Question: How many caliphs are there?

List of Caliphs


This is a list of people who have held the title of Caliph, the supreme religious and political leader of an Islamic state known as the Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, as the political successors to Muhammad. All years are according to the Common Era.
Background


A few months before his death, the Islamic prophet Muhammad delivered a sermon to over 100,000 Muslims at the event of Ghadir Khumm. In the sermon, he declared Ali ibn Abi Talib to be his successor. He described Ali with several leadership titles in the sermon, including "Mawla," "Imam," "Ameer," and "Khalifah."[1] After the sermon, Muhammad instructed everyone to pledge allegiance to Ali. According to both Shia and Sunni sources, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman were all among those who pledged allegiance to Ali at the event.[2][3][4]
After Muhammad's death, however, some of Muhammad's companions left and gathered at a place known as Saqifa. At Saqifa, Umar pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, despite their previous pledges of allegiance to Ali. Abu Bakr then assumed political power, and his supporters became known as the Sunnis. Despite that, a group of Muslims kept their allegiance to Ali. These people, who became known as Shias, held that while Ali's right to be the political leader may have been taken, he was still the religious and spiritual leader after Muhammad.
Ecumenical caliphates
Rashidun Caliphate (8 June 632 – 29 January 661)


Hasan ibn Ali's Caliphate (661)

Umayyad Caliphate (661 – 6 August 750)


Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 and 1261–1517)

Caliphs of Baghdad (25 January 750 – 20 February 1258)
(Not accepted by the Muslim dominions in the Umayyad-ruled Iberian Peninsula and the Fatimid and Almohad-ruled parts of North Africa).[6][7]

During the latter period of Abbasid rule, Muslim rulers began using other titles, such as Sultan.
Caliphs of Cairo (13 June 1261 – 22 January 1517)
The Cairo Abbasids were largely ceremonial Caliphs under the patronage of the Mamluk Sultanate that existed after the takeover of the Ayyubid dynasty.[10][11]

Ottoman Caliphate (1517 – 3 March 1924)

The head of the Ottoman dynasty was just entitled Sultan originally, but soon it started accumulating titles assumed from subjected peoples.[12][13] Murad I (reigned 1362–1389) was the first Ottoman claimant to the title of Caliph; claimed the title after conquering Edirne.[14]

The Office of the Caliphate was transferred to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey which dissolved the office on March 3, 1924, in keeping with the policies of secularism that were adopted in the early years of the Republic of Turkey by its President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
After the dissolution of the Office of the Caliphate, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey founded the Presidency of Religious Affairs as the new highest Islamic religious authority in the country.
Non-ecumenical caliphates
Caliphates not accepted as legitimate by the majority of muslims.
Ibn al-Zubayr's Caliphate (684–692)

Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, the nephew of Aisha, the third wife of Muhammad led a rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate in 684 AD. He was proclaimed caliph in Mecca but was defeated and killed there in 692 AD after a six-month siege by general Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.[46]
Ummayad Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031)
(Not universally accepted; actual authority confined to Spain and parts of Maghreb)[47][48]

Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)

(The Fatimids belonged to the Isma'ili branch of Shia Islam and hence are not recognized by the majority of Sunnis, whether subjects in their dominions, or from neighboring states).[49][50]

Almohad Caliphate (1145–1269)


(Not widely accepted, actual dominions were parts of North Africa and Iberia)[51][52]

Sokoto Caliphate (1804–1903)


(Not widely accepted, actual dominions were parts of West Africa)
Established by Tariqa Islamic scholar and religious leader Usman dan Fodio through the Fulani War (alternatively known as the Fulani Jihad), which sought to reduce the influence of pre-Islamic religious practices and spread a more vigorous form of Islam through the auspices of a Caliphate.
Bornu and Songhai Empires


Several rulers of West Africa adopted the title of Caliph. Mai Ali Ghaji ibn Dunama was the first ruler of Bornu Empire to assume the title. Askia Mohammad I of Songhai Empire also assumed the title around the same time.[53]
Non-ecumenical caliphates declared after 1900
Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, there has been no single recognized, "ecumenical" caliphate.
Sharifian Caliphate (1924–1925)


A last attempt at restoring the caliphal office and style with ecumenical recognition was made by Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz and Sharif of Mecca, who assumed both on 11 March 1924 and held them until 3 October 1924, when he passed the kingship to his son `Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Hashimi, who did not adopt the caliphal office and style.[54] Hussein's claim for caliphate was not accepted however, and in 1925 he was driven from Hejaz by the forces of Ibn Saud due to his lack of support for Shari'ah. He continued to use the title of caliph during his remaining life in exile, until his death in 1931. Like the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid caliphs, he was a descendant of Muhammad through a grandson of Hasan ibn Ali.
ISIL/ISIS claim (2014–present)

On 29 June 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) started to call itself "Islamic State" and call its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "caliph Ibrahim".[55][56]  The validity of this caliphate has not been recognized by any Islamic authority outside of the 10-million-people territory[57] under control of Islamic State.[58]
On 24 August 2014, the leader of Boko Haram in Nigeria, Abubakar Shekau, likewise declared a caliphate. Apparently, it remained unclear whether Shekau declared his group to be part of ISIL or if he was declaring a separate caliphate in Nigeria.[59] On 7 March 2015, Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIL via an audio message posted on the organisation's Twitter account.[60][61] Afterwards, Boko Haram assumed the name "Wilāyat al Sūdān al Gharbī" (Arabic: ولاية السودان الغربي‎, "West Africa Province") or "Islamic State in West Africa" (Iswap).[62] However, on the 10th of April, 2018, during a rally headlined by U.S. President Donald Trump in support of Mike Braun’s bid for the US Senate in Elkhart, Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence referred to ISIS as a Caliphate, claiming “ISIS is on the run, their Caliphate has crumbled, and we will soon drive them out of existence once and for all."[63] This does not, however, imply the United States recognizes or supports ISIL's claim to the caliphate.

ISIL Flag (Black Standard).
Areas controlled by ISIL Areas in which ISIL has claimed to have presence or control[64]
Areas controlled by Wilāyat al Sūdān al Gharbī (as of 10 April 2015)
The greatest extent of Wilāyat al Sūdān al Gharbī (in January 2015)

Non-political
Ahmadiyya Caliphate (1908–present)


Khalīfatul Masīh (Arabic: خليفة المسيح‎; Urdu: خلیفہ المسیح‎; English: Successor of the Messiah) or Khalifa of Ahmadiya Community [65] sometimes simply referred to as Khalifah (i.e. Caliph, successor) is the elected spiritual and organizational leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Community and is the successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian who had claimed to be the Mahdi and Messiah in their community. The Caliph is believed to be divinely guided and is also referred to by members of the Ahmadiyya Community as Amir al-Mu'minin (Leader of the Faithful). The fifth and current Khalifatul Masih is Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
The rest of the major sections of Islam that are Sunni and Shiya, do not believe in this caliphate system.
After the death of Ghulam Ahmad, his successors directed the Ahmadiyya Community from Qadian which remained the headquarters of the community until 1947 with the creation of Pakistan. From this time on the headquarters remained in Rabwah, a town built on land bought in Pakistan by the community in 1948. In 1984, Ordinance XX was promulgated by the government of Pakistan which rendered the Khalifatul Masih unable to perform his duties and put the very institution in jeopardy. Due to these circumstances, Khalifatul Masih IV left Pakistan and migrated to London, England, provisionally moving the headquarters to the Fazl Mosque.[66]
See also
Worldwide Caliphate
Shah
Sultan
Emir
Amir al-Mu'minin
Shaykh al-Islām
List of Sheikh-ul-Islams of the Ottoman Empire
Grand Imam of al-Azhar
List of Grand Imams of al-Azhar
List of Presidents of Al-Azhar University
Muhammad
Succession to Muhammad
History of Islam
Shi'a Islam
Sunni Islam
Sharifate of Mecca
Sharif of Mecca


Bibliography