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 ({{Audio|Ar-khalifa.ogg|listen}}) which means "successor", that is, successor to the prophet Muhammad. Some Orientalists wrote the title as Khalîf. 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.

External links

• History of the Indian Khilafat Movement
• A vision of a 21st Century Khilafah
• List of articles on the nature of a new Khilafah
• Page dedicated to having a Khilafah in Indonesia
• Caliphate Blog
• The Political Framework of Islam & Khilafah by Prof. Kurshid Ahmad
• Prof Yusuf al-Qaradawi on The politics of Islam
• Political Islam: Beyond the Green Menace, by John Esposito, Journal of Current History