On 13th April 2011, Mr Shujauddin Sheikh of Quran Academy delivered a lecture at IBA. The experience and knowledge given by him was unimaginable and a vast topic such as the “WHAT, WHY AND HOW OF KHILAFAT” cannot be covered in a mere 2 hour lecture. From a feminine perspective, it made me question the extent to which I can contribute to Khilafat!

Notes by: Kiran Khan & Yumna Halim

Before proceeding further, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to Yumna Halim Khan who helped in making this transcript a possibility. Secondly, I would caution my readers to read this note in 2 or 3 sittings because it requires more brain power than you think. You may proceed further…..

Shuja sahab elaborated on 20 points which were:

1) Concept of Allah (SWT):

Ask yourself: Is my worship limited to fasting in Ramadan, the five prayers, the Nikah ceremony or engaging in the Namaz e Janazah procession? Am I slave of Allah for 2 hours and do I forget Allah for the remaining 22 hours?

REMEMBER THIS: Allah is our deity for 24 hours- He is our creator, sustainer, cherisher etc. The Objective Resolution 1949, article number 1 says: sovereignty belongs to Allah (SWT).

2) Position of Man:

What is the difference between a slave and an employee? A slave has no free will- he is majboor whereas an employee is a servant- he can terminate his contract with his master.

In the Adalat, is Allah mabood? Do we earn Halaal income? Do we only go for Jumah salah to the Masjid and neglect all our other prayers? Ask yourself- do some soul searching!!

3) What is the purpose of life?

This is a question which many would have struggled with- some successful and others still wondering about the answer! Islam is a religion which provides the answer crisp and clear: We are created to worship Allah (SWT). Worship entails doing any act that the Prophet SAW did. A kind word, drinking water with your right hand, sleeping in the position of the Prophet SAW are all acts of ibadah.

Surah Dhariyat, Ayat 56 states: “And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me”. Worship means Muhabbat for your creator because only with Muhabbat will you develop the sustained passion to worship Him alone.

4) What is the literal and connotative meaning of Khilafat?

The literal meaning of Khalifa is vice-gerent. It is someone who represents a higher figure. He is given authority which can be exercised only according to the jurisdiction of the figure who gives him authority. Hence Khalifa is a representative of Allah and His Prophet. The authority he has should be aligned with the principles and guidelines that are obtained from the Quran and Sunnah. Nowadays, when we see that a particular person in a group dominates others, we say mockingly ‘Look, he’s being a Khalifa.’ This is not right as a Khalifa is a position of honor, the word should not be misused in this way.

Khilafat today is the performance of duties as performed by the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W.) The Prophet was sent to convey the message of Allah.

Ayat 129 of Surah Baqarah states:

‘Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allah answered their invocation by sending Muhammad SAWW), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur’an) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’

Ayat 9 of Surah Saff:

‘He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad SAWW) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islamic Monotheism) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad) hate (it).’

Now we as Ummatis of the Prophet (SAWW) should collectively perform the same duties on behalf of our Prophet SAWW because we believe in the finality of the prophethood.

5) History, Inception & Institution of Khilafat:

Khilafat is as old as man is because Adam (AS) was the first man, Khalifah & Prophet. Khilafat and Prophethood are equal in importance.

Ayat 30 of Surah Baqarah says:


6) Divine versus man-made laws

So the issue is, who’s authority prevails? Allah’s? Or the people who follow Allah’s commandments? If we look at a handshake between the opposite genders in the West and the same in the East, we see a huge difference. In the West it is considered a respectful gesture while in the East, it is shameful. Who determines whether a handshake between the two genders is permissible or not? What is the common factor that can judge between the two scenarios? It is Allah’s (SWT’s) commandments.

He is the Creator of both kinds of people. On Earth we have a choice, to do right or to do wrong. We won’t find chaos anywhere in the Universe except on Earth because this is the only place where His Creation is given a choice. When man exercises his own choice, it brings about chaos. Intellect can be the factor which makes a human human. Allah is the factor. Our intellect based systems of governance, economics & politics are not superior to Allah’s commandments.

Surah Naziat, verse 23-24 states: ‘Then he gathered (his people) and cried aloud saying: “I am your Lord, most high”’. This incident is of Pharoah who claimed authority over Allah. When man makes his own laws, there is no question of the chaos that eventually befalls.

7) Khilafat in individual life:

As an individual, I have the greatest control over my life. If I choose to waste it, it is because I have made that decision. If I choose to miss my Fajr salah, it is because I chose not to wake up to praise Allah. There is no government law that states that because I am an IBA student, I do not have to pray. Within our individual capacity, we can follow Allah’s commands, e.g. by speaking the truth, refraining from lying and cheating, keeping our promises, etc.

8) Khilafat in collective life:

Man exists as part of a system not in isolation. We are the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. We can’t change the system, but within our scope we can at least try to perfect our own behavior and find those who are making similar efforts. Together we can practice and preach Islam which is not that hard.

The Objective Resolution 1949, article no. 1 states that sovereignty belongs to Allah. Article 4 (in some sources, it is article 6) states that that muslims should organize their lives around the Quran and Sunnah.

9) Blessings of Khilafat:

Following Khilafat individually and in collective life has many blessings.

Ayat 66 of Surah Maidah says:

‘And if only they had acted according to the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to them from their Lord (the Qur’an), they would surely have gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet. There are from among them people who are on the right course, but many of them do evil deeds.’

Allah says he would have blessed the Jews and Christians in many ways if only they had followed what was given to them in their scriptures. So if we follow the Quran, don’t you think the promise would hold for us too?

Scandinavian countries agree to it that their system of welfare state came from the example of Hazrat Umer (R.A.). Gandhi too spoke highly of Hazrat Umer’s example. In his time, there was so much zakat collected that it exceeded the requirements of the needy!

Saudia Arabia is one of the countries with the lowest crime rate. Why? Because capital punishments occur there. Hudoods are the dos and don’ts in Islam. Hudood doesn’t mean only capital punishment e.g. inheritance laws are included in Surah Nisa. According to a Hadith, Allah promises to send blessings equivalent to 40 days’ continuous rain when even one of Allah’s Had is established.

10) Curse on non-establishment of Khilafat:

Ayat 85 of Surah Baqarah says:


In this verse, Allah declares that partial obedience of Islamic laws will not be acceptable. Such a person will live a life of shame on Earth and will face an ever-lasting torment in the Hereafter.

Question yourself: Am I in a position to follow Islam completely? If not, then you know what must be done.

11) Who is responsible for establishment of Khilafat?

Surah Hajj, Ayat 41 says:

‘Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order for Iqamat-as-Salat. [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salat (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakat and they enjoin Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’an as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures).)’

It should be the government officials who should then enforce all this, but do they? In Iran, there’s a congregation of 15 lac people in one Jummah prayer and the prayer is led by their own government officials.

In Pakistan, Zardari sahab should make it compulsory for every man to come to the mosque for the Jumah congregation.

12) What is the responsibility of the lay man?

When the government can’t provide us electricity, what do we do? We switch on the generator. When the government can’t provide us clean water, what do we do? We use filters or buy mineral water. So when the government can’t provide us with a proper code of conduct, we need to find alternatives here too. We need to remind the government. According to Articles 35 and 36 of the Constitution of Pakistan, it is the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to provide us with the atmosphere where we can learn Islamic teachings and practice them. Can’t we then protest for the enforcement of Sharia’ah? The question boils down to whether we are prepared to protest!

13) Khilafat in Pakistan:

What is the meaning of Pakistan? Is it ‘Land of the Pure’? No, you are mistaken. It means ‘La illahailala’. So if the oneness of Allah is proclaimed then how come we forgot about the burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones but we did not forget about the Pakistan-India match? Did Pakistan lose the match because we forgot about the burning of the Quran in public?

Pakistan was created to have a separate nation state where Islam could be practiced. Then how come we are so far away from our roots? 64 years ago, a nation was in search of a country. 64 years later, a country is in search of a nation.

14) Soft revolution to establish Khilafat:

Why was Rana Bhagwandas the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan? Shouldn’t our judges be Ulemas?

It all boils down to us not remembering the Objective Resolution 1949! If article no. 4 was enacted, then there would be no Rana Bhagwandas. Article no. 62 and 63 state that a person who has committed a gunah e kabeera (major sin) cannot become a member of the Parliament. Hence, exercising the 1949 resolution will be our soft revolution.

15) Hard revolution to establish Khilafat:

Here we’re not talking about bloodshed, but of demanding our rights. Elections now don’t mean a change of system, just a change of faces. We need to uproot our current system and plant a new system which is based on true Islamic principles. Buildup of pressure can bring about the desired change as we have seen from the example of Egypt & the number of people gathered at Tahrir Square.

16) Whose Islam is to be implemented?

So the question is whose Islam should be implemented? Should it be the Shias? Sunnis? Barelvis? Deobandis? In 1953, major ulema of our country came together and agreed upon a set of 22 points which would be in the best interests of all the sects. In 1996, it was resigned by the ulema of that time. The sectorial differences are only highlighted by the media, otherwise there is great potential for understanding for each other and there are many things common among all the various sects.

17) Is Khilafat system possible in today’s world?

In short, the answer is Yes. Allah’s sytem will eventually be implemented everywhere. There is a Hadith, the gist of which is: Allah ne mujhay poori zameen dikhadi, mashriq bhi aur maghrib bhi aur poori zameen pe Allah ka deen qaim hoga!

18) What is the action agenda?


‘Fiza-e-Badr paida kar

farishtey teri nusrat ko

utar saktey hein gardon se

qataar andar qataar ab bhi’

This piece of Iqbal’s poetry means to say that if we create the conditions of Badr, Allah’s help is bound to come. We need to correct our own selves first, then form a group of like-minded people (such as our neighbours and friends) and then expand. Everyone should perform their own obligations to Allah at least, for if they die any day, what answer will they give to Allah?

19) What if no struggle is made to establish Khilafat?

To date, no country has practiced Islam in totality and hence no country has achieved salvation. Without struggle, there will be no salvation.

Surah Asr says: ‘By Al-‘Asr (the time).Verily! Man is in loss…’. Remember, this loss is unquantifiable. If Allah wills, there can be a tremendous and unimaginable disaster. Also, this ground is Allah’s and so it is understandable whose law should be implemented.

20) What if Khilafat is not established even though one struggled for it?

True success lies in attaining Paradise in the Hereafter. This struggle, even if unsuccessful, would help us on the Day of Judgment. In the end, sincerity of effort is what counts.

http://www.calltowardslight.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/pakistan-flag-wallpapers-1280x800-1024x640.jpghttp://www.calltowardslight.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/pakistan-flag-wallpapers-1280x800-290x290.jpgZauja Muhammad AliLectures I attendedShuja Uddin ShaykhOn 13th April 2011, Mr Shujauddin Sheikh of Quran Academy delivered a lecture at IBA. The experience and knowledge given by him was unimaginable and a vast topic such as the “WHAT, WHY AND HOW OF KHILAFAT” cannot be covered in a mere 2 hour lecture....The Diary of a Muslimah