You are the successors of Allah on His earth
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The first question of fatwa number ( 3014 ):
Q1: I found in some books the phrase (and you, O Muslims, are the successors of Allah on His earth). What is the ruling on that?
A1 : This expression is incorrect in terms of its meaning; because Allah the Exalted is the Creator of everything, the Owner of it, and He is not absent from His creation and His ownership, such that He would appoint a successor for Himself on His earth. Rather, Allah makes some people successors to others on earth, so whenever an individual, a group, or a nation perishes, He makes another successor to them to succeed them in cultivating the earth, as He the Exalted said:
And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلائِفَ الأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْThey said, "We have been harmed before you came to us and after you have come to us." He said, "Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and grant you succession in the land and see how you will do."
قَالُوا أُوذِينَا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا قَالَ عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفَكُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَAnd [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority."
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.