What does the word “khilafat” mean? And why is considered a blessing?

The term “khilafat” means  successorship, and the Khalifa is a successor to a Prophet of Allah whose goal is to carry to completion the tasks of reformation and moral training that were seeded by the Prophet. The community of followers of a Prophet of Allah continues to nurture its faith and practices under the blessing of the institution of Khilafat for as long as Allah wishes.

Khilafat establishes the authority of Allah on earth, and the Khalifa strives to uphold that authority within the community of followers. For the believers, Khilafat is an embodiment of Allah’s Unity, as they choose to take divine authority through the person of the Khalifa. The believers partake of the blessings of Khilafat by holding firm to their faith and practices, united under him.

With the blessed institution of khilafat to guide it, the community has distinct sense of discipline and direction under one leader – a factor that enables it to serve God and humanity with sincerity of purpose and selfless devotion