Writing Away the Caliph: Political and Religious Legitimacy in Late Medieval Islamic Political Thought
By Han Hsien Liew
Bachelor of Arts Thesis, Wesleyan University, 2012
Excerpt: “Caliph” is the anglicized form of the Arabic word khalifa, which denotes “a successor, vice-agent, vicegerent, lieutenant, substitute, proxy, or deputy; or one who has been made, or appointed, to take the place of him who has been before him.” During the early centuries of Islam, the term referred to the supreme leader of the Muslim community, as the ruler of the community exercising the “temporal” functions of Muhammad, and also as the religious leader of the community leading the communal prayers. What follows will be a historical overview of the caliphate as an institution from the death of the Prophet Muhammad to the fourteenth century.
In 632, the death of the Prophet Muhammad was met with confusion, as he died without naming a successor; nor did he leave a blueprint detailing how political rule should take shape after his death. While his contemporaries knew that prophecy had ended with his death, they assumed that his political role as head of the Muslim community (umma) ought to continue. What the functions of that office were and who should fill the role of Muhammad’s successor were, however, deeply contested.
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The Saqifah Debate that ensued to discuss who would lead the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death brought to light several factors considered important for succession to the Prophet’s leadership: kin relationship to the Prophet Muhammad, priority in converting to Islam and the length of the period of a candidate’s companionship with the Prophet, as well as his social status.
Writing Away the Caliph: Political and Religious Legitimacy in Late Medieval Islamic Political Thought
By Han Hsien Liew
Bachelor of Arts Thesis, Wesleyan University, 2012
Excerpt: “Caliph” is the anglicized form of the Arabic word khalifa, which denotes “a successor, vice-agent, vicegerent, lieutenant, substitute, proxy, or deputy; or one who has been made, or appointed, to take the place of him who has been before him.” During the early centuries of Islam, the term referred to the supreme leader of the Muslim community, as the ruler of the community exercising the “temporal” functions of Muhammad, and also as the religious leader of the community leading the communal prayers. What follows will be a historical overview of the caliphate as an institution from the death of the Prophet Muhammad to the fourteenth century.
In 632, the death of the Prophet Muhammad was met with confusion, as he died without naming a successor; nor did he leave a blueprint detailing how political rule should take shape after his death. While his contemporaries knew that prophecy had ended with his death, they assumed that his political role as head of the Muslim community (umma) ought to continue. What the functions of that office were and who should fill the role of Muhammad’s successor were, however, deeply contested.
The Saqifah Debate that ensued to discuss who would lead the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death brought to light several factors considered important for succession to the Prophet’s leadership: kin relationship to the Prophet Muhammad, priority in converting to Islam and the length of the period of a candidate’s companionship with the Prophet, as well as his social status.
Click here to read this thesis from Wesleyan University
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