Verse No. 19

“Allah is always the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾[1]

Translation:

God Almighty has said:

“Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth”.

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ خَلِيفَةٍ اللَّهُ جَاعِلُهُ، وَلَوْ خَلَتْ لَسَاخَتْ بِأَهْلِهَا، وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةَ فَقَدْ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً، ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً حَتَّى أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَقَالَ: لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ يَجْعَلُ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً مُنْذُ قَالَهُ، وَلَوْ قَالَ: «إِنِّي أَجْعَلُ» لَكَانَ مِنْهُ جَعْلٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَالَ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ﴾، وَالْجَاعِلُ مَنْ يَسْتَمِرُّ مِنْهُ الْجَعْلُ، وَكُلُّ خَلِيفَةٍ لِلَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَهْدِيٌّ إِلَى مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِيهَا لِيَضَعَهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَهْتَدِ إِلَى مَهْدِيِّ زَمَانِهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا.

Translation:

Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Taloqani informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani about the words of God Almighty Who says: “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth.” So he said: “Indeed, the earth is not empty of a Caliph that God is the Appointer of him, and if it becomes empty of such a Caliph, it swallows its inhabitants, and whoever dies without knowing this Caliph has died a death of ignorance!” Then he fell silent for a moment until I intended to leave him, then he continued: “God, since the time He said that, has always been appointing a Caliph on the earth, and if He had said: ‘I appoint,’ it could have been one appointment, but He has said: ‘I am the Appointer,’ and the appointer is one by whom the appointment continues, and every Caliph of God on the earth has been guided to what God has created on it in order to put it in a place where God wills, and whoever does not find the way to Mahdi (the guided one) of his time has indeed gone far astray.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلَ الْمَنْصُورَ رَجُلٌ وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾، فَقَالَ: لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ جَاعِلًا فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً مُنْذُ وَعَدَهُ، إِمَّا ظَاهِرًا مَشْهُورًا وَإِمَّا خَائِفًا مَغْمُورًا، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ، قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ جَعَلُوا فِي الْعِرَاقِ خَلِيفَةً وَلَا يَرَوْنَ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ الْخَلِيفَةُ! قَالَ: كَذَبُوا أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ، مَا قَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ: «إِنَّكُمْ جَاعِلُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً»، وَلَكِنْ قَالَ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ﴾، فَلَوْ جَعَلُوا فِيهَا خَلِيفَةً دُونَ الْخَلِيفَةِ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ فِيهَا لَكَانُوا بِذَلِكَ مُشْرِكِينَ، قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: وَمَنْ هَذَا الْخَلِيفَةُ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ وُلْدِ فَاطِمَةَ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْمَهْدِيُّ.

Translation:

Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi informed us, he said: While I was there, a man asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth”, then he said: God, since the time He promised, has always appointed a Caliph on the earth, whether he has been visible and famous or hidden and frightened, and indeed God does not violate His promise! The man said: People in Iraq have appointed a caliph and believe in nothing but this that he is the caliph[2]! He said: The enemies of God lied! God did not said to them that “you are appointers of a Caliph on the earth”, rather He said: “I am the Appointer”, so if they appoint a caliph on it other than the Caliph whom God has appointed on it, they indeed become polytheists by doing so! The man said: Who is this Caliph whom God has appointed on it? He said: A man from the descendants of Fatima, who is called Mahdi!

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ دَاوُودَ الْفَيْض‌آبَادِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: ﴿سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنْ كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولًا﴾[3]، وَعَدَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً، قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يُنْكِرُونَ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةٌ! قَالَ: إِنَّهُ فِيهَا وَإِنْ أَنْكَرَهُ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنِّي نُبِّئْتُ أَنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ، قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، وَسَفَكُوا لَهُ الدِّمَاءَ، قَالَ: هُوَ خَلِيفَةُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا، وَخَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ هُوَ الْمَهْدِيُّ.

Translation:

Ali ibn Dawud al-Fayzabadi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Glory be to our Lord, undoubtedly our Lord’s promise was fulfilled”, He promised to appoint a Caliph on the earth, I said: They deny that there is a Caliph for God on the earth! He said: He is on it, even though all those who are on the earth deny him, then he said: I have been informed that they have appointed a caliph from people of Iraq on the earth[4]. I said: Yes, and they shed blood for him. He said: He is the caliph of those who oppressed, and the Caliph of God is indeed Mahdi.

4 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ﴾، فَقَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ: ﴿إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾، قَالَ: لَا يَكُونُ مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ خَلِيفَةً، وَلَكِنَّ الْخَلِيفَةَ مَنْ يَعْدِلُ، فَمَكَثَ هُنَيَّةً ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيَّ يُفْسِدُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ.

Translation:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Juzajani informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of the Angels when God said to them: “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth, they said: Do you appoint someone on it who will cause corruption and shed blood on it?”, then God said to them: “I know something that you do not know”, Mansoor said: One who causes corruption and sheds blood on the earth is not a Caliph, rather a Caliph is one who acts justly. Then he fell silent for a moment and then said: Indeed, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi causes corruption and sheds blood on the earth.

5 . أَخْبَرَنَا جُبَيْرُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ الْخُجَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾[5] مَا كَانَتْ تِلْكَ الْأَسْمَاءُ؟ فَقَالَ: كَانَتْ أَسْمَاءَ خُلَفَاءِ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا قَالَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ﴾[6]، فَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ أَسْمَاءَ خُلَفَائِهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلَّهَا لِيُنْبِأَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ فَيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَا يَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ خَلِيفَةً وَلَكِنْ يَجْعَلُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءَ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا! ﴿فَلَمَّا أَنْبَأَهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ﴾[7] وَكَانَ الْمَهْدِيُّ وَاللَّهِ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَسْمَاءِ!

Translation:

Jubayr ibn Ata’ al-Khojandi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that says: “And He taught all the names to Adam, then presented them to the Angels, then He said: inform Me of their names, if you are truthful”, what were those names? So he said: They were the names of the Caliphs of God on the earth; because when He said to the Angels: “I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth, they said: Do you appoint someone on it who will cause corruption and shed blood on it?”, So He taught all names of His Caliphs on the earth to Adam in order to inform the Angels, so that they may know that He does not appoint someone who will causes corruption and shed blood on it as a Caliph on it, rather He appoints the Prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous, and they are good friends! “So when He informed them of their names, He said: Did I not tell you that I know the unseen of the skies and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”, and I swear to God, Mahdi was one of those names!

6 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ السَّلَامِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْقَيُّومِ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: إِنَّ لِي جَارًا عَلَّامَةً قَدْ حَفِظَ أَلْفَ حَدِيثٍ بِإِسْنَادِهِ، وَلَا تَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى إِلَّا وَيُخْبِرُكَ بِهِ، وَيَعْلَمُ الْفِقْهَ وَاللُّغَةَ وَالتَّفْسِيرَ! فَقَالَ: أَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ لِلَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً؟! قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ!

Translation:

Abd al-Salam ibn Abd al-Qayyum informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: I have a very knowledgeable neighbor who has memorized a thousand Hadiths with their chain of narrators, and he is not asked anything about the Book of God Almighty unless he answers, and he is also familiar with jurisprudence, words and interpretation! He said: Does he know that there is a Caliph for God on the earth?! I said: No, he said: Then he is one of the ignorant!

7 . أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْهَرَوِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾، فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ بِالْخَلِيفَةِ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، قَالَ: كَذَبُوا، فَمَنِ الْقَائِلُ لِدَاوُودَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: ﴿إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى﴾[8]؟! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْأُمَمِ السَّابِقَةِ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ خَلِيفَةً كَآدَمَ وَدَاوُودَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، قَالَ: كَذَبُوا، فَمَنِ الْقَائِلُ لِهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ: ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴾[9]؟! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ الَّذِينَ مَلَكُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، كَبَنِي أُمَيَّةَ وَبَنِي عَبَّاسٍ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ، قَالَ: كَذَبُوا، فَهَلْ مَلَكَ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ؟! إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَ أَنْ يَسْتَخْلِفَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ، فَمَنْ أَشْرَكَ فِي إِيمَانِهِ أَوْ عَمِلَ غَيْرَ صَالِحٍ فَلَيْسَ مِمَّنِ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ اللَّهُ وَإِنْ مَلَكَ وَتَسَمَّى بِخَلِيفَةٍ! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يَسْتَخْلِفُهُمْ بِتَغَلُّبٍ أَوِ اخْتِيَارٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَلِّ وَالْعَقْدِ، قَالَ: كَذَبُوا، بَلْ يَسْتَخْلِفُهُمْ ﴿كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴾ أَمْثَالَ آدَمَ وَدَاوُودَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، وَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَهُمْ بِتَغَلُّبٍ وَلَا اخْتِيَارٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَلِّ وَالْعَقْدِ، وَلَكِنِ اسْتَخْلَفَهُمْ بِوَحْيٍ مِنْهُ، كَمَا أَوْحَى: ﴿يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾، ﴿وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا﴾[10]، فَأَخَذَنِي الْبُكَاءُ، فَقَالَ: مَا يُبْكِيكَ؟! قُلْتُ: عِلْمُكَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَجَهْلُهُمْ بِكَ! قَالَ: لَا يُبْكِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ، فَمَنْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُعَلِّمَهُ الْكِتَابَ لَأَعْلَمَهُ بِي، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي مَغَارَةٍ!

Translation:

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Harawi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that has said: “Indeed, I am the Appointer of a Caliph on the earth”, then I said: They say that by Caliph He meant only Adam, peace be upon him, and He has not appointed any Caliph on the earth after him, he said: They are lying, then who has said to Dawud, peace be upon him: “We appointed you as a Caliph on the earth, so Judge rightly among people and do not follow your passions”?! I said: They say that it was in the past nations, and He has not appointed a Caliph like Adam and Dawud, peace be upon them, in this nation, he said: They are lying, then who has said to this nation: “God has promised those of you who believed and did righteous deeds that He will surely appoint them as Caliphs on the earth, as He appointed some people before them as Caliphs”?! I said: They say that He meant those Muslims who came to power, such as the Umayyads, the Abbasids and those who came after them, he said: They are lying, did anyone other than rebellious tyrants from among them come to power?! Indeed, God has promised to appoint those who believed and did righteous deeds as Caliphs, so whoever has become a polytheist in his faith or has done an unrighteous deed is not one of those whom God has appointed as Caliphs, even though he comes to power and is called a caliph. I said: They say He appoints them by domination or by the election of Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd[11], he said: They are lying, rather He will appoint them as Caliphs “as He appointed some people before them as Caliphs”, people such as Adam and Dawud, peace be upon them, and He did not appoint them as Caliphs by domination or by the election of Ahl al-Hall wal-Aqd, rather He did so by a revelation from Himself; as He revealed: “O Dawud! We appointed you as a Caliph on the earth”, “and their Prophet said to them that God has appointed Talut as a ruler for you”. At this time I cried, then he said: What made you cry?! I said: Your knowledge about the Book and their ignorance about you! He said: Do not let it make you cry; because whoever God has wanted to teach him the Book, He will have him know me, even if he is in a cave!