Al-Kifāyah الكِفايَة (competency or capability) is a condition (shart) of the bay’ah[1] because “Imamate is prescribed to succeed prophethood as a means of protecting the deen and of managing the affairs of this world,”[2] and the one contracted with this great responsibility must be capable of fulfilling the task.

Although kifāyah is a general term which may apply to many areas of competency, in the context of the bay’ah, and as a condition of the Caliph, the scholars such as al-Mawardi, al-Ghazali and al-Juwayni all mentioned it in terms of capability to rule i.e. having a ruling mentality and disposition, and free from any disability which may affect his ability to fulfil the task of discharging people’s affairs. Other conditions related to kifāyah such as sanity, being free, mujtahid and brave were mentioned as separate conditions and pillars[3], even though they are all linked to the reality of the Caliph’s ability to run the state. Mona Hassan says, “The caliph’s ability to actually do so, termed kifāyah, is all that remains after al-Juwaynī’s process of intellectual distillation as the most essential qualifying attribute for an imam.”[4]

What is Al-Kifayah?

Ibn Khaldun says, “Al-Kifāyah means that he is willing to carry out the punishments fixed by law and to go to war. He must understand warfare and be able to assume responsibility for getting the people to fight. He also must know about group feeling (asabiyah) and the fine points (of diplomacy). He must be strong enough to take care of political duties. All of which is to enable him to fulfil his functions of protecting religion, leading in the holy war against the enemy, maintaining the (religious) laws, and administering the (public) interests.”[5]

Abdul-Qadeem Zallum says, “The Caliph must be able (qadir) and skilled (kifāyah) in carrying out the task of the Caliphate; this is an integral part of the bay’ah. One who is unable to do so cannot perform the duty of running the people’s affairs by the Book and the Sunnah upon which he took the bay’ah.”[6]

Although al-Mawardi didn’t use the term kifāyah, he refers to the same condition as:

الرأي المفضي إلى سياسة الرعية وتدبير المصالح “a judgement capable of organising the people and managing the offices of administration”.[7]

Another condition closely linked to kifāyah is being free from any physical disabilities that could affect the Caliph’s ability to rule. Al-Mawardi, al-Ghazali, al-Qurtubi and ibn Khaldun all made this a separate condition[8], whereas modern scholars like Abdul-Qadeem Zallum combined it into one condition. Ibn Khaldun defines this condition as, “Freedom of the senses and limbs from defects or disabilities such as insanity, blindness, muteness, or deafness, and from any loss of limbs affecting (the imam’s) ability to act, such as missing hands, feet, or testicles, is a pre-requisite of the imamate, because all such defects affect his full ability to act and to fulfil his duties. Even in the case of a defect that merely disfigures the appearance, as, for instance, loss of one limb, the condition of freedom from defects (remains in force as a condition in the sense that it) aims at his perfection.”[9]

In summary, there are two aspects to competency in governing the affairs of people. The first is having a ruling personality i.e. a ruling mentality (aqliyah) and a ruling disposition (nafsiyah), and the second is being free from any disability which may affect the Caliph’s ability to rule.