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Home > History > Khalifa Ali > The Caliphate Issue - Nature of the issue
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1. Birth of Ali

2. Years of childhood

3. Ward of the Holy Prophet

4. Conversion to Islam

5. Battle Between the truth and falsehood

6. Social Boycott Of Banu Hashim

7. Year Of Sorrow

8. Farewell to Makkah

9. Early Days in Madina

10. Battle of Badr

11. Marriage of Ali

12. The Bani Qainuqa

13. The Battle of Uhud

14. Banu Nadeer

15. Battle of the Ditch

16. Campaign Against Banu Mustaliq

17. Banu Quraizah

18. Operations Against Banu Sa'ad

19. Treaty of Hudaibiya

20. Battle of Khyber

21. Conquest of Makkah

22. The Battle of Hunain

23. The Siege of Taif

24. Campaign Against Banu Tai

25. Christians Of Najran

26. Banu Zabada

27. Expedition To Tabuk

28. The Declaration of Discharge

29. Banu Ramla

30. Mission to Yemen

31. The Farewell Pilgrimage

32. Khum Ghadir

33. Death of the Holy Prophet

34. The Caliphate of Abu Bakr

35. Fatima Zahra

36. Ali's Oration on the Death of Abu Bakr

37. The Caliphate of Umar

38. Ali During the Caliphate of Othman

39. Election of Ali as the Caliph

40. The Caliphate Issue

41. Vengeance for the Blood of Othman

42. Deposition of Provincial Governors

43. Defiance of Muawiyah

44. Defection of Talha and Zubair

45. Ayesha

46. Ayesha's March to Basra

47. Battle for Basra

48. Ayesha's Occupation of Basra

49. Ali's March to Rabda

50. Ali's Missions to Kufa

51. Ali's March to Basra

52. Peace Parleys

53. The Battle of the Camel

54. Ali's Occupation of Basra

55. Kufa, the New Capital

56. Qais Bin Saad Ansari

57. Muawiyah

58. Amr Bin Al-Aas

59. In Quest of Peace with Muawiyah

60. Letters of Ali Addressed to Muawiyah

61. Ali's March to Syria

62. The Battle for Water

63. Months of Suspense

64. The Battle of Siffin

65. Arbitration Agreement

66. The Kharijites

67. Testament of Ali

68. The Arbitration

69. The Battle of Nahrawan

70. Ali's loss Egypt

71. Trouble in Basra

72. Revolt of Khurrit Bin Rashid

73. Raids of Muawiyah

74. Martyrdom of Ali-661 C.E.

75. Life of Ali, General Review

76. Ali, The Man

77. Distinctions of Ali

78. Ali in the Holy Quran

79. Ali, The Father of Sufism

80. Ali, The Gate of Knowledge

81. Ali The Poet

82. Ali, The Generous

83. Administrative Instructions of Ali

84. Judgements of Ali

85. Ali's Conduct of Wars

86. Social and Ethical Thought of Ali

87. Political Thought of Ali

88. Ali's concept of God

89. Ali on the Life of the World

90. Anecdotes of Ali

91. Similes of Ali

92. Sayings of Ali

93. Assessment of Ali by Eminent Muslims

94. Assessment of Ali by Western Scholars

In our study of the issue of the caliphate, we have to consider the question of the nature of the issue. That question to be considered is whether the election of the Caliph is a religious or a political issue. The commandments of religion are contained in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. There is no mention about the Ca1iph in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. In the Holy Quran the word "Caliph" has been used with reference to Man in general when he is said to be the Caliph of God. This means that the people in general are the Caliph of God. The Caliph to be the Head of the State is a political functionary only. Political issues must necessarily be limited to the milieu in which they arise, and political issues cannot be kept alive for indefinite period. In Islam the State and the Church are not separate. This merely means that in an Islamic State the political affairs would be administered in accordance with the injunctions of Islam. It does not mean that every political issue would become a religious issue. A religious issue must be directly based on the Quran and the Sunnah, and any political issue cannot become part of religion. Election of a functionary is for a limited period, and when that period is over all disputes about the election come to an end. Even if it is conceded that Ali should have succeeded the Holy Prophet in preference to any other person, the controversy should have ceased with the close of the rule of the rightly guided Caliphs. To keep this political issue alive for all times and make it a ground for sectarian differences does not appear to be in accord with the spirit of Islam. Even if Ali did not get the caliphate, he did get the caliphate after all, and with his assumption of the caliphate, the controversy about the validity or otherwise about the election of the previous Caliphs should have come to an end being time barred.

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