The Ummah is the one who appoints the Khalifah. However, it does not possess the right to remove him once the pledge of allegiance has been concluded according to the Shari’ah method.

This article has two halves; the first that the Ummah is the one who holds the right to appoint the Khalifah; the second being that the Ummah does not possess the right to remove him.

As for the first half, the proof for it is the narrations regarding the pledge of allegiance, since no one possesses the right to undertake the position of the Khilafah except through the pledge, because the pledge is the method to appoint the Khalifah. This is established from the pledge of the Muslims to the Messenger (pbuh) and from the command of the Messenger (pbuh) for us regarding the pledge, and that the righteous Khulafaa’ only undertook the Khilafah through the pledge of allegiance.

With respect to the second half, its evidence is the order to obey the Khalifah even if he commits something reproachable, or is oppressive, as long as it is not a clear disbelief. It is narrated by Muslim from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said.

. مَنْ رَأَى مِنْ أَمِيرِهِ شَيْئًا يَكْرَهُهُ فَ لْيَصْبِرْ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ شِبْ رًا فَمَاتَ « » فَمِيتَةٌ جَاهِلِيَّة .

“One who found in his Amir something which he disliked should hold his patience, for one who separated from the main body of the Muslims even to the extent of a handspan and then he died would die the death of one belonging to the days of Jahiliyya.”, and the word “his Amir” is general, and the Khalifah falls under it since he is the Amir of the believers. And in the narration of Yazid b. Salamah Al-Ju’fi in Tabarani in which he said: “O Prophet (phuh) of Allah, what do you think if we have rulers who rule over us and demand that we discharge our obligations towards them, but they (themselves) do not discharge their own responsibilities towards us? What do you order us to do? The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) avoided giving any answer. Salama asked him again. He (again) avoided giving any answer. Then he asked again-it was the second time or the third time-when Ash'ath b. Qais pulled him aside and said: