
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 …
Caliphate - Wikipedia
The term caliph (/ ˈkeɪlɪf, ˈkælɪf / [8]) derives from the Arabic word khalīfah (خليفة, pronunciation ⓘ), meaning 'successor', 'steward', or 'deputy', and has traditionally been considered a shortening of …
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 …
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.
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,” …
CALIPH Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Dec 5, 2016 · The meaning of CALIPH is a successor of Muhammad as temporal and spiritual head of Islam —used as a title.
CALIPH Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Caliph definition: a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad.. See examples of CALIPH used in a sentence.