XXX.—THE CALIPH.
The Caliph, or Khalífa (i. e. the vicegerent of the Prophet), is the sovereign dignity amongst Muhammadans, vested with absolute power. The word more frequently used for the office in Muhammadan works of jurisprudence is Imám (leader), or Imám-ul-ʾAzam (the great leader). It is held to be an essential principle in the establishment of the office, that there shall be only one Caliph at the same time; for the Prophet said:—"When two Caliphs have been set up, put the last to death and preserve the second, for the last is a rebel" (vide Mishkát, bk. xvi. chap. i.). According to all Sunni Muhammadan books, it is absolutely necessary that the Caliph be "a man, an adult, a sane person, a free man, a learned divine, a powerful ruler, a just person, and one of the Quraish" (i. e. of the tribe to which the Prophet himself belonged). The Shíaʾhs, of course, hold that he should be one of the descendants of the Prophet's own family; but this is rejected by the Sunnis and Wahhábis. The condition that the Caliph should be of the Quraish, is very important; for thereby the present Ottoman Sultans fail to establish their claims to the Caliphate.
After the deaths of the first five Caliphs,—Abu Bakr, Omar, Osmán, Ali, and Hasan,—the Caliphate, which is allowed by all parties to be elective, and not hereditary, passed successively to the Ommiades and Abbasides. The temporal power of the Abbaside Caliphs was overthrown by Houlakon Khan, son of the celebrated Jengiz Khán, A.D. 1258; but, for three centuries, the descendants of the Abbaside, or Bagdad, Caliphs resided in Egypt, and asserted their claim to the spiritual power.
The founder of the present dynasty of Ottoman Sultans was Osman, the son of a tribe of Oghouz Turks, a powerful chief, whose descendant, Bazazet I., is said to have obtained the title of Sultán from one of the Abbaside Caliphs in Egypt, A.D. 1389. When Selim I. conquered Egypt (A.D. 1516), it is asserted that he obtained a transfer of the title of Caliph to himself from one of the successors of the old Bagdad Caliphs. It is, however, a mere assertion; for the title and office being elective, and not hereditary, it was not in the power of any Caliph to transfer it to another. Force of circumstances alone has compelled the ruler of the Ottoman Empire to assume the position, and has induced his subjects to acquiesce in the usurpation. We have not seen a single work of authority, nor met with a single man of learning, who has ever attempted to prove that the Sultans of Turkey are rightful Caliphs; for the assumption of the title by any one who is not of the Quraish tribe is undoubtedly illegal and heretical, as will be seen from the following authorities:—
(Mishkát-ul-Musábih, bk. xxiv. chap. xi.)
"Ibn-i-Umr relates that the Prophet of God said:—'The Caliphs shall be in the Quraish tribe as long as there are two persons in it, one to rule and another to serve.'"
(Sharh-ul-Muwáqif, p. 606. Arabic Edition. Egypt.)
"It is a condition that the Caliph (Imám) be of the Quraish tribe. All admit this, except the Khawárij and certain Mutazilahs. We all say with the Prophet: 'Let the Caliph be of the Quraish'; and it is certain that the Companions acted upon this injunction, for Abu Bakr urged it as an authority upon the Ansárs, on the day of Sakhifah, when the Companions were present and agreed. It is, therefore, for a certainty established that the Caliph must be of the Quraish."
(The Hujjat-Ullah-al-Bálaghah, p. 335. Arabic Edition. Delhi.)
"It 1s a necessary condition that the Caliph (Imám) be of the Quraish tribe."
(The Kashháf-i-Istaláhat. A Dictionary of Technical Terms. Edited by Colonel N. Lees, in loco.)
"The Caliph (Imám) must be a Quraish."
It is a matter of history that the Wahhábis regarded the Turkish Sultan as a usurper when Sana took Mecca and Medina in 1804; and to the present day, in countries not under Turkish rule, the Khutbah is recited in behalf of the Amír, or ruler of the Muslim state, instead of the Ottoman Sultan, which would not be the case if he were acknowledged as a lawful Caliph. In a collection of Khutbahs, entitled the Majmuaʾ Khutbah, the name of the Sultan does not once occur, although this collection is much used in Muhammadan states. We have seen it stated that the Sultan is prayed for in Hyderabad and Bengal; but, we believe, it will be found, upon careful inquiry, that he was not mentioned by name, until very recently, in any of the mosques of India. Khutbah in which there are prayers for the Ottoman Sultan by name, have been imported from Constantinople; but, whoever may be the rightful Caliph, it is certain that, according to law, the only sovereign who can be prayed for in an Indian mosque, is "Alexandrina Victoria, Empress of India" (Qaisar-i-Hind); for all Muhammadans admit that the Friday Khutbah cannot be recited without the permission of the ruler.