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Caliphate

Caliph (خليفة) is the term for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. Selected by committee, the holder of this title claims rulership over all Muslims.

The Sunnis and Shiites differ as to whom was the first Caliph of Islam. According to Sunni thought, the first Caliph was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the father-in-law of Muhammad, who was elected into power in 632. The Shiites, on the other hand, believe that the honour should go to Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali Ben Abu Talib on the basis of his blood relation to the Prophet himself.

Following the conflict between the Fatimids and the Abbasids, other Muslim rulers began to claim the caliphal title. With defeat of these peripheral caliphates, the caliphate of the Ottomans began increasingly to be considered the undisputed primary caliphate. Thus, by the eve of the First World War the Ottoman caliphate represented the largest and most powerful independent Islamicate political entity.

The English word "caliph" comes from Arabic via French, which got it from Latin (calīpha), which romanized the Arabic word, Khalīfa (probably خليفة), literally "Successor of the Prophet". Khalīfa originates from the verb khalafa, meaning "to succeed" or "to be behind". Some Orientalists wrote it as Khalîf. Some movements in modern Islamic philosophy justify religious leadership via khalifa, meaning roughly "to steward" or "to protect the same things as God", and propose this to renew the Caliphate. Today no such State exists, since the last Ottoman (Uthmani) Khilafah collapsed on 3rd March 1924. There is no longer one ruler of the Muslims, which is considered to be a violation of the Islamic legislations, the Shariah.

Note: The Caliphate is the application of Messengership of Prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses until Jesus and Muhammad) as the institution to protect and order the Muslims according the Law of God (in the Quran and the Universe), with the structure imitating the structure of Heaven (Mulkiyah/Government) and Earth (Ummah/People).

Famous caliphs

1. Abu Bakr
2. Umar ibn al-Khattab
3. Uthman ibn Affan
4. Ali Ben Abu Talib

• Abd-ar-rahman IV
• Abd-ar-rahman V
• Abd Allah ibn Zubayr
• Haroun al-Raschid, hero of many stories in 1001 Arabian Nights

Dynasties

The more important dynasties include:

• The Umayyad dynasty in Damascus (661-750), followed by the
• The Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad (750-1258), and later in Cairo (1260-1517)
• The Shi'ite Fatimid dynasty in North Africa and Egypt (909-1171)
• The Umayyad Emirs of Córdoba, Spain, declared themselves Caliphs (929-1031)
• The Almohad dynasty in North Africa and Spain (1145-1269)
• The Ottoman dynasty (1517-1924)