Political
Leaders

You know,

when the Messenger was alive,

no one else had any claim to leadership of the community.

God spoke through him.

Divine Power radiated through him.

But along with that Divine Power came considerable earthly power,

and when he died people realised that.

So people didn't try to distinguish between an Islam that was for all times and people,

and Islam as it was for them.

After all, the revelation included them in it.

So the social norms of the community as it existed

were accepted without question.

Power is an attribute of strength, which is physically male.

There was no thought of inviting any women along

when that group of powerful men got together

to argue about who would take charge.

And that manly argument was resolved by a man's man,

Umar Ibn al-Kattab, speaking up,

not in favour of himself,

but offering loyalty to Abu Bakr.

Who really didn't want the job.

Abu Bakr didn't like taking the responsibility for leading the Sala in the Messenger's absence,

let alone the responsibility for the direction of the umma

after the Messenger's death.

He accepted it,

but when doing so asked that people tell him when he was wrong.

And because the role needed a name,

he called it khalif

caliph

It comes from a root meaning to be behind,

or to come after,

so it also has a meaning of being someone's deputy,

who does things on their behalf,

And whereas Abu Bakr realised the truth of the meaning

that embraced the fact that it was now a new generation,

and the days of the revelation were forever behind them,

he surely saw the idea of doing anything on the Messenger's behalf

as no more than aspirational.

Who could possibly fill those shoes

and wear that mantle.

But the process was under way,

and in a very few years it was Umar's turn,

and his was quite a different personality.

And I think it would be fair to say

that Umar didn't really think of women as his equals in day to day life,

as he had a tendency to treat them sternly.

After all, the sound of his voice alone was enough to empty a room full of women in the blink of an eye,

something the Messenger found highly amusing.

Umar's leadership transformed the direction of the community,

but his natural tendencies were quite different to the patience and gentleness of the Messenger

And by the time of the next generation of those who came after the Messenger,

earthly power had reclaimed political control of the umma,

practising a way of life that had so little in common with the Messenger,

that the idea of using the title caliph to describe it beggars belief.

Clearly,

from the beginning

it was never going to be possible for anyone to really act on behalf of the Messenger,

to hold the Messenger's power while sharing his generosity,

his tolerance and mercy to all the worlds.

So that aspect of the title's meaning was always unrealistic

And as for the title's meaning of those who come after,

that is so general that it applies to anyone

and anything

and all of us,

making all sincere followers of the Messenger caliph,

but that still allowed a few to establish themselves

with the earthly power of kings.

And those were mostly men,

but not all women were satisfied with a role as mother and homemaker,

and if in no other way, mothers have power and influence

over and through their children,

and have often been known to use it.

So some used their children as puppets,

and some used viziers,

but some preferred to keep power to themselves,

and just used the traditional means of gaining it,

sometimes by simple inheritance,

and sometimes by killing off all the other heirs.

Some led armies in battles to defeat opponents.

Sometimes they appeared in twos or threes,

passing the throne from mother to daughter.

Each had her own way of treating the people,

of rendering justice

and of administering taxes.

Some managed to stay on the throne for a long time,

while others scarcely had time to settle down.

Many died in the traditional manner of the caliphs,

that is poisoned or stabbed.

Rare were those who died peacefully in their beds.

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