Caliphate

(noun)

"Dominion of a caliph ('successor')" (from the Arabic خ or khilāfa, Turkish: Hilafet), referring to the first system of government established in Islam, which represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah.

Related Terms

Examples of Caliphate in the following topics:

  • Timeline

    • 632-661: The Rashidun Caliphate results in the Arab conquest of Persia, Egypt, and Iraq, bringing Islam into those regions.
    • 650: The verses of the Qur'an are compliled in the form of a book in the era of Uthman RA, the third Caliph of Islam.
    • 661-750: The Umayyad Caliphate brings Arab conquest of North Africa, Spain, and Central Asia, marking the greatest extent of the Arab conquests bringing Islam into those regions.

  • Early Islamic Society

    • Many social changes took place after Islam was established (between 610 and 661), including the period of Muhammad's mission and the rule of his four immediate successors, who established the Rashidun Caliphate.
    • It was where the early Muslim community (ummah) developed under the Prophet's leadership, then under the leadership of the first four caliphs of Islam: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali.

  • Ancient Africa

    • In the early seventh century, the newly formed Arabian Islamic Caliphate expanded into Egypt and then into North Africa.