What is a Caliphate

If you follow the news in the middle east you will often hear the word Caliphate thrown about, referring to an Islamic state. But what does the word mean? And what exactly is caliphate? Caliphate is an institution first created in the 7th century after the death of the prophet Muhammad. The term caliph, comes from the Arabic word (khalīfah) for “successor", "steward", or "deputy”. caliphate then (khilāfa) is an area containing an Islamic steward known as caliph —a person considered religious successor to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and leader of the entire Muslim community. The first four caliphs were companions of Mohammed who assumed control of the emerging Muslim empire in Arabia after the prophet’s death in 632. They were supreme political and religious leaders who were supposed to rule with the consent of the majority of Muslims. But several of the earliest caliphs were assassinated after disputes between rival factions. In fact - Three out for four of the caliphs were violently killed, fact that is often overlooked, by people who yearn for the “golden age” of Islam. Known as the Rashidun or “rightly guided” caliphs, their line ended with Ali, cousin of the prophet whose murder in 661 marked the split between Shia and Sunni Islam. The schism means the concept of modern caliphate is deeply divisive. With Sunni Muslims believing caliph should be elected from among the followers of Islam, while followers of Shia Islam can only accept ruler who is direct descendant of Mohammed. After Ali’s death, the title of caliph passed to the Umayyad dynasty, followed by the Abbasids, Fatimids and Ottomans, with periods where more than one claimant competed for the title of caliph. (Sunni Islam) The last widely recognised caliphate - was that of the Ottomans and since then Other (Mostly Sunni) Islamist groups have echoed the desire to return to the supposed golden age of early Muslim unity. But scholars say many myths surround the early caliphate. The caliphate, especially of early Islam (632-1258), enjoys an almost mythical status in Islamic literature and school curriculum in many Muslim countries. The same goes for its related military conquests that allowed Muslim rule and religion to extend far beyond Arabia to include the Middle East, North Africa, large parts of Asia, and Spain. Apparently, School literature in many middle eastern nations is often filtered to leave out any negative aspects of caliphate rule, hence producing glossy image of that institution. Although the era was marked by scientific and cultural prosperity, with Muslims making important contributions to mankind. Many young Muslims grow up reading, studying and hearing tales about the "golden age" of caliphate rule with sense that it was the only era of Muslim history to be proud of and aspire to return to. The question then is, will there be another legitimate caliphate? don’t know… but one expert said speaking about modern attempts by groups to set up caliphates: (Professor Sajjad Rizvi, head of Exeter University’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies) “Probably for decent number of Sunnis there will be some kind of nostalgic reaction. That doesn’t necessarily mean they want it to happen again. “I don’t think it’s going to become reality, quite simply because most people nowadays tend to be quite attached to their nation state. Sometimes that’s reflected in simple things like football. So there you have it. If you have any thing you would like to add or share then then why not leave us comment and join the discussion. Thanks for watching. Hey guys, thanks again for watching. If you want more content, please like, share and subscribe to support the channel. If you want another video, why not check out our last flag video on the disputed nations of the middle east. All the best and hope to see you on the next video!