NECESSARY TO CEASE FROM SUPERFLUOUS ACTIONS AND TO DO WHAT IS INDISPENSABLE (I)

Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî says in the 60th letter of the second volume of his Maktûbât:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta’âlâ and salâm to His distinguished, beloved slaves! I have had the honour of reading your valuable letter. You gathered and wrote the documents and witnesses informing that Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq’s caliphate was rightful and that he was elected Khalîfa with the unanimity of the good people of the first [Islamic] century, the best century. Likewise, we have been happy to read your statements explaining that the superiority of the four Khalîfas to one another, who are called Khulafâ-i râshidîn, is in accordance with the sequence of their caliphates, and that we should not be vociferous and keep quiet concerning the disagreements and combats among the Sahâba, who were educated by the Highest of Mankind, Hadrat Muhammad ‘’alaihissalâm’. Such belief concerning the imâms and Khalîfas is sufficient. The savants of Ahl as-sunnat wa-l-jamâ’at state so. May Allâhu ta’âlâ plentifully reward these savants for their work!

My merciful brother! Teachings concerning the imâms, that is, caliphates, are not indispensable [darûrî] teachings of our religion. That is, they are not in the (category of teachings termed) usûl-i dîn. They are in the (category called) furû’-i dîn. The indispensable teachings, that is, the darûriyyât-i dîn, are a different matter. They are the teachings on belief and deeds. In other words, first of all it is necessary to learn the facts to be believed and the practices to be done. The former part of the indispensable teachings is called ’ilmi Kalâm and the latter part is called ’ilm-i Fiqh. To leave aside the indispensable and to busy with the unnecessary will mean to spend one’s valuable lifetime on futile pursuits. A hadîth declares: “What shows Allah’s disliking a slave of His is his destroying his time on futile pursuits.” If it were a matter of the indispensable usûl-i dîn to deal with caliphates as the Shiites say, Allâhu ta’âlâ would clearly declare in the Qur’ân who would be the Khalîfa after Rasûlullah’s death. And our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ would command the caliphate of a certain person.