Page 157 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

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Abolishing The Caliphate

Rev. F. J. Bakny

T Ml£ correspondent of the “New York World” and the “Chicago
Daily News” in his dispatch, published March 11th, reported
an interview with a high official at Angora, the Turkish capital,
which is eminently quotable: “If the Moslems of other coun-
I tries feel the necessity of having a Caliph it is up to them to elect
As far as we are concerned we are through with that impusi-
uiic. j
lion. “The Koran does not contain any reference in regard to having
t a Calipb- The English translation of the word is ‘successor1 and
i means successor to the prophet as leader of ancient Mussulman
j tribes. Since the Koran contains besides religious prescriptions also
I ;,|| uur civil laws, tribe leaders accumulated spiritual and temporal
lowers. “The Turkish republic separated religion from state and found
consequently that it was useless to keep an ancient and obsolete
institution.”
That the Koran does not contain any reference to ,a caliph, his
election or his office, is true and what is equally true is that
spun really Mohammed had no intention of legislating on the
•ubjfcl, meaning, it would seem, by his silence that some one should
be cliuscn to succeed him according to the Arab custom (sumiu).
There is indeed a story well attested by the early historians that on
his deathbed Mohammed called for writing material whereupon an
't altercation ensued among the leaders present in the room which
; became so heated that Mohammed sent them out of his presence in
j displeasure. Shortly after he became* unconscious and what he bad
ii,tended has been a secret ever since. The Shiites claim that he
I
. was about to dictate his will in favor of the succession of Ali. What
«iid happen when the question of the succession became acute was
that Abu Bekr was “elected,” i.e., his immediate followers gave him
ihc bain, the right hand of fellowship, and the multitude followed
,uit and thus he became the chief of the new state. The early
luxuries leave it a doubtful point whether Abu Bekr himself used or
u'Ccpted the term of caliph. 1 lie usage emerged in 'the time of
Omar, the second of the “four rightly guided” caliphs. Thus hazy in
Hi origin is both the term and the office which has been the subject
0( centuries of bitter theological controversy and in recent times of
'-olilical agitation that at one time nearly threatened the peace of
India.
What in reality is the office of the caliph? The word itself, or
u il is pronounced in Arabic, khalecfa means vice-gerent, agent, sue
(o>ur. In the first sense, Adam and David are called khaleefas of
Oud in the Koran, but Mohammed is pre-eminently such. Then a
ruler may send his khaleefa, or agent, on a special mission and finally
ibe first four successors of Mohammed are the true caliphs of the
I'liijihel while the others have the title in a secondary sense.

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