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  1. Caliph | Definition & History | Britannica

    Feb 27, 2026 · 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

    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 …

  3. 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.

  4. 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. Over time, the …

  5. Islamic Caliphates - World History Encyclopedia

    Dec 3, 2019 · Caliphs were initially the sole sovereigns of the empire left behind by Prophet Muhammad and added vast territories of surrounding rival empires to it. They were initially selected by a group of …

  6. CALIPH Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

    CALIPH definition: a spiritual leader of Islam, claiming succession from Muhammad. See examples of caliph used in a sentence.

  7. 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,” …

  8. The Caliph - Al Jazeera

    (n) Arabic word for successor or deputy. For almost 13 centuries, from the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 to the overthrow of the last Ottoman caliph in 1924, the Islamic world was ruled by...

  9. caliph - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    Jan 20, 2026 · caliph (plural caliphs) The Abbasid caliphs patronized art and science beside religious developments ushering in the Islamic Golden Age when their capital Baghdad began to flourish as a …

  10. CALIPH | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

    CALIPH meaning: 1. a Muslim ruler 2. a Muslim ruler 3. a political and religious leader of Islam in the period…. Learn more.