Why do most Muslims not live by the caliphate, although the Holy Qur’an mentions it?

Because the caliphate is not an office that people can give themselves. God grants it to those who believe and do good works, and it requires accepting the guidance He has given in this age through the Promised Messiah.

The first verse above does not speak of an institution that people may set up or neglect as they please. It speaks of a promise. God Himself makes the believers successors in the earth. The caliphate therefore does not come about through power struggles or political plans.

This promise has conditions. It applies to those who believe and do good works, who pray, give the Zakat and obey the Messenger. Where this foundation is missing, the caliphate cannot be brought about by one’s own efforts. Why it is missing among many Muslims is a question best answered by their own leaders. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat has not neglected it.

God has given this leadership in two ways. After the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) came successors, as the Hadith above says. In the last days God sent Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah, as Imam and as a spiritual successor of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). He came to unite the Muslims once again. After him, this leadership continues in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat.

True unity can only be created by God. It arises among those who accept the leadership He has given. Those who reject it remain divided into groups that often quarrel with one another. Over time the community of those who follow this leadership grows, and others join it. In this way a new unity gradually emerges, in which the earlier Muslims also find their place.

This can already be seen in many countries of Africa. There it is often imams who recognise the truth after prayer and reflection and lead their congregations into this unity. So the caliphate is not lost. It is waiting to be accepted.