Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Khilaafah ar-Rashidah - a question! |
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| Arsalan |
| 08/24/00 at 14:49:58 |
| Assalamu alaikum, Does anyone out there know why the first four khulafaa (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali) are known as the "rightly guided khalifas"? I mean, why doesn't the title extend to other khulafaa that came later, especially Hasan ibn Ali, Mu'awiyah and Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz? Hasan ibn Ali was a companion as well as the grandson of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and Mu'awiyah was a righteous companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.). Wassalam. |
| Re: Khilaafah ar-Rashidah - a question! |
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| bhaloo |
| 08/24/00 at 15:39:13 |
| Asalaam alaikum wrt wb, Ok, I'm moving this thread to the Islamic discussion session, but here is some info on this topic I got from MSA's National organization. The Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Al-Khulafa-ur-Rashidun) Those Caliphs who truly followed in the Prophet's foot steps are called 'The Rightly-Guided Caliphs' (Al-Khulafa-ur Rashidun in Arabic). They are the first four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman and Ali. All four were among thc earliest and closest Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him). They lived simple and righteous lives and strove hard for the religion of God. Their justice was impartial, their treatment of others was kind and merciful, and they were one with the people - the first among equals. After these four, the later Caliphs assumed the manners of kings and emperors and the true spirit of equality of ruler and ruled diminished to a considerable extent in the political life of Muslims. It should be clearly understood that the mission of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), and hence that of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, was not political, social or economic reform, although such reforms were a logical consequence of the success of this mission, nor the unity of a nation and the establishment of an empire, although the nation did unite and vast areas came under one administration, nor the spread of a civilization or culture, although many civilizations and cultures developed, but only to deliver the message of God to all the peoples of the world and to invite them to submit to Him, while being the foremost among those who submitted. With the death of Ali, the first and most notable phase in the history of Muslim peoples came to an end. All through this period it had been the Book of God and the practices of His Messenger - that is, thc Qur'an and the Sunnah - which had guided the leaders and the led, set the standards of their moral conduct and inspired their actions. It was the time when the ruler and the ruled, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, were uniformly subject to the Divine Law. It was an epoch of freedom and equality, of God-consciousness and humility, of social justice which recognized no privileges, and of an impartial law which accepted no pressure groups or vested interests. After Ali, Muawiya assumed the caliphate and thereafter the caliphate became hereditary, passing from one king to another. |
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