The Ahmadiya Caliphate is a non-political caliphate established on May 27, 1908 following the death of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who claimed to be the promised Messiah and Mahdi, the expected redeemer awaited by Muslims. It is believed by Ahmadis to be the re-establishment of the Rashidun Caliphate that commenced following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Fundamentally, Ahmadi Muslims believe the system of caliphate to be an ancillary to the system of prophethood, continuing to strive for the objectives for which a prophet is sent and to carry to completion the tasks of reformation and moral training that were seeded by the prophet. The caliphs, as successors to the prophets, lead the community of believers after a prophet’s death.The members of the community believe that the Ahmadiyya caliphate is the resumption of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. This is believed to have been re-established with the appearance of Ghulam Ahmad whom Ahmadis believe was the promised Mahdi and Messiah.
Ahmadis maintain that in accordance with Quranic verses and numerous hadith on the issue, the caliphate can only be established by God Himself and is a divine blessing given to those who believe and work righteousness, upholding the Unity of God. Therefore any movement to establish the caliphate centered around human endeavors alone is bound to fail, particularly when the condition of the people diverges from the ‘precepts of Prophethood’ and they are as a result disunited. Although the caliph in Ahmadiyya is elected, it is believed that God Himself directs the hearts and minds of believers through visions, dreams and spiritual guidance towards a particular individual. No campaigning, speeches or speculation of any kind are permitted. Thus the caliph is designated neither necessarily by right nor merely by election but primarily by God. The caliphs are thought to be chosen by God through the agency of pious believers and are considered to be guided by God after their election to this office.
According to Ahmadiya thought, it is not essential for a prophet to be the head of a state, it is not essential for a caliph to be the head of a state, rather the religious and organizational significance of the caliphate is emphasised. It is above all a religious office, with the purpose to uphold, strengthen and spread Islam and maintain the high moral standards within the Muslim community established by Muhammad, who was not merely a political leader but primarily a religious leader. The caliphate is understood as a system dealing with the organization of believers and relating to the nizam of the Muslim community whether or not it involves a governmental role. Being based on the ‘precept of Prophethood’, the institution of caliphate can therefore, like prophethood, exist and flourish without a state. If a caliph does happen to bear governmental authority as a head of state, it is incidental and subsidiary in relation to his overall function as caliph which is applicable to believers transitionally and not limited to one particular state or political entity. The system of caliphate in Islam, thus understood, transcends national sovereignty and ethnic divide, forming a universal supra-national entity and the role of a caliph as the leader of the Muslim community, in such an understanding, surpasses that of a monarch.
Because Muhammad became the head of state at Medina, the Rightly Guided successors after him also happened to be heads of state and – similar to the successors of Moses who led the Israelites after his death and, following the conquest of Canaan, gained control over a territory– functioned as political and military as well as religious leaders. Since Ghulam Ahmad, whom Ahmadis hold to be the promised Mahdi, was, like Jesus, not the head of a state, his successors after him – like the successors of Jesus did – function without attaching themselves to any state, seeking no political role and having no territorial ambition.
In terms of the political aspect of the caliphate as envisioned within the Ahmadiyya community, since God’s sovereignty is seen as extending over the universe, the ideal polity within Islam is one where the caliph is the spiritual head guiding, in accordance with Islamic principles, a federation or confederation of autonomous states associated together for the maintenance of peace and cooperating in promoting human welfare throughout the world. Such a framework allows the caliph to relegate, if he sees fit, most or all his secular authority to the elected representatives of the members of such a confederation.
The Ahmadiyya caliphate has spanned over a century, seen five caliphs and is continuing, in the manner of the first four caliphs of Muhammad. However, the Ahmadiyya caliphate is seen as a continuation of the first Islamic caliphate of Muhammad and the Ahmadiyya caliphs as successors to Ghulam Ahmad as well as ultimately to Muhammad. Ahmadi Muslims believe God has assured them that the present caliphate will endure till the Day of Judgement, depending on their righteousness and faith in God. According to Ahmadi Muslims, the caliphate seeks to establish God’s authority on earth and the caliph strives to uphold that authority within the community of followers. It is required that the caliph carry out his duties through consultation and taking into consideration the views of the members of the Majlis-ash-Shura. However, it is not incumbent upon him to always accept the views and recommendations of the members. The caliph has overall authority for all religious and organizational matters and is bound to decide and act in accordance with the Quran and sunnah.
Courtesy – Alislam
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