The title of Caliphate or Khalifa is often used to imply a movement for violent global hegemony Let us demystify caliphate and khilafat
The Arabic word khalifa means successor. The term caliph is simply an anglicized version of khalifa. The terms khilafat and caliphate, though derived from khalifa and caliph respectively, have different connotations. Khilafat refers to the Islamic institution of spiritual successorship, whereas caliphate implies a politico-religious Muslim state governed by a caliph. The institution of khilafat is based on the precept of prophethood; and therefore, like prophethood, it can exist and flourish without a state. Khilafat is a divinely guided institution. At its core it is divine Will with human participation. The Holy Spirit superintends the election process.
The understanding of Khilafat and how it draws its legitimacy is essentially based on the Quran, hadith, and the examples set by the first four Khalif. The Prophet(sa) had prophesized that his demise would be followed by a period of khilafat, followed by monarchy, autocracy, and, after a hiatus, Khilafat based on the precepts of prophethood would re-emerge
When Prophet(sa) passed away (632 A.D.), Abu Bakr(ra) was elected Khalifa. Bernard Lewis rightly observes about the election of Abu Bakr
“.. The sole condition of his appointment was the maintenance of the heritage of the Prophet.”
After the assassination of Ali(ra) (661 A.D.), the last of the four rightly guided Khalifa, the question of the right to successorship resulted in a major split in Islam into Sunni and Shia branches. Spirituality was lost and replaced by a political institution or caliphate
This reign of caliphs as kings and monarchs continued over the centuries till the last caliph of Cairo was captured in 1517 by the Ottoman sultan Selim I. The Ottoman sultans then claimed the title of caliph and brandished it for four centuries until it was abolished in 1924 by the Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic.
What Muslims envision is a political institution of caliphate somewhat like the European Union for Muslims. The extremists want political-religious hegemony and use it as a cover for their carnage and conquest and to advance their misguided ways. True spiritual leadership of Khilafat is a divinely appointed office. Any man-made effort to restore it will not succeed. It will die its own death.
What often escapes notice is that the separation of Church-Mosque and State has fully crystallized, only gradually in human history. There was no separation of Temple and State in the Roman Empire and everyone was made to worship the State gods and that led to persecution of the early Christians, who refused to be polytheist. In recent times the Popes have limited themselves to moral and spiritual dimensions of the humanity, leaving secular leadership to the elected political leaders, but this was not always the case. Pope Urban II and Pope Innocent III were certainly military leaders in as much as they initiated and stoked the First Crusade.
The Promised Messiah(as), a prophet for the latter days passed away in 1908. After his demise and a hiatus of 14 hundred years, the Ahmadiyya Khilafat in Islam (Khalifa of Islam) re-emerged in accordance with the prophecies of Prophet(sa) .This is one of the most significant events in the history of Islam whose full impact is yet to be seen.
This community is an embodiment of The Ahmadiyya Khilafat. It categorically rejects militancy in every form and wages an intellectual jihad of the pen. When faced with bitter persecution, it practices patience and perseverance. When subjected to intolerance, it preaches peace and tolerance. It champions the cause of the dispossessed and works towards uplifting the downtrodden through its international humanitarian efforts.
It has survived colonial rule, partition, legal persecution, and exile. It has grown from a small Indian village movement into a global community in over two hundred nations and territories
The Ahmadiyya Khilafat is now in its fifth era. The current Khalifa is Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) .The Ahmadiyya Khilafat has conquered no land and possesses no earthly dominion, but it wields its influence over the hearts and minds of millions by winning over one man and one woman at a time. It is a force for good in the world, and exemplifies, once again, an institution grounded in the precepts of prophethood.