Caliphate

The term caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) refers to the first system of governance established in Islam, and represented the political authority and unity of the Muslim Ummah . It was initially led by Muhammad 's disciples as a continuation of the political authority the prophet established, known as the ' Rashidun Caliphate '. It represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah , not the theological unity as this was a personal matter, and was the world's first major welfare state . A "caliphate" is also a state which implements such a government. Sunni Islam dictates that the head of state, the caliph , should be selected by Shura - elected by Muslims or their representatives. Followers of Shia Islam believe the caliph should be an imam descended in a line from the Ahl al-Bayt . After the Rashidun period until 1924, caliphates, sometimes two at a single time, real and illusory, were ruled by dynasties. The first dynasty was the Umayyad . This was followed by the Abbasid , the Fatimid , and finally the Ottoman Dynasty . Equality, Redistributive Justice, and the Welfare State in the Caliphate of Umar", Renaissance: Monthly Islamic Journal , 13 (8) : line feed character in |title= at position 24 ( help ) (see online ) Gharm Allah Al-Ghamdy John O.

Islamic form of government Power ideology Power structure Related Politics portal v t e A caliphate ( khilāfah ) is an Islamic state under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph ( / ˈ k æ l ɪ f , ˈ k eɪ -/ ; khalīfah , pronunciation ), a person considered a politico-religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire ummah (Muslim community). Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. During the medieval period, three major caliphates succeeded each other: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258). In the fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate , the rulers of the Ottoman Empire claimed caliphal authority from 1517. Throughout the history of Islam , a few other Muslim states , almost all hereditary monarchies , such as the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) and Ayyubid Caliphate have claimed to be caliphates. Prior to the rise of Muhammad, Arab tribes followed a pre-Islamic Arab polytheism and lived as self-governing sedentary and nomadic tribal communities. Following the early Muslim conquests by Muhammad, the region became politically unified under Islam. The first caliphate, the Rashidun Caliphate, immediately succeeded Muhammad after his death in 632. The four Rashidun caliphs were chosen through shura , a process of community consultation that some consider to be an early form of Islamic democracy . The fourth caliph, Ali , who, unlike the prior three, was from the same clan as Muhammad ( Banu Hashim ), is considered by Shia Muslims to be the first rightful caliph and Imam after Muhammad. Ali reigned during the First Fitna (656–661), a civil war between supporters of Ali and supporters of the assassinated previous caliph, Uthman , from Banu Umayya , as well as rebels in Egypt; the war led to the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate under Muawiyah I in 661. The second caliphate, the Umayyad Caliphate, was ruled by Banu Umayya , a Meccan clan descended from Umayya ibn Abd Shams . The caliphate continued the Arab conquests, incorporating the Caucasus , Transoxiana , Sindh , the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula ( Al-Andalus ) into the Muslim world . The caliphate had considerable acceptance of the Christians within its territory, necessitated by their large numbers, especially in the region of Syria . Following the Abbasid Revolution from 746–750, which primarily arose from non- Arab Muslim disenfranchisement, the Abbasid Caliphate was established in 750. The third caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate was ruled by the Abbasids, a dynasty of Meccan origin descended from Hashim , a great-grandfather of Muhammad, via Abbas , an uncle of Muhammad. Caliph al-Mansur founded its second capital of Baghdad in 762, which became a major scientific, cultural and art centre, as did the territory as a whole, during the period known as the Islamic Golden Age . From the 10th century, Abbasid rule became confined to an area around Baghdad and saw several occupations from foreign powers. In 1258, the Mongol Empire sacked Baghdad , ending the Abbasid Caliphate, and in 1261 the Mamluks in Egypt re-established the Abbasid Caliphate in Cairo . Though lacking in political power, the Abbasid dynasty continued to claim authority in religious matters until the Ottoman conquest of Mamluk Egypt in 1517. The fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, was established after their conquest of Mamluk Egypt in 1517. The conquest gave the Ottomans control over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina , previously controlled by the Mamluks. The Ottomans gradually came to be viewed as the de facto leaders and representatives of the Muslim world and the Gunpowder empires . Following their defeat in World War I , their empire was partitioned by the United Kingdom and the French Third Republic . The Turkish Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, and as part of the reforms of its first president , Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , the Grand National Assembly of Turkey constitutionally abolished the institution of the caliphate on 3 March 1924 . A few other states that existed through history have called themselves caliphates, including the Ayyubid Caliphate during the reign of Saladin (1174-1193), Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate in Northeast Africa (909–1171), the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in Iberia (929–1031), the Berber Almohad Caliphate in Morocco (1121–1269) and the Fula Sokoto Caliphate in present-day northern Nigeria (1804–1903). The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that, as a head of state, a caliph was a selected or elected position. Followers of Shia Islam , however, believe a caliph should be an Imam chosen by God from the Ahl al-Bayt (the "Family of the House", Muhammad's direct descendants). In the early 21st century, following the failure of the Arab Spring and defeat of the self-proclaimed " Islamic State ", there has been seen "a broad mainstream embrace of a collective Muslim identity" by young Muslims, and the appeal of a caliphate as an "idealized future Muslim state" has grown stronger. Famous Battles of the Medieval Period . Incorporated, Facts On File (2008). Islam: Its History, Teaching, and Practices . Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective . World and Its Peoples .

Islamic notion of political–religious authority "Caliph" redirects here. Power ideology Power structure Related Politics portal v t e A caliphate or khilāfah ( , ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph ( / ˈ k æ l ɪ f , ˈ k eɪ -/ ; , pronunciation ), a person considered a political-religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim world ( ummah ). Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. During the medieval period, three major caliphates succeeded each other: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), and the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258). In the fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate , the rulers of the Ottoman Empire claimed caliphal authority from 1517 until the caliphate was abolished as part of the 1924 secularisation of Turkey . Throughout the history of Islam, a few other Muslim states, almost all hereditary monarchies such as the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) and Ayyubid Caliphate , have claimed to be caliphates. The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that, as a head of state, a caliph should be elected by Muslims or their representatives. Shiites , however, believe a caliph should be an imam chosen by God from the Ahl al-Bayt (the "Household of the Prophet"). In the early twenty-first century, following the failure of the Arab Spring and related protests, some have argued for a return to the concept of a caliphate to better unify Muslims. The Abbasid Caliphate: A History . Today the term 'caliphate' has come to denote in journalistic use a form of political and religious tyranny, a fanatical version of the application of Islamic law, and a general intolerence toward other faiths – another interpretation, albeit a distorted one, at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It may be useful to recall that such radical perceptions of the term float mostly in the realm of media coverage and are far removed from the actual historical reality of the achievements when a caliphate existed in the medieval period. If we take a longer view of the influence of the office of the caliphate on changes in Islamic society, it may be worth noting that most of the dramatic social and legal reforms instituted by, for instance, the Ottomans in the 19th century were only feasible because of the ability of the sultan to posture as caliph. The Gulhane Reform of 1839 which established the equality of all subjects of the empire before the law, the reforms of 1856 which eliminated social distinctions based on religion, the abolition of slavery in 1857, and the suspension of the traditional penalties of Islamic law in 1858 would all have been inconceivable without the clout that the umbrella of the caliphate afforded to the office of the reforming monarch.

Islamic form of government "Caliph" redirects here. Power ideology Power structure Related Politics portal v t e A caliphate ( Arabic : خلافة , romanized : khilāfa [xiˈlaːfa] ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph ( / ˈ k æ l ɪ f , ˈ k eɪ -/ ; خليفة khalīfa [xaˈliːfa] , pronunciation ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim world ( ummah ). Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. 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 . The Sharif of Mecca then claimed the title, but this caliphate fell quickly after its conquest by the Sultanate of Nejd (the predecessor of modern-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. The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that, as a head of state, a caliph should be elected by Muslims or their representatives. 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. Longing for the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History . The Abbasid Caliphate: A History . History of International Relations .