Kanuni kwamba mamlaka ni ya Ummah inatokana na kanuni ya Shari'ah inayosema kwamba uteuzi wa Khalifa ni haki ya Ummah, na kwamba Khalifa anaweza tu kushika wadhifa wake na kutekeleza mamlaka yake kwa kupokea Bay'ah. Ushahidi wa hili umeelezwa wazi katika Hadith nyingi. Muslim amepokea kutoka kwa 'Ubadah Ibn us-Samit, ambaye alisema: Mtume ﷺ alisema:

The principle that the authority belongs to the Ummah is taken from the Shari’ah rule that states that the appointment of the Khaleefah is the right of the Ummah and that the Khaleefah can only take up his post and exercises his authority by taking a Bay’ah. The evidence for this has been clearly demonstrated in many Ahadith. Muslim narrated from ‘Ubadah Ibn us-Samit, he (pbuh) said:

Tulimpa Bay'ah Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ kwamba tutasikiliza na kutii, katika wepesi na katika magumu. Na kutoka kwa Jarir Ibn 'Abdullah, ambaye alisema:

“We gave Bay’ah to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to hear and to obey in ease and hardship.” And from Jarir Ibn ‘Abdullah, who said:

"Nilimpa Bay'ah Mtume wa Allah ﷺ kwamba nitasikiliza na kutii, na kumpa nasaha kila Muislamu." Abu Hurayrah ameripoti kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alisema:

“I gave Bay’ah to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to listen and obey and give advice to every Muslim”. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Watu watatu ambao Allah (SWT) hatasema nao (siku ya Hukumu), wala hatawasifu, nao watapata adhabu kali: Mtu mwenye maji ya ziada njiani lakini anamzuia msafiri asiyanywe; mtu anayemwapa Imamu kiapo cha utii (Bay’ah) kwa ajili ya dunia yake tu; akimpa anachotaka, anatimiza kwake, la sivyo hatimizi; na mtu anayetangaza bidhaa yake ya kuuza baada ya ‘Asr (yaani mwishoni mwa siku), akaapa kwamba ameambiwa bei fulani kwa ajili yake, basi mnunuzi akamwamini na kuichukua, lakini hakuambiwa bei hiyo.” [Imesimuliwa na Al-Bukhari na Muslim] Hivyo, Waislamu ndio wanaompa Khalifa Bay’ah, si Khalifa kuwapa Waislamu Bay’ah. Ni wao wanaompa Bay’ah, yaani wanamteua kuwa mtawala juu yao. Makhalifa Waongofu (Al-Khulafaa’ Ar-Rashidoon) walichukua Bay’ah yao kutoka kwa Ummah; wakawa Makhalifa pale tu Ummah ulipowapa Bay’ah. Kuhusu ushahidi kwamba Khalifa hupata mamlaka yake kwa Bay’ah hii pekee, hili liko wazi katika Hadithi zinazohusu utii na Hadithi kuhusu umoja wa Khilafah. Muslim amesimulia kutoka kwa ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘Aas kwamba Mtume wa Allah (ﷺ) alisema:

“Three types of people which Allah (swt) will not speak to (on the Day of Judgement), nor will He praise them and they have severe punishment are: A man with surplus water on the road but he bans the traveller from it; a man who gives a Bay’ah to an Imam only for his own dunia, if he gave what he wanted him, he fulfilled to him otherwise he would not; and a man offered a commodity for sale after ‘asr, (i.e. from at the end of the day) so he swore that he was given so and so price for it, so he (the buyer) trusted him and took it, but he was not given (that price) for it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukahri and Muslim] Thus, the Muslims give the Bay’ah to the Khaleefah and not by the Khaleefah to the Muslims. They are the ones who give him the Bay’ah, i.e. they appoint him as a ruler over them. The Khulafaa’ Ar-Rashidoon took their Bay’ah from the Ummah; they only became Khulafaa’ once the Ummah gave the Bay’ah to them. As for the evidence that the Khaleefah only takes his authority by this Bay’ah, this is clear in the Ahadith concerning the obedience and the Ahadith regarding the unity of the Khilafah. Muslim narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibnu ‘Amru Ibn al-‘A‘as that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Yeyote aliyempa Bay'ah Imam akimpa kiganja cha mkono wake na tunda la moyo wake, amtii kadiri awezavyo. Ikiwa mwingine atakuja kugombana naye, mnapaswa kukata shingo ya mtu huyo.” Naf'i alisema: Abdullah bin Umar aliniambia: Nilimsikia Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ akisema:

“Whoever gave Bay’ah to an Imam giving him the clasp of his hand and the fruit of his heart shall obey him as long as he can. If another comes to dispute with him, you must strike the neck of that man.” Naf ’i said ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar told me: I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say:

"Yeyote atakayeondoa mkono wake katika utiifu, atakutana na Allah (SWT) siku ya Kiyama bila kuwa na hoja yoyote ya kujitetea; na yeyote atakayekufa huku hana Bay'ah shingoni mwake, atakufa kifo cha zama za ujinga (Jahiliyyah)." [Amepokewa na Muslim] Ibn 'Abbas ameeleza kuwa Mtume ﷺ alisema:

“Whoever takes off his hand from an obedience, he will meet Allah (swt) on the Resurrection Day without having any proof to show for himself; and whoever dies while having no Bay’ah on his neck he dies the death of the days of ignorance (Jahiliyyah).” [Narrated by Muslim] Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

"Ikiwa mtu yeyote ataona kwa amiri wake kitu kinachomchukiza, na asubiri kwa subira, kwa kuwa hakika yule anayejitenga na Sultani (mamlaka ya Uislamu) hata kwa upana wa kiganja kimoja kisha akafa katika hali hiyo, amekufa kifo cha Jahiliyyah." [Imepokewa na Muslim] Abu Hurayrah ameeleza kwamba Mtume ﷺ alisema:

“If anyone sees in his Ameer something that displeases him let him remain patient, for behold! He who separates himself from the Sultan (authority of Islam) by even so much as a hand span and dies thereupon, he has died the death of Jahiliyyah.” [Narrated by Muslim] Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

"Manabii walikuwa wakiwatawala Wana wa Israeli. Kila nabii alipokufa, alimrithi nabii mwingine, lakini hakutakuwa na nabii baada yangu. Hivi karibuni zitakuwepo Khulafaa', nao watakuwa wengi. Wakauliza: Basi, unatuamuru nini? Akasema ﷺ: Timizeni Bay'ah kwao mmoja baada ya mwingine, na wapeni haki zao, kwani hakika Allah atawauliza kuhusu yale aliyowakabidhi." [Imepokewa na Muslim] Hadithi hizi zinaonyesha kwamba Khalifa anapata mamlaka pekee kwa Bay'ah hii, kwa kuwa Allah (SWT) ameamuru utii kwake.

“The prophets ruled over the children of Israel. Whenever a prophet died, another prophet succeeded him, but there will be no prophet after me. There will soon be Khulafaa’ and they will number many. They asked: What then do you order us? He (pbuh) said: Fulfil Bay’ah to them one after the other, and give them their dues, for verily Allah will ask them about what He entrusted them with.” [Narrated by Muslim] These Ahadith demonstrate that the Khaleefah only takes the authority by this Bay’ah, for Allah (swt) has commanded his obedience:

“Yeyote aliyeapa utii kwa Imamu ... atamtii.” Kwa hiyo, anateuliwa kuwa Khalifa kupitia Bay'ah, na utiifu kwake unakuwa wa lazima kwa sababu ameapiwa utii kama Khalifa. Hivyo, amechukua mamlaka kutoka kwa Ummah iliyompa Bay'ah na utii wake kwa yule ambaye iliapa kwake, yaani kwa yule ambaye Bay'ah iko shingoni mwake. Hili linathibitisha kwamba mamlaka ni ya Ummah. Ingawa Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ alikuwa Mtume wa mwisho, alichukua Bay'ah kutoka kwa watu, ambayo ni Bay'ah ya mamlaka na utawala, si ya unabii. Alichukua Bay'ah hii kutoka kwa wanaume na pia kutoka kwa wanawake, lakini si kutoka kwa watoto. Ukweli kwamba ni Waislamu wanaomteua Khalifa kwa kumpa Bay'ah kulingana na Kitabu cha Allah na Sunnah ya Mjumbe wake ﷺ, na kwamba Khalifa anashika madaraka kwa Bay'ah hii pekee, unaonyesha wazi kwamba mamlaka ni ya Ummah, ambayo huyapa kwa yeyote imtakaye.

“Whoever pledged allegiance to an Imam ... shall obey him.” So, he is appointed Khaleefah through the Bay’ah, and his obedience becomes compulsory because he is a pledged allegiance to as Khaleefah. Thus he took the authority from the Ummah which gave her Bay’ah and her obedience to the one whom she pledged to i.e. to the one who has a Bay’ah on her neck. This proves that the authority belongs to the Ummah. Despite the fact that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was the final Messenger, he took the pledge (Bay’ah) from the people, which is a Bay’ah on authority and ruling and not on Prophet hood. He (pbuh) took this Bay’ah from men as well as women, but not from children. The fact that it is the Muslims who appoint the Khaleefah by giving him the Bay’ah according to the Kitab (Book) of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and that the Khaleefah only assumes power by this Bay’ah, clearly indicates that the authority belongs to the Ummah who gives it to whoever she wishes.