What is the explanation of the hadith: "Prophethood will remain among you as long as Allah wills it to remain, then Allah the Exalted will remove it, then there will be a Caliphate..."?
The hadith speaks about the stages of the nation's rule: it begins with prophecy, then the Rightly Guided Caliphate, which is characterized by justice and adherence to the Sharia. After that comes a "biting kingship" (mulkan aḍḍan), describing a period of injustice and oppression, followed by a "compulsory kingship" (mulkan jabariyyatan), which is a stage where injustice, tyranny, and subjugation increase. After these stages, justice returns, and there will be a "caliphate upon the prophetic methodology" once again. It is likely that this stage refers to the time of the Mahdi and the descent of Jesus, peace be upon him. This interpretation aligns with other hadiths that speak of the succession of times from good to evil and then the return of good.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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