Continuation of the discussion on the issue of whether it is permissible to say "Khalifat Allah" (Successor of Allah) or not permissible.

The Shaykh : He addresses 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, saying: "Successor of Allah, rain is sought through him. You have undertaken a great matter, so be patient with it and stand firm in it by the command of Allah, O 'Umar." Good. So he said "Successor of Allah" and he approved him according to the narration; he did not deny it. Some scholars said it is permissible to say "Successor of Allah," but it is in the category of attributing a thing to its doer, meaning the creation of Allah. That is, Allah appointed you as a successor on earth and made you a successor. The meaning is not that Allah the Exalted entrusted you with His servants because He is incapable of managing them, no. But the meaning is that Allah made you a successor on earth, succeeding Him in His servants, meaning you establish His Shari'ah among them. And Allah the Exalted said to Dawud: among the people . And some scholars said it is not permissible, because the successor of a person is only in his absence, in the absence of the person who is succeeded. For this reason, Musa said to Harun: , because he (peace and blessings be upon him) was absent, absent for the appointment with his Lord. But the correct view is the first one, that it is permissible for us to say "Successor of Allah," because Allah appointed him as a successor among His servants to uphold justice. This does not mean that Allah the Exalted is not present. Allah Mighty and Majestic is above His Throne and knows everything. There is a difference between Musa appointing Harun as his successor and Allah the Exalted appointing this successor on earth. Those who say it is not permissible say that you are saying "Successor of the Messenger of Allah." The Messenger of Allah did not appoint me as his successor. They say: because you succeeded the Messenger of Allah in his Ummah. You succeeded him in his Ummah. Pay attention: in knowledge, action, da'wah (calling), and governance. That is, the successor must be a successor to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in these four matters: what are they? Knowledge, action, da'wah, and governance. Do you see? The responsibility of the successor is not light. In knowledge, meaning he must be knowledgeable of the Shari'ah, meaning he must be knowledgeable of the Shari'ah. For this reason, the successors in the era of the righteous Salaf were the scholars. Good. If he is unable, if he is unable, then he must have a council of advisors who are knowledgeable of the Shari'ah of Allah. And this council of advisors must be knowledgeable of the conditions of the era. They must be knowledgeable of the conditions of the era. Thirdly, they must have the ability to apply contemporary events to the principles of the Shari'ah. Do you understand? They must have the ability to apply contemporary events to the principles of the Shari'ah. Why? Because some people are knowledgeable but do not know the conditions of people and the requirements of the era. You find him wanting to impose what he knows without looking at reality. And this is an error. Rather, it is obligatory for the scholar, along with his knowledge, to be an educator, meaning he looks at reality to apply it to the principles of the Shari'ah. And we do not say he looks at reality to twist the necks of the principles of the Shari'ah to fit it, but to bring reality in line with the principles of the Shari'ah. And praise be to Allah, the Islamic religion—I tell you—no event will occur until the Day of Resurrection that does not have a solution in the Islamic religion. Whoever knows it knows it, and whoever does not know it does not know it. But what escapes us is either incapacity or negligence, either incapacity or negligence. As for there being an event until the Day of Resurrection for which there is no solution in the Shari'ah, this is impossible. Because Allah made this religion to remain until when? Until the Hour. So it must contain solutions for the problems of the world, otherwise it would not be valid to be a religion until the Day of Resurrection or a Shari'ah. Good. To succeed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in action, by being a good example in his actions, his worship, his dealings, his morals, and his behavior, to be a model. Because his name is Successor and Imam. A successor to those who came before him and an Imam for those who came after him. Do you see how? If we call him Successor and Imam, it is for two reasons, not for one reason.

The questioner : For one reason.

The Shaykh : For two reasons, not for one reason. A successor to those who came before him and an Imam for those who came after him, meaning those in his era and after him are under his guidance, and those before him he is a successor to. So he must be an Imam in action. He must be an Imam in action by following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as much as he is able.
The third: that he be an Imam in da'wah. What is da'wah? Da'wah to Islam. Does he write to the leaders of the disbelievers? He writes to them, calling them to Islam, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to them, calling them to Islam. Yes or no.