A woman as caliph and imam

Question

Question: The following conversation took place between Zayd and ‘Amr. Please adjudicate (muhakama) whose position is correct. It should also be borne in mind that both of them are students of one and the same school of thought. Zayd: The respected Hazrat Shah Waliullah ﵀ wrote in “Hujjat Allah al-Baligha” that there are several ways in which the caliphate (khilafa) is established. One of them is that the prominent, influential people of the time pledge allegiance (bay‘a)

Answer

Zayd and ‘Amr are both students, and this worthless one is also a student; how then should he judge between the two? That requires great ability, of which this helpless one is devoid. However, just as each of the two has stated his opinion and seeks confirmation and verification, this worthless one too is writing his opinion: [ar]إن كان صوابًا فمن الله تعالى وله الحمد، وإن كان…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.