Who is the Khalifah fi al-‘Ardh?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) said, “Allah (s.w.t.) Says, in a hadits qudsi, ‘I was a Hidden Treasure.’  Who understood that Secret?”  Allah (s.w.t.) Says in the Qur’an: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬‌ۖ ... (٣٠) 

Behold, your Lord Said to the angels, “I will Create a vicegerent on Earth.” … (Surah al-Baqarah:30) 

Shaykh Nazhim (q.s.) said, Allah (s.w.t.) Mentioned “khalifah” in a singular term in this ayat, so the Chosen Representative referred to here, is Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  He is the Beloved of Allah (s.w.t.); the only one whom Allah (s.w.t.) Taught the Qur’an to, and who was the only one Given a glimpse into the Hidden Treasure.  Allah (s.w.t.) is Ahadun Ahad, He is One and Unique, and there is only one Chosen khalifah, never a second one.  Iblis thought that he was to be that Chosen khalifah.  Yet his understanding compared to Rasulullah’s (s.a.w.) is like that of a pinhead compared to an ocean.  The recipient of the title of khalifah had been Chosen and Bestowed by Allah (s.w.t.) before Creation.  It was not a station that could be achieved by effort.  It was a Divine Decree that will stand eternally.  But Iblis was devoid of understanding. 

We must not be like Shaythan in rejecting Rasulullah (s.a.w.).  We must stop spreading this deviant belief that one can understand the Qur’an by one’s self without following Rasulullah (s.a.w.), and without a Divinely Sent guide.  So many doctors of Islam with PhDs study Islam from non-Islamic universities, from ordinary lecturers and after writing a thick thesis on Islam, they believe that they have reached the pinnacle of knowledge.  In reality, they, like Iblis, are devoid of any knowledge or understanding.  How pitiful.  The ocean of Islam is deep.  To dive in without allegiance to the Prophet (s.a.w.), without following a guide who has taken this journey before, is fatal.  We will sink into that ocean and may never rise again.  So, never say that we can go it alone.