"Caliph" redirects here. For other uses, see List of caliphs, Caliph (disambiguation), and Caliphate (disambiguation).
"The Caliphate" redirects here. For the modern militant group, see Islamic State.
Caliphate خِلافة
Main caliphates
Rashidun Caliphate
Umayyad Caliphate
Abbasid Caliphate
Ottoman Caliphate
Parallel caliphates
Umayyad Caliphate in al-Andalus
Fatimid Caliphate
Almohad Caliphate
Sokoto Caliphate
Sharifian Caliphate
Islam portal
v
t
e
Part of a series on
Islam
Beliefs
Oneness of God
Angels
Revealed Books
Prophets
Day of Resurrection
Predestination
Practices
Profession of Faith
Prayer
Almsgiving
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Texts
Foundations
Quran
Sunnah (Hadith, Sirah)
Tafsir (exegesis)
Aqidah (creed)
Qisas al-Anbiya ("Stories of the Prophets")
Mathnawi (Poems)
Fiqh (jurisprudence)
Sharia (law)
History
Timeline
Muhammad
Ahl al-Bayt
Sahabah
Rashidun
Caliphate
Imamate
Medieval Islamic science
Spread of Islam
Succession to Muhammad
Culture and society
Academics
Animals
Art
Association football
Calendar
Children
Circumcision
Demographics
Diaspora
Denominations
Sunni
Shia
Economics
Education
Ethics
Exorcism
Feminism
Festivals
Finance
Madrasa
Moral teachings
Mosque
Music
Mysticism
Philosophy
Poetry
Politics
Proselytizing
Science
Sexuality
LGBT
Slavery
Social welfare
Women
Related topics
Apostasy
Criticism
Muhammad
Quran
Hadith
Arabic language
Other religions
Islamism
Violence
terrorism
war
Islamophobia
Jihad
Jihadism
Laws of war
Glossary
Islam portal
v
t
e
Part of the Politics series
Basic forms of government
List of forms of government
List of countries by system of government
Source of power
Democracy (rule by many)
Demarchy
Direct
Liberal
Representative
Social
Socialist
Others
Oligarchy (rule by few)
Anocracy
Aristocracy
Gerontocracy
Kleptocracy
Kritarchy
Meritocracy
Noocracy
Particracy
Plutocracy
Stratocracy
Technocracy
Theocracy
Autocracy (rule by one)
Despotism
Dictatorship
Military dictatorship
Tyranny
Anarchy (rule by none)
Anarchism
Free association
Stateless
Power ideology
Monarchy
Republic
(socio-political ideologies)
Absolute
Communist
Constitutional
Directorial
Legalist
Parliamentary
Presidential
Semi-presidential
Authoritarian
Libertarian
(socio-economic ideologies)
Anarchism
Colonialism
Communism
Despotism
Distributism
Fascism
Feudalism
Socialism
Totalitarianism
Tribalism
Religious
Secular
State religion
Secular state
State atheism
Global
Local
(geo-cultural ideologies)
City-state
Intergovernmental organisation
National government
World government
Nationalism
Internationalism
Globalism
Power structure
Unitarism
Unitary state
Empire
Principality
Client state
Associated state
Dependent territory
Dominion
Protectorate
Puppet state
Puppet monarch
Satellite state
Self-governing colony
Tributary state
Buffer state
Vassal state
Viceroyalty
Federalism
Confederation
Devolution
Federation
Superstate
Supranational union
International relations
Small power
Regional power
Middle power
Great power
Superpower
Related
Administrative division
Democracy indices
Democratic transition
Autocratization
Democratisation
Hybrid regimes
Politics portal
v
t
e
A caliphate or khilāfah (Arabic: خِلَافَةْ[xi'laːfah]) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph[1][2][3] (/ˈkælɪf,ˈkeɪ-/; Arabic: خَلِيفَةْ[xæ'liːfæh], pronunciationⓘ), a person considered a political-religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim world (ummah).[4] Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires.[5][6] During the medieval period, three major caliphates succeeded each other: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), and the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1517). In the fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire claimed caliphal authority from 1517 until the caliphate was formally abolished as part of the 1924 secularisation of Turkey. Throughout the history of Islam, a few other Muslim states, almost all of which were hereditary monarchies such as the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) and Ayyubid Caliphate, have claimed to be caliphates.
Not all Muslim states have had caliphates. The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that, as a head of state, a caliph should be elected by Muslims or their representatives.[7] Shiites, however, believe a caliph should be an imam chosen by God from the Ahl al-Bayt (the "Household of the Prophet").
In the early twenty-first century, following the failure of the Arab Spring and related protests, some have argued for a return to the concept of a caliphate to better unify Muslims.
^Hassan, Mona. “Conceptualizing the Caliphate, 632–1517 CE.” Longing for the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History, Princeton University Press, 2016, pp. 98–141, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1q1xrgm.9 Archived 17 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine
^March, Andrew F. (2019). The Caliphate of Man: Popular Sovereignty in Modern Islamic Thought. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvp2n3ms. ISBN 978-0-674-98783-8. JSTOR j.ctvp2n3ms. S2CID 204443322. Accessed 17 January 2023.
^El-Hibri, Tayeb (2021). The Abbasid Caliphate: A History. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-1-107-18324-7. Today the term 'caliphate' has come to denote in journalistic use a form of political and religious tyranny, a fanatical version of the application of Islamic law, and a general intolerence toward other faiths – another interpretation, albeit a distorted one, at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It may be useful to recall that such radical perceptions of the term float mostly in the realm of media coverage and are far removed from the actual historical reality of the achievements when a caliphate existed in the medieval period. If we take a longer view of the influence of the office of the caliphate on changes in Islamic society, it may be worth noting that most of the dramatic social and legal reforms instituted by, for instance, the Ottomans in the 19th century were only feasible because of the ability of the sultan to posture as caliph. The Gulhane Reform of 1839 which established the equality of all subjects of the empire before the law, the reforms of 1856 which eliminated social distinctions based on religion, the abolition of slavery in 1857, and the suspension of the traditional penalties of Islamic law in 1858 would all have been inconceivable without the clout that the umbrella of the caliphate afforded to the office of the reforming monarch.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Al-Rasheed, Madawi; Kersten, Carool; Shterin, Marat (2012). Demystifying the Caliphate: Historical Memory and Contemporary Contexts. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0199327959. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
^Ringmar, Erik (2020). "4. The Muslim Caliphates". History of International Relations. OBP collection. Open Book Publishers. pp. 73–100. ISBN 978-1783740246. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
^"The Roots of Democracy in Islam". Irfi.org. 16 December 2002. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), and the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1517). In the fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, the...
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (/əˈbæsɪd/ or /ˈæbəsɪd/; Arabic: الْخِلَافَة الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, romanized: al-Khilāfa al-ʿAbbāsiyya) was the third...
The Fatimid Caliphate or Fatimid Empire (/fætiːmɪd/; Arabic: ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْفَاطِمِيَّة, romanized: al-Khilāfa al-Fāṭimiyya) was a caliphate extant from...
The Sokoto Caliphate (Arabic: دولة الخلافة في بلاد السودان), also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was...
The Rashidun Caliphate (Arabic: ٱلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلرَّاشِدَةُ, romanized: al-Khilāfah ar-Rāšidah) was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
The caliphate of the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkish: خلافت مقامى, romanized: hilâfet makamı, lit. 'office of the caliphate') was the claim of the heads...
The Almohad Caliphate (IPA: /ˈælməhæd/; Arabic: خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or دَوْلَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or ٱلدَّوْلَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِيَّةُ from Arabic: ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ...
known as the caliphate. Caliphs led the Muslim Ummah as political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and widely-recognised caliphates have existed...
be a worldwide caliphate, called simply the Islamic State (الدولة الإسلامية, ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah). As a self-proclaimed caliphate, it demanded the...
The Ottoman Caliphate, the world's last widely recognized caliphate, was abolished on 3 March 1924 (27 Rajab AH 1342) by decree of the Grand National...
The Sharifian Caliphate (Arabic: ٱلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلشَّرِيفِيَّة, lit. 'ʾal-H̱ilāfaẗu ʾal-Ššarīfiyya') was a caliphate proclaimed by the Sharifian leaders...
Caliphate State (Turkish: Hilâfet Devleti; German: Kalifatstaat) is a Turkish Islamist group based in Cologne, Germany. It was banned by the German government...
The Sokoto Caliphate was a loose confederation of emirates that recognized the suzerainty of the Amir al-Mu'minin. The caliphate was established in 1809...
The Ahmadiyya Caliphate is a non-political caliphate established on May 27, 1908, following the death of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya...
Sons of the Caliphate is a Nigerian political thriller drama television series created and produced by Dimbo Atiya, directed by Kenneth Gyang and executive...
refer to: Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate Fatimid Caliphate Arabs Saracen Pan-Arabism Arab world Caliphate Arabian Peninsula List...
oldest person to hold such a high position. During his premiership, the Caliphate expanded further into Persia in 650 and reached as far as the provinces...
the Rāshidūn Caliphate. The early Muslim conquests were responsible for the spread of Islam. By the 8th century CE, the Umayyad Caliphate extended from...
the Republic of Turkey abolished the position of the caliphate in 1924. Atatürk offered the caliphate to Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi, on the condition that he...
Muslim rule expanded outside Arabia under the Rashidun Caliphate and the subsequent Umayyad Caliphate ruled from the Iberian Peninsula to the Indus Valley...
(English: transl. Caliphate and Kingship) is a book written by Abul Ala Maududi in October 1966 as a refutation of the book, The Caliphate of Mu'awiyah and...
ahl al-kisa, and also participated in the event of mubahala. During the caliphate of Ali (r. 656–661), Hasan accompanied him in the military campaigns of...
Abbasid caliphs. The Rashidun caliphate or the early caliphate, was the first Islamic state under the name of Caliphate, which appeared on the day of...
Arab clan within the Quraysh tribe who were the ruling family of the Caliphate between 750 and 1258 and later as ceremonial rulers of the Mamluk Sultanate...