Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic
leader of the Ummah, or
community of Islam. It is a romanized
version of the Arabic word خليفة or Khalīfah which means
"successor" or "representative". Some of the early leaders of the
Muslim community following the prophet
Muhammad's (570–632)
death called themselves "Khalifat Allah", meaning representative
of God, but the alternative title of "Khalifat rasul Allah",
meaning the successor to the prophet of God, eventually became the
standard title. Some academics prefer to transliterate the term as
Khalīf.
Caliphs were often also referred to as
Amīr al-Mumineen
(أمير المؤمنين) "Commander of the Faithful", or, more
colloquially, leader of the Muslims. This title has been shortened
and romanized to "emir". It is also found as a personal name in
some countries (Amir or Aamir).
After the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr,
Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Uthman ibn Affan, and
Ali ibn Abi Talib), the title was claimed by the Umayyads, the
Abbasids, and the Ottomans, as well as by other, competing
lineages in Spain, Northern Africa, and Egypt. Most historical
Muslim rulers simply titled themselves sultans or amirs, and gave
token obedience to a caliph who often had very little real
authority. The title has been defunct since the Republic of Turkey
abolished the Ottoman caliphate in 1924.
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