The human khilafa (stewardship) on earth

Sha'rawi holds that the human khilafa on earth means the succession of generations, and that God gave humanity the means of provision, so the universe was subjected to humanity by God's will and not by human will ^{1 2}.

He distinguishes "khalaf", a generation that comes after another, from "khalifa", which he takes to carry a higher meaning ¹. He holds that the word takes several meanings ².

He says God made the angels prostrate to Adam and made the universe subject to him, so that he is as it were God's khalifa on His earth ^{1 2}. He cites a sacred saying about devoting oneself to worship, which he explains as God filling the heart with richness ².

This is Sha'rawi's reading of khilafa. No academic or other-tradition view is set out here and none is checked. The sacred saying he cites is referred in the scan's footnote and is not yet checked against its collections.