Further Clarification of the Meaning of 'Khilaafah' and the Obligation of the Muslims toward their Rulers Your response on the definitions of Khilafah makes a lot of sense. The issue is resolved in my mind. Thank you kindly for your help. With reference to your response, if you could also provide sources to any of the classical juristic scholars who may have defined the meaning of the word Khilafah . Even a good dictionary on classical Arabic? I would be extremely grateful. It has been said to me that the following scholars made these definitions: The definition of Khilafah according to the scholars of Islam: Ibn Khaldoon defined it as: A representation, of the one who has the right to adopt the divine rules, aimed at protecting the Deen and ruling the world (Dunia) with it. Al-Maawardi defined it as: Succession of the Prophethood aimed at protecting the Deen and ruling the world (Dunia). Taqiudine al-Nabhani , defined it as: A total leadership for all the Muslims aimed at implementing the Shariah of Islam and carrying the Message of Islam to the world. I should add that there was no proof provided with these statements. This is an example of one of the statements from the leaflets by Hizb-ut-Tahrir which is a group that propagates the view that to establish a universal Muslim state is fard upon the Muslims: The evidence that the appointment of a Khaleefah is obligatory upon all Muslims is in the Sunnah and the Ijma'a (consensus) of the Sahabah . As for the Sunnah , Nafi'a reported saying: "'Umar said to me that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying: Whoso takes off his hand from allegiance to Allah (swt) will meet Him (swt) on the Day of Resurrection without having any proof for him, and whoso dies whilst there was no bay'ah (allegiance or a pledge) on his neck (to a Khaleefah ), he dies a death of jahilliyah ." So the Prophet (saw) made it compulsory upon every Muslim to have a bay'ah on his neck, and described whoever dies without a bay'ah on his neck that he dies a death of jahilliyah . The bay'ah cannot be for anyone except the Khaleefah , and the Prophet (saw) made it obligatory upon every Muslim to have on his neck a bay'ah to a Khaleefah . Also another hadeeth is the following: Sahih Bukhari , Volume 9, Book 88, Number 227: Narrated Nafi': When the people of Medina dethroned Yazid bin Muawiya , Ibn 'Umar gathered his special friends and children and said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'A flag will be fixed for every betrayer on the Day of Resurrection,' and we have given the oath of allegiance to this person (Yazid) in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle and I do not know of anything more faithless than fighting a person who has been given the oath of allegiance in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle, and if ever I learn that any person among you has agreed to dethrone Yazid, by giving the oath of allegiance (to somebody else) then there will be separation between him and me." Is this hadeeth also related by any chance? May I ask what it means? I was also interested in the meaning of the following hadith : Sahih Muslim , Book 20, Kitab Al-Imara , Chapter 13, Hadeeth No. 4554 It has been narrated through a different chain of transmitters, on the authority of Hudhaifa b. al-Yaman who said: Messenger of Allah, no doubt, we had an evil time (i. e. the days of Jahiliyya or ignorance) and God brought us a good time (i. e. Islamic period) through which we are now living Will there be a bad time after this good time? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. I said: Will there be a good time after this bad time? He said: Yes. I said: Will there be a bad time after good time? He said: Yes. I said: How? Whereupon he said: There will be leaders who will not be led by my guidance and who will not adopt my ways? There will be among them men who will have the hearts of devils in the bodies of human beings. I said: What should I do. Messenger of Allah, if I (happen) to live in that time? He replied: You will listen to the Amir and carry out his orders; even if your back is flogged and your wealth is snatched, you should listen and obey. Other references that Hizb-ut-Tahrir gave were: Imam Ali (ra) a well known Sahabi , the forth caliph, and a very good scholar said in his book Nahj-ul-Balagha (part1 page 91): People must have an Amir , either just, or a tyrant (not tyrants of today) where the believer works under his Imara (rule) and under which the unbeliever would also benefit, until his rule ended by the end of his life (ajal), the booty would be gathered, the nemey would be fought, the routes would be made safe, the strong one will return what he took from the weak till the tyrant would be contained, and would not bother anyone. Al-Imam Al-Mawardi in his book Al-Ahkam AL Sultaniyah , page 9 states : "It is forbidden for the Ummah to have two Imam at the same time". Al-Imam Al Joziri in his book Al-Fiqh alal-Mathahib Al-Arba'a (the fiqh of the four schools of thought), volume 5 page 16, says: The Imams of the four schools of thought - may Allah be pleased with them - agree that the Imama (Khilafah) is an obligation, and that the Muslims appoint an Imam who would implement the deen's rites, and give the oppressed justice against the oppressors. It is forbidden for Muslims to have two Imams in the world whether in agreement or in discord". Adil Farooq, UK Reply As I had stated in one of my earlier responses, the words 'Khalifah' and 'Khilaafah' have generally been used in their literal meaning and not as a term of the Shari`ah . A correct understanding of these words would actually depend on the explanation of linguists. A few explanations given in some of the dictionaries and lexicons follows: Tehrir Alfaaz al-Tanbeeh has explained the Arabic nouns constructed on the form of 'Al-Imaarah' , 'Al-Imaamah' and 'Al-Khilaafah' as follows: The nouns used to designate a person who has power over something else are made as 'Fi`aalah' like 'Khilaafah' and 'Imaarah' . According to Al-Qamoos al-Muheet : 'Al-Khalifah' means the ruler of the highest rank Exactly the same explanation is given by Mukhtaar al-Sihaah and Al-Misbaah al-Muneer . According to Lisaan al-Arab : Zujaaj has said that one may call the leaders, vicegerents of God on earth, as God says in the Qur'an: O David, We have made you a vicegerant on earth. People other than him [i.e. Zujaaj ] say Al-Khalifah is the ruler of the highest rank. According to Lisaan al-Arab : "Khilaafah" means the governance of a state. Aqrab al-Mawaarid has also given the same explanation for the word 'Khilaafah' . While explaining the word 'Khalifah' , Aqrab al-Mawaarid writes: "Al-Khalifah" is one, who follows someone else and takes his position. It is also used for the ruler of the highest rank. In the Shari`ah , it is used for the leader, who is not under the command of another. The same explanation for the word 'Khalifah' is also give by Laroos , Al-Munjed and Al-Raayed . Laaroos has defined 'Al-Khilaafah' as: "Al-Khilaafah" is the same as 'Al-Imaarah' and 'Al-Imaamah' . Describing the meaning of the words 'Al-Imaarah' , Laroos writes: "Al-Imaarah" means being in charge of the affairs of people. While 'Al-Imaamah' has been explained by Laroos as: "Al-Imaamah" is the government of the state, also 'Al-Khilaafah' . Mo`jam al-Waseet has also described the word 'Al-Khilaafah' in exactly the same way as Laroos . However, it has explained 'Al-Imaarah' as: "Al-Imaarah" is a designation of the leader, also a piece of land ruled by one leader. While it has described "Al-Imaamah" as: "Al-Imaamah" is the Muslim state, also the designation of the leader. The word 'Al-Khalifah' has been described by Mo`jam al-Waseet as: "Al-Khalifah" is the person nominated as a successor; also the ruler of the highest rank. Al-Munjed has described "Al-Khilaafah" as: "Al-Khilaafah" is the same as 'Al-Imaarah' ; Being a vicegerent of someone else; also 'Al-Imaamah' . 'Al-Imaarah' has been described by the dictionary as: "Al-Imaarah" is the designation of the leader; also a small, independent country ruled by one leader. While 'Al-Imaamah' has been given as: "Al-Imaamah" is the government of the state. The explanation of 'Al-Khilaafah' given in Al-Raayed is exactly the same as the one given in Al-Munjed . The explanation of Al-Imaarah is also the same in the two dictionaries. However, Al-Raayed has explained Al-Imaamah as: "Al-Imaamah" is the government of the state, whether a national state or a religious state; Muslim state; also designation of the leader. I have given the description of the words 'Al-Khilaafah' , 'Al-Khalifah' , 'Al-Imaarah' and 'Al-Imaamah' from all the major authorities of the Arabic language, even at the risk of boring my readers with the monotony, so that there remains no confusion regarding their meaning and implication. It should be quite clear from the foregoing references that the words in their ordinary usage do not entail the implications, which is sought to be proven through the cited excerpts from Ibn Khuldoon , Al-Maawardi , Taqiuddin Al-Nabhani and Al-Imaam al-Juzri . However, the above statement should not be construed to imply that I hold the cited opinion of the four scholars to be incorrect. That is not the case. On the contrary, the cited opinion of the scholars is quite acceptable, as would be explained later in the article. The important thing to note is that all the words explained in the foregoing paragraphs entail no religious significance. They are used merely to imply 'authority', 'government', 'state', 'rule' and their synonyms. One may, however, ask that if the cited opinion of linguists is accepted to be correct, then what exactly is the basis of the opinion expressed by Ibn Khuldoon and the other authorities that you have cited in your question. In my opinion, the answer is quite simple: If we were to fully understand the context of the statements cited from the four authorities, we would realize that these statements are, in fact, not giving a definition, implication or meaning of 'Khilaafah' etc., but are actually explaining the characteristics of the Muslim governments (Khilaafatul Muslimeen) . In other words, the cited authorities have actually defined the duties that are incumbent upon a government, when it becomes a representative government of the Muslims or that of an Islamic state. Thus, every person, even if he is aware only of the basics of Islam, would agree that a Muslim government is not only responsible for the worldly well being of its citizens, but also for carrying out the directives that the Qur'an has addressed to it. For instance, if the Qur'an has directed the Muslim rulers to decide among their subjects with justice, it would then become a duty for a Muslim ruler to decide among his subjects with justice. Nevertheless, this would not effect the respective definitions of any of the words like 'state', 'rule', 'khilaafah' or 'imaarah' . To further understand the above explanation, let us take a simple example from the Qur'an. The Qur'an in Saad 38: 26 says: O David, We have made you a 'Khalifah' [i.e. ruler] in the land, so, judge among people with truth and justice and do not pursue any vain desires, for they shall deviate you from the path of God. Indeed those who deviate from the path of God shall be inflicted with a painful punishment, for ignoring the Day of Accountability. A close consideration of this verse shall show that following the truth (which, obviously, includes carrying out the directives of the Shari`ah ) is one of the duties of the 'Khalifah' , but is clearly not included in the definition of the word 'Khalifah' . Had it been a part of the definition of the word 'Khalifah' , there was then no need to repeat the directive "so, judge among people with truth and justice", as this would have then been included in the word 'Khalifah' . According to the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), after the establishment of a rule, Muslims must remain obedient to the rule and not be a source of collective disturbance and anarchy. It is, in fact, in this context, that Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: Whoever dies in a state of anarchy, without being obedient to his leader, dies in a state of Jahiliyyah . (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, No. 16271) According to another narrative reported in Muslim, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: Whoever refuses obedience [to his ruler] shall meet God, on the Day of Judgment, in a state that he shall have no excuse [for his behavior]. Whoever dies without allegiance [to his ruler], dies a death of Jahiliyyah . ( Muslim , Kitaab al-Imaarah , No. 3441) [1] In view of the foregoing discussion, one may ask that if it is a duty of a Muslim ruler to decide among his subjects according to truth and justice (and according to the directives of the Shari`ah ) and if a ruler, contrary to God's directives, is not fulfilling this duty, then what is the responsibility of the Muslim subjects with respect to such rulers. The answer to this question is provided by narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet is reported to have said that even if such a person is appointed as a ruler over the Muslims, who is disliked by them, the Muslims should not refuse obedience to him. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: Listen to and obey [your rulers], even though a black slave with an extremely small head, is appointed as a ruler over you. ( Bukhari , Kitaab al-Ahkaam , No. 6609) At another instance, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that even if others are unjustly given preference over the them, the Muslims should still stick to their allegiance with their ruler. Muslim reports: You must listen to and obey [your ruler], be it in ease or in stringency, be it with the willingness of the heart or with dislike, or be it under circumstances that others are [unjustly] preferred over you. ( Muslim , Kitaab al-Imaarah , No. 3419) At another instance, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that even if the rulers are guilty of injustice, the Muslims should not refuse obedience to them, but should, on the contrary, remain steadfast in their allegiance. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: O Abu Zarr , what will you do in response to those rulers who will [unjustly] prefer others over you in the distribution of the spoils of war? Abu Zarr replied: By Him, Who has sent you with truth, I shall take my sword and fight against them, till I join you [i.e. in heaven]. The Prophet said: Should I not guide you to something which is better than this? You should rather bear their injustice with patience, till the time that you join me. ( Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal , No. 20579) According to Muslim , once Salamah ibn Yazid Al-Ju`fiy asked: O Prophet of God, what do you direct us to do in case we are ruled by such people, who demand their rights but refuse to deliver our rights? The Prophet (pbuh) ignored the question a couple of times. Then Salamah ibn Yazid asked the question a third time. At this the Prophet (pbuh) replied: You should listen to and obey them. For [on the Day of Judgment,] they shall be accountable for what they do, while you shall be accountable for what you do. ( Muslim , Kitaab al-Imaarah , No. 3433) According to Abdullah ibn Umar (ra), the Prophet (pbuh) once said: The ruler is a shadow of God on earth; it is him, with whom the oppressed servants of God take shelter. Thus, when he is just, he would deserve God's reward [on the Day of Judgment] and the subjects should be thankful for it; While if he is unjust, he shall bear the burden [of injustice, on the Day of Judgment] and [in such a case,] the subjects should bear [his injustice] steadfastly. ( Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh , Kitaab al-Imaraah wa al-Qadhaa ) It should be kept in mind that preferential treatment of the subjects or injustice or oppression or depriving people of their legal and moral rights are all against the directives of the Qur'an. As we have cited earlier that one of the basic directives at the time of bestowing 'rule' upon David (pbuh), God directed him to judge among people with truth and justice. The Qur'an has directed ( Al-Nisaa 4: 58): Indeed God directs you to return the trusts to who they are due and whenever you judge among people, that you judge with justice. At another instance, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have directed the Muslims to remain steadfast in their obedience to their rulers, even if they are disobedient toward the directives of God. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: Many rulers shall take your charge after me; the obedient [to God] shall rule with their obedience, while the disobedient shall rule with their disobedience. You must listen to and obey them in everything, which is not against justice and offer your prayers, with them as your leaders. For, if the rulers do good [and you obey them] both them and you shall be rewarded, while if they do wrong, you shall be rewarded [for remaining obedient] and they shall be held accountable [for their bad deeds]. ( Tafseer Ibn Katheer , Vol. 1, Pg. 517) According to one of the narratives reported by Bukhari , the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: After me, you would see bias at the hands of the rulers and affairs, which would be detestable (Munkar) for you. People asked: O Prophet of God, what should we do under such circumstances? The Prophet replied: Deliver to them what is their right and ask God for your own rights [when the rulers refuse your rights]. ( Bukhari , Kitaab al-Fitan , No. 6529) At another instance, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: After me, there would come rulers who would offer their prayers at the right time and would delay praying at their prescribed times. You must pray with them. If they offer their prayers at the right time, both them and you shall get the reward; if they delay offering their prayers and you pray with them, you shall get your reward, while they shall be held accountable [on the Day of Judgment]. ( Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal , No. 15127) Once again, it should be kept in mind that all the above negative qualities of the rulers are such, which violate the express directives of the Qur'an. For instance, regarding the prayers the Qur'an has unequivocally declared ( Al-Nisaa 4: 103): Indeed prayer, at its prescribed time, is an obligation upon the believers. Keeping the foregoing discussion in perspective, it should be clear that according the directives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), Muslims should remain under the state discipline and refrain from spreading anarchy in the land by promoting an attitude of disobedience toward the rulers, under all circumstances. As has been cited earlier, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have condemned those who refuse allegiance to the rulers and has declared that on the Day of Judgment, such people should have no excuse for their action. There is only one condition mentioned in the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) in which he has allowed refusal of obedience toward the rulers. According to a narrative reported in Bukhari , `Ubaadah ibn Saamit says: The Prophet called us and we pledged allegiance to him. In our pledge he required us to promise that we would listen to and obey [our rulers] - whether it be with the willingness of the heart or against our liking; whether it be in ease or in stringent circumstances - and that we shall not try to snatch away power from those in charge, [and the Prophet said:] except in case you see clear and unequivocal rejection (kufr) on their part, in the case of which you have an express directive from God. ( Bukhari , Kitaab al-Fitan , No. 6532) It should be noted that even in such a situation, the Prophet (pbuh) has only 'allowed' the Muslims to refuse obedience to their rulers; there is not a single instance where the Prophet (pbuh) has made it compulsory upon the Muslims to refuse obedience to their rulers. As far as the implication of 'Kufr e Bawaah' (clear and unequivocal rejection) is concerned, if seen in the light of the previously cited narratives regarding remaining steadfast in obedience toward the rulers, it is clear that it implies clears apostasy on the part of the rulers. 'Kufr e Bawaah' is not merely a deviation from the directives of the Shari`ah , or else all the previously cited narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) would clearly contradict the last cited narrative. On the contrary, 'Kufr e Bawaah' should now be construed as a declaration of refusal to believe in God or His prophet or to accept the Qur'an as the word of God or to submit to the directives of the Qur'an. Thus, according to the directives of ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) even if the ruler does not fulfill his duties imposed upon him by the Shari`ah , Muslims should still remain obedient to him and refrain from living a life of anarchy. It is, in fact, to safeguard such an attitude of disobedience and anarchy among the Muslims that the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: Whoever comes to you, while you are united under the leadership of one individual, intending to disrupt your unity and to spread anarchy in your state, kill him [2] . Finally, I would like to clarify that the Qur'an and the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) have indeed directed the Muslims to adopt a specific attitude (of obedience and conformity) toward their rulers and toward their collective organization, but there is not a single directive in the Shari`ah , which directs the Muslims to establish a rule, in a situation where it does not exist. Thus, the correct stance would be that according to the Shari`ah , it is obligatory upon the Muslims to remain faithful, obedient and in conformity with the Muslim state (Muslim collectivity). Nevertheless, in the absence of a clear directive of the Shari`ah , it would indeed be a transgression to say that according to the Shari`ah , it is obligatory upon every Muslim to strive for the establishment of a state (Khilaafah) , if it is non-existent. To fully comprehend the fallacy of the arguments presented by the advocates of the idea that it is obligatory upon the Muslims to establish a state (Khilaafah) , let us closely examine your cited excerpt. You have cited: The evidence that the appointment of a Khaleefah is obligatory upon all Muslims is in the Sunnah and the Ijma'a (consensus) of the Sahabah . As for the Sunnah , Nafi'a reported saying: "'Umar said to me that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying: Whoso takes off his hand from allegiance to Allah (swt) will meet Him (swt) on the Day of Resurrection without having any proof for him, and whoso dies whilst there was no bay'ah (allegiance or a pledge) on his neck (to a Khaleefah ), he dies a death of jahilliyah ." So the Prophet (saw) made it compulsory upon every Muslim to have a bay'ah on his neck, and described whoever dies without a bay'ah on his neck that he dies a death of jahilliyah . If examined closely, the argument presented may (sequentially) be summarized thus [3] : It is obligatory for a Muslim to live a life of obedience (bay`ah) toward the Khaleefah ; No Muslim can fulfill this obligation unless a 'Khilaafah' is established; Till the time that a 'Khilaafah' is established, every Muslim is dying the death of Jahiliyyah ; Thus, to save the Muslims from dying a death of Jahiliyyah , it is obligatory to strive for the establishment of the Khilaafah . Although the argument may seem quite logical at first sight, yet with a little scrutiny, it shall be seen that it is completely unfounded. To understand the fallacy of the argument, let us take a look at a few directives of the Shari`ah , which are clearly conditional upon the circumstances of the individuals. We know that it is obligatory upon the Muslims to pay Zaka'h , if their total wealth exceeds a certain limit. Regarding those who do not pay Zak'ah , the Prophet is reported to have said: For every person who does not pay Zaka'h , God shall throw around his neck a great snake on the Day of Judgment. Now one may derive thus: Zaka'h is obligatory if the wealth of a person exceeds a certain limit; Those who do not pay Zaka'h , shall be severely punished on the Day of Judgment; Thus, it is obligatory upon every poor person who is not paying Zaka'h , to strive to increase his wealth to the Zaka'table limits, to save himself from the severe punishment of those who are not paying Zaka'h . The whole argument is clearly absurd. The fact, contrary to the argument, is that the payment of Zaka'h is an obligation only IF the wealth of a person exceeds a certain limit. This does NOT impose an obligation of trying to improve one's financial position to be able to pay Zaka'h . In other words, the law of Zaka'h and the punishment mentioned in the referred narrative is conditional upon the financial position of the individual. In exactly the same manner, the warning ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) regarding living a life devoid of obedience (bay`ah) toward the ruler (Khaleefah) is actually conditional upon the existence of the ruler (Khaleefah) as well as the rule (Khilaafah) . This warning does not, by itself, impose an obligation upon the Muslims to establish the rule (Khilaafah) and appoint a ruler (Khaleefah) . This point is clearly substantiated by the one of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan (ra) is reported to have said: People used to ask the Prophet mostly about 'good', while I used to ask him mostly about 'evil', fearing that it may involve me. Thus, one day I said to the Prophet: 'O Messenger of God, we were drowned in ignorance and in great evil, then God bestowed upon us this great blessing [of His guidance]. Now, will there be any evil after this great blessing?' He said: 'Yes'. I asked: 'Will there be a virtuous time after that evil?' He replied: 'Yes, but it would have some blemishes'. I asked: 'What sort of blemishes?' He replied: 'There will be people who will guide others to the path which I have not recommended; you shall find both good as well as bad in them'. I asked: 'Will there be bad times after that?' He replied: 'Yes, there shall be people who will guide others to the gates of Hellfire, whoever follows them shall be thrown in fire of hell'. I requested: 'O Messenger of God, please describe them for us.' He said: 'They will have our skins and they will speak our language.' I asked: 'What do you direct me to do, if I am present in their times?' He replied: 'You must remain faithful to the state of the Muslims and obedient to their leader'. I asked: 'What if they are devoid of a collective organization and do not have a leader?' He replied: 'Then you must stay away from each of the groups, even if you have to take shelter under a tree for the rest of your life'. ( Bukhari , Kitaab al-Manaaqib , No. 3338) It is quite clear from the above-cited narrative that if Muslims are living in a state of anarchy, without a collective organization and without a leader, then the Prophet's directive for the common Muslims is that they should stay clear of the various groups, even if it means that they have to spend the rest of their lives in a desert or a jungle. Obviously, had the establishment of a rule (Khilaafah) been an obligation for common Muslims, the Prophet (pbuh) would have directed Hudhaifa (ra) to the effect. Now, does anyone think that if Hudhaifa (ra) was to follow the Prophet's directive, he would die a death of Jahiliyyah ? Thus, it is quite clear that the warning of the Prophet in the words: "whoso dies whilst there was no bay'ah (allegiance or a pledge) on his neck (to a Khaleefah ), he dies a death of jahilliyah " are actually conditional to a situation where a state rule (Khilaafah) actually exists. I hope the above explanation would clarify the issue. Moreover, I am sure that if you would consider all the narratives that you have cited in your message in the light of this explanation, you shall understand them in their correct context and would, insha'Allah have no difficulty in understanding their correct implication. Nevertheless, if there still exists any confusion, do let me know. Regards, Moiz Amjad [1] The narrative, which you have cited in your letter, in which Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) is reported to have refused to participate in dethroning Yazid ibn Mu`aawiyyah is based, precisely, on this principle. The narrative ascribed to Ali (ra) is also based on the same principle. [2] The statements of Al-Maawardi and Al-Juzariy should also be seen in the stated perspective. [3] I do sincerely hope that I have accurately summed up the argument of the advocates of the 'obligation of the establishment of Khilaafah '. Nevertheless, if there has been an error in my understanding, I sincerely request to be corrected.