Huff Post: by Qasim Rashid: Feb. 28 came and went, and thus ended Pope Benedict’s short tenure. According to most, no claimant to Divine office remains on Earth, at least until the next pope is elected.
On the contrary, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the world’s only Khalifa and head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, continues his lifelong Divinely appointed tenure to the office of Khilafat.
To put it directly, in Islam a Khalifa is God’s man on earth. He accepts God’s will and marches on despite illness, suffering, persecution or any other form of hardship. God’s man on Earth does not resign. Instead, only God Himself removes them when the Khalifa eventually passes away. Muslims believe that the Khalifa is divinely appointed as the Holy Spirit guides the election. In essence, it is divine Will with human participation. Resigning is therefore not appropriate. In secular terms it is like an elected monarchy, but a monarch who is obliged to adhere to the tenets of absolute justice and universal equity.
Likewise, a man of God is different than God’s man on earth. A man of God is a voluntary position or status — such as the imam of a mosque. God’s man on Earth, however, is an appointed position and therefore a required obligation for the one appointed. The essence of this divinely appointed spiritual leadership is unity of mankind under divine guidance and divine protection.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Europe
A very informative presentation, thanks.
May Allah keep our Imam of the time in good health, Ameen