Caliph

Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. It is an Anglicized/Latinized version of the Arabic word خليفة or Khalīfah () which means "successor", that is, successor to the prophet Muhammad. Some Orientalists wrote the title as Khal?f. The Caliph has often been referred to as Ameer al-Mumineen (أمير المؤمنين), or "Prince of the Faithful," where "Prince" is used in the context of "commander." The title has been defunct since the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate in 1924. Historically selected by committee, the holder of this title claims temporal and spiritual authority over all Muslims, but is not regarded as a possessor of a prophetic mission, as Muhammad is regarded in Islam as the final prophet.

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Modern understandings of the title of Caliph are varied. Some movements in modern Islamic philosophy have emphasized a protective dimension of Islamic leadership and social policy from an understanding of khalifa that equates roughly to "render stewardship" or "protect the same things as God". The modern absence of a single Muslim head of state is considered by some to be a violation of the Islamic legal code, the Shariah. Others insist that after the four rightful caliphs the office ceased to exist, meaning that those who claimed after that to be "khalifa" were actually "melik" (king). Islamist movements have argued for the necessity of re-establishing the institution of a single office whose occupant, as successor to Muhammad, would possess clear political, military, and legal standing as the global leader of the Muslims. Such an initiative has yet to gather much in the way of practical support in the Muslim world.

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Ummah: Ummah (أمة) is an Arabic word that means "community" or nation. In the context of Islam, the word ummah is used in foreign languages as well as in Arabic to mean the nation of the believers (ummatu 'l-mu'minin), and thus the whole Muslim world. The phrase al-ummatun wahid in the Qu...

Muhammad: : "Muhammad" is a common Muslim male name. For other prominent people called Muhammad, see Muhammad (disambiguation)...

Orientalist: Orientalist may refer to...

Caliph related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Homage of Caliph Harun Al-Rashid to Charlemagne

Ali Ben Ahmed the Last Caliph of Constantine with His Entourage Outside Constantine 1845