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  1. Caliph | Definition & History | Britannica

    Nov 21, 2025 · Caliph, in Islamic history, the leader of the Muslim community. The title was first used when Abu Bakr, companion of the Prophet Muhammad and an early convert to Islam, was chosen to …

  2. Caliphate - Wikipedia

    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).

  3. Who Were the Caliphs? - ThoughtCo

    May 8, 2025 · A caliph is a religious leader in Islam, believed to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad. The caliph is the head of the "ummah," or the community of the faithful.

  4. Islamic Caliphates - World History Encyclopedia

    Dec 3, 2019 · Caliphate (“ Khilafat ” in Arabic) was a semi-religious political system of governance in Islam, in which the territories of the Islamic empire in the Middle East and North Africa and the …

  5. CALIPH Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of CALIPH is a successor of Muhammad as temporal and spiritual head of Islam —used as a title.

  6. Caliph - New World Encyclopedia

    Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, nation or community of Islam. It is an Anglicized/Latinized version of the Arabic word خليفة or Khalīfah (listen ) which means “successor,” …

  7. Caliph and Caliphate - Islamic Studies - Oxford Bibliographies

    Dec 14, 2009 · The term “caliph” (khalifah in Arabic) is generally regarded to mean “successor of the prophet Muhammad,” while “caliphate” (khilafah in Arabic) denotes the office of the political leader of …

  8. Umayyad Caliphate - Al-Malik Ibn Marwan "standing Caliph" Fals

    Oct 16, 2018 · Al-Malik was the fifth Umayyad caliph, presiding over a period of growing pains and cultural identity crisis for the world's newest and largest superpower.

  9. List of caliphs - Wikipedia

    The first caliphate, the Rashidun Caliphate, was ruled by the four Rashidun caliphs (Arabic: الخلفاء الراشدون, lit. 'Rightly Guided Caliphs'), Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, who are considered by Sunni Muslims …

  10. Caliphate | History, Empire, Meaning, & Definition | Britannica

    Dec 5, 2025 · Caliphate, the political-religious state comprising the Muslim community and the lands and peoples under its dominion in the centuries following the death (632 ce) of the Prophet Muhammad.