2. Knowledge that enables him to practise Ijtihad when new circumstances and

cases arise. 3. Sound hearing, seeing, and speaking. 4. Freedom from physical disabilities. 5. Sound opinion and judgement to manage the subjects' matters and conduct other services. 6. Courage and readiness to protect the land of Islam and its people and to fight the enemy. 7.

Descent from the Qur'aish tribe, due to the hadith evidence and the consensus of Muslim scholars. Obedience to the Caliph is obligatory and is an act of obedience to Allah and His Messenger . All his commands must be obeyed, unless he calls for a transgression against the laws of Allah, in which case it becomes forbidden to obey that command. If the Caliph commits an act of Fisq or oppression, he is not to be rebelled against unless his transgressions are repeated, in which case he should be removed from power if the `evil' of removing him is lesser than the `evil' of leaving him in office. However, this issue is the subject of heated debate among the Ulama of our Ummah. 54 replace him with a just Muslim ruler, even if this leads to taking up arms to do so.

The Caliph remains in office until his death, resignation or until such a time when he is unable to discharge his duties satisfactorily. The Caliphate state is the correct implementation of Islam. It is the only political entity in which Islam can find full expression, and through which the laws of Allah can be fully established. It is Islam, as we have said earlier, which has made it obligatory to establish the Caliphate in order to protect the faith and govern the affairs in this world. It is also Islam which has set its objectives, ideology and laws.

Therefore, it is not permissible for any human being, whoever he may be, to change any of those rules; otherwise the state would become an ignorant, oppressive rule which must be removed. The Muslim Caliphate is the ideal and only solution to the predicaments and problems from which Muslims suffer today. It is the remedy to the economic underdevelopment which led to our political dependence on an atheist East and West. It is the solution to the scientific and technological backwardness from which the socalled Muslim countries are suffering today. It is the only solution to the military weakness which left us unable to defend our lands and sanctuaries.

It is the only solution to the widespread injustice and oppression between Muslims. It is the solution to the moral bankruptcy into which the Muslims have fallen, and the solution to the state of apathy and defeatism to which we have been reduced. The Muslim Caliphate, therefore, provides a panacea for all our ills. The evidence of this is that it was only during the periods of weakness of the Caliphate that we suffered from those ills. And once the Caliphate fell those afflictions mounted and took on catastrophic and chronic dimensions.

May Allah have mercy upon Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal who said, "Fitnah sets in when there is no Imam (i.e. Caliph) to manage the Muslims' affairs." Indeed, the Caliphate is the ideal and only sure remedy to all the types of injustice, deprivation and enormous social differences from which Mankind is suffering today. Only a fifth of the world's population are enslaving and exploiting people in order to achieve affluence and form forces of oppression. The ruling regimes and prevalent ideologies in the so-called `developed' and `civilized' countries have managed to enrich themselves and boost their power and influence to the detriment of the rest of the peoples of the world. Reality indicates the failure of all these ruling regimes, even in the most affluent and powerful countries, to work out a political, doctrinal and intellectual framework that could cast a benevolent: shadow of security over the international community, giving the less fortunate nations the chance to reach the prosperity and establish justice everywhere.

Ironically, they have established injustice and impoverished all the earth's peoples in return for their own prosperity and influence. However, when the Caliphate was in power, it managed to achieve justice and opulence in all its lands (which exceeded half the earth), without doing injustice to anyone. The Laws governing the universe remain a stumbling-block in the face of any creed or ideology other than the religion of Islam. They serve to prevent man-made 55 right only to the Islamic political system which implements and rules by the religion of Allah. Therefore, the Caliphate remains the only political system which can bring about prosperity, justice and security to the benefit of all societies of the world.

This is the nature of our Caliphate which fell more than 60 years ago and which we are striving hard today to revive as another objective along with the other aim of bringing people to the worship of Allah alone, in obedience to the command of Allah (SWT) (which means): "Establish the Religion." [Surah Ash-Shura (42), Ayah 13.] Many people will not believe us when we say that our Caliphate will certainly return to govern the entire world. They will say that it is but an unrealistic dream or an unattainable ideal, but we will not be disheartened no matter what people say, because the Prophet made a true promise to us when he said, "Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake and I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my Ummah will reach those ends which have been drawn near for me." 48 The Prophet also said: "Prophethood will be in your midst for as long as Allah wishes it to be, and when He wishes, He will withdraw it. Then you will have a Caliphate, that follows the example of the Prophet, for as long as Allah wishes it to be, and when He wishes, He will withdraw it. Then you will have tyrannical rulers for as long as Allah wishes, and when He wishes, He will withdraw them.

Then you will have rulers imposed and maintained by force for as long as Allah wishes it to be, and when He wishes, He will lift them from you." Indeed, the Prophet spoke the truth, and we repeat his words: "Then you will have a Caliphate that follows the example of the Prophet which will fill the earth." 49 48 Bukhari and Muslim. 49 Reported by Imam Ahmad. 56 1. Carrying out dawah. 2. Enjoining good and forbidding evil (Hisbah).