Shia believe that the Holy Prophet nominated Hazrat Ali as...

Shia believe that the Holy Prophet nominated Hazrat Ali as his successor and expressed his decision explicitly at several occasion. There are numerous verses in the Holy Quran, ahadith of the Prophet (sws) and historical events, both in Sunni and Shia authentic books, which are more than enough to enlighten the Muslim Ummah to remove this controversy. But this is possible only if they sincerely wish to resolve the matter rationally and peacefully.

We are discussing the issue briefly in an academic manner just for the sake of understanding and unity of Muslim Ummah. The whole issue of Imamat and Khilafat can be divided into two major par ts. 1- Did the Holy Prophet (sws) appoint anyone as his successor to continue his mission after him or not ? 2 - If he appointed, then whom did he appoint and what was the primary criteria of his appointment ?

First Case - Sunni Standpoint All Sunni scholars, without any difference of opinion, say that the Holy Prophet did not appoint anyone as his successor nor he left any guidelines regarding his succession. They are also unanimous in believing that the Holy Prophet (sws) never made any nomination in favor of Hazrat Abu Bakr or Omar or Osman or anyone else nor is there any indication of their Khilafat in the Quran or Hadith.

If this is acceptable by all Sunni scholars then it solves 50% of the dispute. Because, if Prophet has not mentioned anyone as his successor then there shouldn't be any resistance from their side to accept anyone as the first Khalifa, whether he be Hazrat Ali (as), or anybody else. In fact, if Quran and Prophet are totally silent on this matter, as Sunnis believe, then the whole belief of Khilafat should not be considered as a religious issue.

In this way, the Khilafat of Hazrats Abu Bakr will simply become a historical event which has no concern with the religious faith. If this is the case, then Sunnis should not accuse Shias, if they do not accept the Khilafat of Hazratr Abu Bakr, Omar and Osman, as they are not rejecting any Divine injunction or religious order.

Thus, from Sunni point of view, even if Hazrat Ali was not appointed by the Prophet as his successor, Shias have the right to accept him as Khalifa in the same way as Sunnis accept Hazrats Abu Bakr, Omar and Osman their Khalifa.