Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

422 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijifes and Shia
appointed in charge of Madinah? Were those who were appointed
also, in relation to the Messenger of Allah (B), like Haroon was to
Moosa, because their appointments were like 'Ali's? Those
appointments were over people who were greater in number and
more prominent than those over whom 'Ali (&) was appointed at
the time of Tabook, and the need to appoint someone in charge was
greater, because the Prophet (@) was afraid that his enemies might
attack Madinah. By the time of the Tabook campaign, the Arabs of
the Hijaz had become Muslim, Makkah had been conquered and
Islam had prevailed. Hence Allah (s) commanded His Prophet to go
out on campaign, and he did not leave any fighters with 'Ali (&I, as
he used to do during all other campaigns; instead he took all the
fighters with him."568
2.h. The wisdom behind the Prophet's
not singling out a specific person to
take charge of the Ummah after him
The reason why the Messenger of Allah a) did not single out
anyone to take charge of the Ummah after him becomes clear when
we understand the reality of Islam as a divinely-revealed religion. If
the Messenger (g) had appointed a man to mle after him, that would
have given legitimate justification for people to claim - as they did
without any evidence - that the right to leadership belonged to one
particular family, and this hereditary mlership would have become
the custom in Islam. However, the ~essen~er of Allah (@)- who
did not speak on the basis of his whims and desires hut only a
Revelation revealed569 - wanted to leave this matter completely to
the Muslims to choose the one who was the most suited and the best
of them. He gave some hints referring to Abu Bakr (&), and he
could have stated that clearly, hut he did not do so for this reason;
hinting does not give legitimacy for appointing him immediately
after his death. If there had been any instruction appointing a specific