'Is there a Qur'anic Verse which stipulates that a Khalifatullah is a Messenger of Allah?' This question was recently raised by some Ahmadis when they were told about the spiritual messages and Divinely-elected status of Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius. It's indeed a measure of the extend of ignorance prevailing among the current crop of Ahmadis that they have started questioning the very foundational beliefs of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya without any knowledge and understanding of spiritual doctrine! Do they know that their spiritual father Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian was a Messenger of Allah by virtue of the fact that he was a Khalifatullah of his times? Don't they know that Allah (swt) has promised the believers through the Holy Prophet (sa) that He will raise one or more Khalifatullah in every era ? When someone is raised and sent by Allah (swt) as His Khalifa with Holy Spirit (Divine revelations), can such a Khalifatullah be addressed except as a Messenger of Allah?
Based on Qur'anic teachings and the history of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius explains the concept of Khalifatullah- distinguishing it from mundane selections that men's assemblies do make and take for their own social leadership and community cohesion, such as the office of the Khalifatul Massih in the Nizam-e-Jamaat. Drawing on the Qur'anic examples of Hazrat Adam (as) and Hazrat Dawud (as), Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) points out that those Khulafatullah were indeed Messengers of Allah as well.
Read the Extracts from a Jamaat communication sharing the response of Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) in this regard, on the Qur'anic antecedents of the concept of Khalifatullah:
'The answer to this question can be found in several verses of the Holy Quran. If we delve into the Holy Quran, we find that Allah has said as from the second chapter itself, i.e. Al-Baqarah, that He shall place His Representative (Khalifa) on earth.
Allah says:
“Behold, your Lord said to the angels: Verily I will create a vicegerent (Khalifa) on earth.” (Al-Baqara 2: 31).
The Khalifa (Caliph) whom Allah raises comes from Him, and not through any election promoted by man. He takes instructions only from Allah – i.e. divine instructions.
Still in Al-Baqara, Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran, Verse 39, Allah says each time He sends His Guide to you, to the people, with Divine Guidance, then they should believe in him for he comes to guide them to the right path. Moreover, when they shall believe in him, they shall have neither fear nor grief.
Further in the Holy Quran, we find that Allah mentions in Surah An-Nur, Chapter 24 that He shall place His representative on earth.
Now coming to the specified question as to whether a Khalifatullah is a Messenger of Allah. If a Khalifatullah was not a Messenger of Allah, then Hazrat Da’ud (as) would not have been a Messenger of Allah! But the truth remains that He was a Khalifatullah and Messenger and a law-bearing Prophet of Allah, for he brought the Zabur (i.e. the Palms of David); he was receiving divine revelations.
A Khalifatullah and a Khalifatul- Massih
That indeed is the major difference between a Khalifatullah and a Khalifatul- Massih. The Khalifatullah is one chosen directly by Allah. He is the Messenger of Allah to the people. Allah raises him with the Holy Spirit (Ruh-il-Quddus) and gives him instructions (divine instructions to give to the people). On the other hand, a Khalifatul-Massih is only a man whom only a selected number of people have voted to become their Khalifa, their representative (not Allah’s representatives), only the representatives of people like themselves.
Now, Allah may or may not guide a Khalifatul-Massih BUT He ALWAYS guides His own Khalifa (Khalifatullah), for the Khalifatullah is the one whom He alone has chosen, not the people.
Indeed, the Ahmadi Muslims do not understand this fundamental difference between a Khalifatullah and a Khalifatul-Massih. Now, if we look back at the first Khalifatullah, Hazrat Adam (as), he was verily both the Khalifa and Messenger of Allah. He was both a representative and a Messenger of Allah. The one who represents Allah, who comes in the name of Allah and is at the same time purified by the Holy Spirit to give the messages of Allah to the people is a Messenger of Allah. He brings the message of Allah to the people. And Allah sends His Messenger and Khalifatullah to earth only when there are people on earth.
All these information on the true status of the Khalifatullah, whereby he is also a Messenger of Allah is clearly stated in the Holy Quran. But unfortunately, despite it being clearly stated in the Holy Quran, the Ahmadis still ask such questions (i.e. if a Khalifatullah can be also a Messenger of Allah).
I re-i-te-rate what I have said since long. Like Allah talked to His chosen servants, the elects of Allah in the past, likewise He is doing so in our present era, and will keep on pouring down His divine revelations on His chosen messengers whenever He deems it necessary to send one to humanity, for after the advent of the universal prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), all messengers of His Ummah shall also be universal. His mission shall be universal. Thus, the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was not just only the Promised Messiah, but he was also Mahdi, a Messenger of Allah, a non-law-bearing Prophet and Khalifatullah.
As long as the Muslims and most particularly the Ahmadis upheld the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah in high esteem and followed the divine instructions and advices of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) as they should be followed, then there was no need of another divine reformer. As long as the works and deeds and intentions which the Khulafatul- Massih did for the welfare of the people were based on Taqwa, and the Ahmadis were following the Quranic precepts and Sunnah and followed the advices of the Promised Messiah (as) in the right way, then there was no need for a new divine reformer, but when they exceeded all limits and abandoned the islamic precepts and fell into all sorts of sins and embraced dishonesty and became power-thirst, then Allah saw the need to send once again His own Khalifatullah, His Messenger and a new Messiah within the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (as) to revive the true teachings of Islam once again. Verily, the Promised Messiah (as) himself foretold that Allah has the capacity to send more than 10,000 messiahs and they shall come in their appointed time, while for his era, he (i.e. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) was the Promised Messiah...'