“Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will, surely, make them successors in the earth…” more

“Prophethood shall remain among you as long as Allah shall will. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilafat…” more

The first four successors after The Holy Prophet Muhammad ^saw are known as the “Guided Khilafat”.

Lasting a little over two years, Hadhrat Abu Bakr’s Khilafat successfully maintained the Muslim unity after the death of The Holy Prophet ^saw.

By forming a consultative body of advisors to the Khalifa and dividing the Islamic state into provinces,Hadhrat Umar bin Khattab established an effective system of Islamic administration and governance.

As Khalifa, Hadhrat Uthman bin Affan, oversaw the reproduction and propagation of the Holy Quran throughout the Muslim state. He also spent much of his personal wealth for furthering the cause of Islam.

Cousin and son-in-law of The Holy Prophet ^saw,Hadhrat Ali ibn Abi Talibsought to establish peace after Hadhrat Uthman’s assassination.

The successors after The Promised Messiah ^as are known as the “Ahmadiyya Khilafat”.

Like Hadhrat Abu Bakr,Hadhrat Nooruddinestablished the unity of the Community after the death of the Promised Messiah.

Also known as the “Promised Reformer”,Hadhrat Mahmood Ahmadintroduced many improvements into the administration of the Community.

As Khalifa, Hadhrat Nasir Ahmad offered great leadership and guidance when Pakistan declared the Community to be non-Muslim.

In addition to his many notable achievements,Hadhrat Tahir Ahmadlaunched the first Muslim satellite television network.

As the current Khalifa,Hadhrat Masroor Ahmad is guiding the Community through a time of great global skepticism and animosity towards Islam.

SOURCE:

http://www.alislam.org/topics/khilafat/