Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … The following hadith and discussion will be useful regarding the duration of the Rightly Guided Caliphs:

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safinah that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “The Caliphate will last for thirty years, then after that there will be kingship.” Safinah said: Count: the Caliphate of Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu was two years, the Caliphate of Umar radi Allahu anhu was ten years, the Caliphate of Uthman radi Allahu anhu was twelve years, and the Caliphate of Ali radi Allahu anhu was six years. (Abu Dawud: 4647, and the wording is from Ahmad) The Caliphate will remain for thirty years, after which kingship will come. Safinah said, just count: two years for Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu, ten years for Sayyiduna Umar radi Allahu anhu, twelve years for Sayyiduna Uthman radi Allahu anhu, and six years for Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu.

The details of the periods of Caliphate of the Rightly Guided Caliphs are as follows:
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu: two years, three months, ten days
Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq radi Allahu anhu: ten years, six months, eight days
Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani radi Allahu anhu: eleven years, eleven months, nine days
Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada radi Allahu anhu: four years, nine months, seven days
Sayyiduna Hasan radi Allahu anhu: six months

The wording of the narration in Sunan Abi Dawud is: “The Caliphate of Prophethood will last for thirty years, then Allah will grant kingship to whomever He wills, or He will make him king.” … For thirty years, the Caliphate of Prophethood will remain, then Allah, the Exalted, will grant His kingship to whomever He wills. Mulla Ali Qari said: The meaning of this hadith appears to be that for thirty years, the complete Caliphate will continue, in which there will be no element of opposition or deviation from the truth, but after that, sometimes this quality will be present and sometimes absent. (Mirqat: 9/271)

Here, it is necessary to clarify that kingship in itself is not something blameworthy, such that the meaning of this hadith should be taken as a reproach and condemnation of the rule and kingship after the thirty-year period of Caliphate. In Islam, that kingship is blameworthy which, in practice or in knowledge and practice, is unfamiliar with the commands of Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger. Whether such a king is given the title of Amir al-Mu’minin or Khalifat al-Muslimin, this will not provide any support to his rule or caliphate. In Islam, titles are not considered; action and reality are what matter. If the purpose of a king is the propagation of the true religion and its elevation, the implementation and promotion of Islamic civilization and culture, then he will be praiseworthy, even if he ascended the throne by inheritance after his father’s death. Nowadays, people have come to consider kingship itself as contrary to Caliphate and Prophethood, for which there is no Shari’ah basis. Allamah Ibn Khaldun writes: That kingship which is contrary and opposed to the concept of Caliphate is tyranny (and rebellion), which Sayyiduna Umar radi Allahu anhu referred to as Kisra-ism (Persian despotism) when he saw some of its outward signs in Sayyiduna Muawiyah radi Allahu anhu. But that kingship in which there is no coercion, domination, tribalism, or pomp, is neither contrary to Caliphate nor to Prophethood. Sulayman alayhis salam and Dawud alayhis salam were both Prophets and kings, but despite this, both remained steadfast in obedience to Allah, the Exalted, and on the straight path in worldly affairs. The kingship of Sayyiduna Muawiyah radi Allahu anhu was also of this kind; his purpose was not merely to attain kingship or to increase worldly honor and prestige. When the Muslims became dominant over most governments, due to natural tribalism, this sentiment arose in his heart; nevertheless, he was the Caliph of the Muslims, and he guided the Muslim nation in the same way as kings guide their nations when national tribalism and royal temperament demand it.

The same is the case with the pious caliphs who came after Sayyiduna Muawiyah radi Allahu anhu. When needed, they also adopted royal manners and customs. When studying the conditions of these caliphs, it is necessary to rely only on authentic narrations, not on weak ones. The caliph whose actions are correct is the Caliph of the Messenger, and the one who does not meet this standard is a king like the ordinary kings of the world, even if he is called a caliph. (Tarikh Ibn Khaldun: 2/142)

The reality is that in Islam, the true authority and lawgiver is Allah, the Exalted. The position of the caliph is neither to legislate nor is every word of his obligatory to obey; he is bound by the command of Allah and is the one who implements it, and obedience to him is also conditional upon this. This concept of rulership was embedded in the hearts and minds of the first four caliphs with such intensity that later this concept gradually faded, and this condition was described as kingship; otherwise, in reality, kingship is not blameworthy in Islam. Sayyiduna Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, in technical terms, was a king, i.e., he became caliph through the method of succession, but due to his style of governance, he left behind a good name. Similarly, there have been many other kings in Islamic history whose illustrious deeds adorn the pages of Islamic history and whose personalities are praiseworthy and commendable in the eyes of all Muslims. Likewise, if someone insists on calling Sayyiduna Muawiyah radi Allahu anhu a king, then let him do so by all means. The entire history of the world cannot present a king as just, God-fearing, and accomplished in great deeds as him. But if someone calls him a king from the perspective that he deviated from the Islamic system of government, that his system of rule was not Islamic, and that he had no qualms about transgressing the limits of morality and Shari’ah—as Mawlana Mawdudi has tried to make people believe in his book “Khilafat wa Mulukiyyat”—then this is sheer injustice, unfairness, an imbalanced way of thinking, and completely contrary to the facts. On this subject, the study of Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf’s book “Khilafat wa Mulukiyyat ki Tareekhi wa Shari Haisiyat” will be very beneficial, insha Allah.