Caliphate

A caliphate (Arabic: خِلَافَةْ, romanized: khilāfah [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-/; خَلِيفَةْ khalīfa [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 Ottoman caliphate was formally abolished as part of the 1924 secularisation of Turkey. An attempt to preserve the title was tried, with the Sharifian Caliphate, but this caliphate fell quickly after its conquest by the Sultanate of Nejd (present-day Saudi Arabia), leaving the claim in dormancy. Throughout the history of Islam, a few other Muslim states, almost all of which were hereditary monarchies, 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] Shia Muslims, however, believe a caliph should be an imam chosen by God from the Ahl al-Bayt (the "Household of the Prophet"). Some caliphates in history have been led by Shia Muslims, like the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171). From the late 20th century towards the early 21st century, in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR, the war on terror and the Arab Spring, various Islamist groups have claimed the caliphate, although these claims have usually been widely rejected among Muslims.

^ Hassan, Mona (2016). "CONCEPTUALIZING THE CALIPHATE, 632–1517 CE". Longing for the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History. Princeton University Press. pp. 98–141. JSTOR j.ctt1q1xrgm.9.
^ March, Andrew F. (2019). The Caliphate of Man: Popular Sovereignty in Modern Islamic Thought. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvp2n3ms. ISBN 978-0-674-98783-8. JSTOR j.ctvp2n3ms. S2CID 204443322.
^ 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.
^ Cite error: The named reference Bowering2013 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 978-0-19-932795-9.
^ Ringmar, Erik (2020). "4. The Muslim Caliphates". History of International Relations. OBP collection. Open Book Publishers. pp. 73–100. ISBN 978-1-78374-024-6. 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.

[1] Hassan, Mona (2016). "CONCEPTUALIZING THE CALIPHATE, 632–1517 CE". Longing for the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History. Princeton University Press. pp. 98–141. JSTOR j.ctt1q1xrgm.9.

[2] March, Andrew F. (2019). The Caliphate of Man: Popular Sovereignty in Modern Islamic Thought. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvp2n3ms. ISBN 978-0-674-98783-8. JSTOR j.ctvp2n3ms. S2CID 204443322.

[3] 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.

[Bowering2013-4] Cite error: The named reference Bowering2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] Al-Rasheed, Madawi; Kersten, Carool; Shterin, Marat (2012). Demystifying the Caliphate: Historical Memory and Contemporary Contexts. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-19-932795-9.

[6] Ringmar, Erik (2020). "4. The Muslim Caliphates". History of International Relations. OBP collection. Open Book Publishers. pp. 73–100. ISBN 978-1-78374-024-6. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.

[7] "The Roots of Democracy in Islam". Irfi.org. 16 December 2002. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2014.

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