Itiqaad page 240.)

Ibn Taymiyyah (rh.a.) said,
"Yajib an yo'rafa anna wilayata amr in-naasi min a'thami waajibaat id-Deen,
Bal laa qiyaamu li-Deen illa bihaa".
"It is obligatory to know that the office in charge of commanding over the
people (ie: the Khilafah post) is one of the greatest obligations of the
Deen.  In fact, their is no establishment of the Deen except by it....this
is the opinion of the salaf, such as al-Fadl ibn 'Iyaad, Ahmed ibn Hanbal
and others".
(Siyaasah Shariyyah  - chapter: 'The obligation of adherence to the
leadership'.)

Imam abu ul-Hasan al-Mawardi (rh.a.) said,
"'Aqd ul-Imamati li man yaqoomu bihaa fil-ummati wajib bil-Ijmaa' ".
"The contract of the Imamah (leadership) for whoever is standing with it, is
an obligation by Ijmaa'a (consensus)".
(al-Ahkam us-Sultaniyyah [Arabic] p 56.)

Imam Ahmed (rh.a.) said:
"Al-Fitnatu Ithaa lam yakun Imaamun Yaqoomu bi amril-Muslimeen", which
means,
"The Fitna (mischief and tribuulations) occurs when there is no Imaam
established over the affairs of the people".

Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi (rh.a.) a noted scholar of the 6th century Hijri
states;
"The Muslims simply must have an Imam (Khaleefah), who will execute the
rules, establish the Hudud (penal system), defend the frontiers, equip the
armies, collect Zakah, punish those who rebel (against the state) and those
who spy and highwaymen, establish Jum'ah and the two 'Eids, settle the
dispute among the servants (of Allah), accept the testimony of witnesses in
matters of legal rights, give in marriage the young and the poor who have no
family, and distribute the booty".

Imam Al-Juzayri, an expert on the Fiqh of the four great schools of thought
said regarding the four Imams,  "The Imams (scholars of the four schools of
thought- Shafi'i, Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali)- may Allah have mercy on them-
agree that the Imamah (Leadership) is an obligation, and that the Muslims
must appoint an Imam who would implement the deen's rites, and give the
oppressed justice against the oppressors".
("Fiqh ul-Mathahib ul- Arba'a" [the Fiqh of the four schools of thought],
volume 5, page 416.)

Imam al-Haythami said,
"A'lamu anna Sahabata- Ridhwaan Allahu 'alayhim -Ajma'oo 'ala anna nasab
al-Imaamata ba'd inqiraadhi zaman in-Naboowa waajibon bal ja'aloohu ahamu
wajibaat hayth ushtaghloo bihi 'an dafani rasool illah".
"It is known that the Sahabah (r.a.h) consented that selecting the Imaam
after the end of the era of Prophethood was an obligation (Wajib).  Indeed
they made it (more) important than the (other) obligations whilst they were
busy with it over the burial of the Prophet (saw)".
(al-Haythami in Sawaa'iq ul-haraqah:17.)

THE OBLIGATION OF THERE BEING ONLY ONE KHALIFAH FOR THE ENTIRE MUSLIM UMMAH:
In the ahadeeth of the beloved Prophet (saw)

1) 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)

2) The Prophet (saw) also said: "Whoever 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)

So what is with the Muslims who insist on establishing regional Islamic
Imarah's (Governments) based upon nationalistic divisions drawn up by the
British and her fellow colonialists?  Can�t we see beyond the plans of the
Kuffar?  What of those Muslims who wish to establish Islamic Governments in
"their own" country and then to resume normal relationships with the rest of
the Muslim countries, as if the rest of the Muslim countries are perfectly
legal under Islam?  Having more than one Khalifah for the entire Ummah is a
sin, a fitnah and a division in our ranks.

In the Ijma'a (consensus) of the Sahabah (r.a.)

It is in the books of "As-Sirah" of Ibnu Kathir, "Tarikh ut-Tabari" by
at-Tabari, "Siratu Ibn Hisham" by Ibn Hisham, "As-Sunan ul-Kubra" of
Bayhaqi, "Al-fasil-fil Milal" by Ibnu Hazim and "Al-A'kd Al-Farid" of
Al-Waqidi, that Al-Habbab Ibn ul-Munthir said when the Sahaba met in the
wake of the death of the Prophet (SAW) (at the thaqifa hall) of Bani Sa'ida:

"Let there be one Amir from us and one Amir from you (meaning one from the
Ansar and one from the Mohajireen)". Upon this Abu Bakr replied: "It is
forbidden for Muslims to have two Amirs (rulers)..." Then he got up and
addressed the Muslims.

It has additionally been reported in "as-Sirah" of Ibnu Ishaq that Abu Bakr
went on to say on the day of Thaqifa:  "It is forbidden for Muslims to have
two Amirs for this would cause differences in their affairs and concepts,
their unity would be divided and disputes would break out amongst them. The
Sunnah would then be abandoned, the bida'a (innovations) would spread and
Fitna would grow, and that is in no one's interests".

The Sahabah (ra) agreed to this and selected Abu Bakr (ra) as their first
Khalifah.  Habbab ibn Mundhir (ra) who suggested the idea of two Ameers
corrected himself and was the first to give Abu Bakr the Baya'a (pledge of
allegiance).  This indicates an Ijma'a of all of the Sahabah (ra) and thus
is a divine source for us.  Ali ibni abi Talib(ra), who was attending the
body of the Prophet (saw) at the time, also consented to this.

In the quotes of famous scholars:

1. Imam ash-Shawkaani wrote in his book "Tafseer al-Qur'an al-Atheem",
volume 2, page 215: "It is known from Islam by necessity (bi-dharoorah -
i.e.: like prayer and fasting) that Islam has forbidden division amongst
Muslims and the segregation of their land".

2. The well renowned Imam Hassan Al-Mawardi(ra) in his book "AlAahkam
Al-Sultaniyah" page 9 says: "It is forbidden for the Ummah to have two Imams
(leaders) at the same time."

3. Imam An-Nawawi in his book "Mughni Al-Muhtaj", volume 4, page 132 says:
"It is forbidden to give an oath to two Imams or more, even in different
parts of the world and even if they are far apart".

He also stated in his book, "Sharhu Sahih Muslim" (explanation of Sahih
Muslim) chapter 12 page 231, "If a baya'a were taken for two Khalifahs one
after the other, the baya'a of the first one would be valid and it should be
fulfilled and honoured whereas the baya'a of the second would be invalid,
and it would be forbidden to honour it.  This is the right opinion which the
majority of scholars follow, and they agree that it would be forbidden to
appoint two Khalifah's at one given time, no matter how great and extended
the Islamic lands become".

4. The Imam Ibnu Hazm in his book "Al-Muhalla", volume 4, page 360 says: "It
is unlawful to have more than one Imam in the whole of the world".

5. Al-Imam Al-Juzieri, an expert on the Fiqh of the four great schools of
thought said regarding the four Imams,  "...It is forbidden for Muslims to
have two Imams in the world whether in agreement or discord."
From: "Fiqh ul-Mathahib ul- Arba'a" (the fiqh of the four schools of
thought), volume 5, page 416.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion it can be seen that the Khilafah ruling system implements the
whole of Islam, thus Islam and the Muslims depend on it.  It is not just one
fard but the mechanism through which Islam is implemented.  This is why the
Prophetic calender of the Muslims starts with year 1 Hijri.  What the Hijrah
signifies is the leaving behind of the Makkan Shirk and the establishment of
Islam in Madina as a governing system.  So year 1 Hijri begins from the
first day of Islamic Government, not from the date of first revelation, or
the Prophets (saw) birth as it could have done and as the Christians
practice.  Thus anyone who makes excuses for this issue will be neglecting
the biggest duty in Islam, to establish the Deen.  The death of Jahillyyah
will be upon him and so it is Fard to work with those who know about the
Khilafah and who are working for it according to the methodology of the
Prophet (saw), and this is the biggest duty upon the Muslims today above all
else.  Nobody can claim that this is an impossible task as Allah (swt)
promises the victory of the believers and confirms:

"Allah has promised those amongst you who believe and work righteous deeds,
that he will indeed grant them inheritance of power in the earth, as he
granted it to those before them; that he will establish in authority their
Deen, which he has chosen for them, and that he will change their state from
a state of fear into a state of security and peace.  They will worship me
alone and not associate
partners with me, and those who reject faith after this, they will be the
rebellious and the wicked" TMQ (an-Noor :55)

Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal extracted that Huthayfah said the Messenger of Allah
(saw) said:"The Prophecy will remain amongst you as long as Allah wills,
then Allah will lift it when he wishes, then it will be a Khilafah Rashidah
(i.e.: The first four Khalifahs) on the method of the Prophecy, it will
remain for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he wills, then
it will be a hereditary leadership (i.e.: the Abbasid and Ummayid dynasties
etc.) for as long as Allah wills then he will lift it when he so wills.
Then there will be a tyrannical rule (i.e.: all the current Kufr regimes of
the Muslims) for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he so
wills, then there will be a Khilafah Rashidah on the method of the Prophecy,
then he kept silent."
(Musnad Imam Ahmed 4/273)

and concerning the liberation of Masjid al-Aqsa from the Jews, the Prophet
(saw) said,

"Two Hijrahs will take place, and the latter will be to the place where your
father Ibrahim may peace be upon him had immigrated� (i.e.: Palestine)
Note: Hijrah occurs when Muslims emigrate from Kufr lands to the Islamic
state.

Subsequently, nobody can claim that this task is an impossible one as it has
been promised success by Allah (swt) and his Messenger (saw).  All that
remains is for the faithful to rush to carry out this noble work and to
carry the da'wah to this ummah and remind her of her Deen.

Imam Ahmed reported in his Musnad (5/35) that the Messenger (saw) said:
"If the people of As-Sham (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria) went astray
then there would be no goodness amongst you, but however there will continue
to be a group supported from my Ummah, and they will not be bothered by
those who disapproved until the day of Judgement".

May Allah make us from that group, and support us in re-establishing his
Deen on his earth.  Ameen.