caliphate

caliphate
Formerly, the central ruling office of Islam. The first caliph (Arabic, khalifa, “deputy of God” or “successor of his Prophet”) after the Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 was his father-in-law Abu Bakr ; he was followed by Umar ibn al-Khattab , Uthman , and Ali : these four are called the Rashidun (rightly guided) caliphs. When Ali died in 661 Shiite Muslims recognized his successors, the imams, as rightful possessors of the Prophet's authority, the rest of Islam accepting the Umayyad dynasty. They were overthrown in 750 by the Abbasids...

[The entire page is 208 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass