They also feel the inaccuracy of the theory of succession to the caliphate...

They also feel the inaccuracy of the theory of succession to the caliphate, so you find them justifying it through ahadith such as the one saying, “Caliphate after me shall last for thirty years followed by a government of oppression,” as if they want to convince others of their own conviction that government is for Allah to grant it to whomsoever He pleases, and that the kings and sultans were appointed by Allah, the most Exalted One, to rule people; so, obedience to them is obligatory.

This is a lengthy topic which drags us to the issue of destiny and predestination which we discussed in our book So Let us be with the Truthful , a topic we do not wish now to return to. Suffices us here to bear in mind that “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” are also called “Qadaris,” believers in destiny, as they espouse.

The end result is that “Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama`a” believe in the system of succession which they regard as conducive with the Shari`a not because the Messenger of Allah mandated it, or because he appointed his own successor, for they very strongly deny any such things, but only because Abu Bakr appointed Umar, and Umar appointed six persons, then Mu`awiyah appointed Yazid, and so on.

None of their scholars or Imams of the four sects ever claimed that the Umayyad or the Abbaside or the Ottoman government was in agreement with the Shari`a.

Yet we find them rushing to swear their oath of allegiance, to support and brand their caliphs as “legitimate.” Even most of them went as far as claiming that caliphate is legitimate for anyone who attains it by force or oppression, and they are not concerned whether he is righteous, a sinner, or a promiscuous, or whether he is an Arab, a member of Quraysh, a Turk, or a Kurd. Dr.

Ahmad Mahmud Subhi says the following in this regard, “The stand adopted by Ahlul Sunnah with regard to the issue of caliphate is to accept the status quo without endorsing or opposing it.”[^1] In reality, however, Ahlul Sunnah do support it.