Major Caliphates (Khilafah) in Islamic History
The term “what is a caliph” (Khalifah in Arabic) is generally regarded to mean “successor of the prophet Muhammad,” while “caliphate” (Khilafah in Arabic) denotes the office of the political leader of the Muslim community (ummah) or state, particularly during the period from 632 to 1258.
Historically, the caliphates were polities based on Khalifah of Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. During the medieval period, three major caliphates succeeded each other: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 CE), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE), Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE,1261–1517 CE), and the Ottoman (1517–1924 CE).
Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 CE)
How many caliphs are there in Islam?
The first four Present Khalifa of Islam were known as the rightly guided caliphs. These were the Khalifa comprised of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH). They were all upstanding Muslims and among the best of their generation. All of them closely knew the Prophet (PBUH), and their first priority was to worship Allah and obey the Prophet (PBUH). Everything else was secondary.
The first caliph was Hazrat Abu Bakr who ruled from 632–634 CE. Abu Bakr was the father-in-law of Muhammad and was an early convert to Islam. He was known as “The Truthful.” During his short reign as caliph, Abu Bakr put down rebellions by various Arab tribes after Muhammad died and established the Caliphate as the ruling force in the region.
Hazrat Abu Bakr nominated Umar 634–644 CE as his successor on his deathbed. Umar ibn Khattab, the second caliph, was killed by a Persian named Piruz Nahavandi. Umar’s successor, Uthman Ibn Affan 644–656 CE, was elected by a council of electors (Majlis). Uthman was killed by members of a disaffected group. Ali then took control, but was not universally accepted as caliph by the governors of Egypt, and later by some of his own guards. He faced two major rebellions and was assassinated by Abdl-al-Rahman, a Kharijite. Ali’s tumultuous rule lasted only five years. This period is known as the Fitna or the first Islamic civil war.
The followers of Ali 656–661 CE, later became the Shi’a minority sect of Islam, which rejects the legitimacy of the first three caliphs. The followers of all four Rashidun caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali) became the majority Sunni sect. Under the Rashidun, each region (Sultanate) of the caliphate had its own governor (Sultan). Muawiyah, a relative of Uthman and governor (Wali) of Syria, became one of Ali’s challengers, and after Ali’s assassination managed to overcome the other claimants to the caliphate. Muawiyah transformed the caliphate into a hereditary office, thus founding the Umayyad dynasty.
Who was Umayya?
Umayya ibn Abd Shams was the son of Abd Shams and is said to be the progenitor of the line of the Umayyad Caliphs.
How did the Umayyad dynasty fall?
Although the empire was at its ever largest size during their reign, internal divisions and civil wars weakened their hold over it, and in 750 CE, they were overthrown by the Abbasids (r. 750–1258 CE, a rival Arab faction who claimed to be descended from the Prophet’s uncle Abbas).
Which came first Umayyad or Abbasid?
The Abbasid Revolution, also called the Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment, was the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE), the second of the four major Caliphates in early Islamic history, by the third, the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE).
Umayyad (661–750 CE)
Under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate, the Islamic Empire expanded rapidly to include much of northern Africa, western India, and Spain. At its peak, it was one of the largest empires in the history of the world.
How did the Umayyad empire fall?
The last Umayyad, Marwān II (reigned 744–750), was defeated at the Battle of the Great Zab River (750). Members of the Umayyad house were hunted down and killed, but one of the survivors, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, escaped and established himself as a Muslim ruler in Spain (756), founding the dynasty of the Umayyads in Córdoba.
How did the Umayyad dynasty fall?
Although the empire was at its ever largest size during their reign, internal divisions and civil wars weakened their hold over it, and in 750 CE, they were overthrown by the Abbasids (r. 750–1258 CE, a rival Arab faction who claimed to be descended from the Prophet’s uncle Abbas).
How long did the Umayyads rule for?
100 years
The Umayyad Caliphate ruled the Islamic Empire from 661–750 CE. It succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate when Muawiyah I became Caliph after the First Muslim Civil War. Muawiyah I established his capital in the city of Damascus where the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire for nearly 100 years.
Who replaced the Umayyads?
Abbasids
The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad dynasty in 750 CE, supporting the mawali, or non-Arab Muslims, by moving the capital to Baghdad in 762 CE. The Persian bureaucracy slowly replaced the old Arab aristocracy as the Abbasids established the new positions of vizier and emir to delegate their central authority.
What is Abbasi Khilafat?
The Abbasid Caliphate (/əˈbæsɪd/ or /ˈæbəsɪd/ Arabic: اَلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلْعَبَّاسِيَّةُ, al-Khilāfah al-ʿAbbāsīyah) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad’s uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name.
Abbasid (750–1258 CE, 1261–1517 CE)
The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads and established the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 CE. The early rule of the Abbasids was a time of scientific and artistic achievement. It is sometimes referred to as the Islamic Golden Age. In 1258, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad, was sacked by the Mongols and the caliph was killed. After this, the Abbasids moved to Cairo, Egypt, and reestablished the Caliphate. However, from this point forward the Caliphate had little political power.
Ottoman (1517–1924)
Historians generally cite the beginning of the Ottoman Caliphate as 1517 CE when the Ottoman Empire took control of Cairo, Egypt. The Ottomans continued to maintain their claim as the Islamic Caliphate until 1924 when the Caliphate was abolished by Mustafa Ataturk, the first President of Turkey.
Is there still an Ottoman empire?
The Ottoman period spanned more than 600 years and came to an end only in 1922 when it was replaced by the Turkish Republic and various successor states in southeastern Europe and the Middle East.
Who ended the Ottoman Empire?
1918–1922 Mehmet VI
The Occupation of Constantinople took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, ending the Ottoman participation in World War I.
Who ruled Turkey before the Ottomans?
From the time when parts of what is now Turkey was conquered by the Seljuq dynasty, the history of Turkey spans the medieval history of the Seljuk Empire, the medieval to the modern history of the Ottoman Empire, and the history of the Republic of Turkey since the 1920s.
Conclusion
The concept of the caliphate of the Khalifa is an important one in Islam. The four rightly guided caliphs were the ones who succeeded the Prophet (PBUH) Perfect role model of Islam. There were various methods of succession that led to their appointments. However, after them, the caliphate began to take on a different purpose. Muslims don’t take guidance from the caliphs after the first four ones. Any reference to a current caliph is not legitimate. Fall of the Caliphate Historians differs on when the Islamic Caliphate came to an end. Many put the end of the Caliphate at 1258 CE when the Mongols defeated the Abbasids at Baghdad.
Caliphate End
The demise of the Ottoman Caliphate took place because of a slow erosion of power in relation to Western Europe, and because of the end of the Ottoman state in consequence of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire by the League of Nations mandate.
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