If a usurper were to seize power by force He would not become Khaleefah, even if He declared himself to be the Khaleefah of the Muslims. This is because the Muslims in this case would not have contracted the Khilafah to him. If He were to take the Bay’ah from the people by force and coercion He would not become Khaleefah even if the Bay’ah was given to him. This is because a Bay’ah that is taken by force and coercion is not considered valid and the Khilafah cannot be concluded by it. For it is a contract based on mutual consent and choice and cannot be concluded forcefully or by coercion. The Khilafah cannot therefore be concluded except by a Bay’ah of consent and choice. However, if the usurper managed to convince the people that it would be in the interest of the Muslims to give him their Bay’ah and that the implementation of the Shar’a rules obliges them to give the Bay’ah, and they were convinced of that and accepted it and then gave him the Bay’ah by consent and free choice, He would become Khaleefah from the moment that the Bay’ah was given to him by consent and choice. This is the case, even though in the first place He seized the authority by coercion and force. The condition is giving the Bay’ah and that it must be by mutual consent and free choice, regardless of whether the one who was given the Bay’ah was the ruler or not.