How can one show that a caliph is appointed by God?

The Holy Qur’an itself says that God appoints the successors. One can see this in the fact that no great election decides it. God brings the right person forward, and the community accepts him wholeheartedly.

The first proof is the Holy Qur’an. The verse above does not say that believers choose successors for themselves. It says that God makes them successors. Anyone who believes in the Holy Qur’an already has the answer to the question of who establishes the caliphate.

The second proof is history. After the death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) became his successor. He was the successor for all Muslims. If a democratic election had been required, Muslims everywhere Islam had already spread would have had to be asked. Nobody did that. A few elders came together, accepted him, and everyone else followed.

Even so, every Muslim regards Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) as the rightful successor. That shows what really matters. God does not bind Himself to an electoral procedure. The one He considers fit, He brings forward in one way or another, and the whole community accepts him.

This is why the Holy Qur’an calls the caliphate a choice of God and not a choice of people. People can consult and pray. But when one man comes forward in this way and the whole community accepts him and gathers around him, that is the work of God. An outsider can recognise it by that.