History and people

What does Khalifah mean?

خَلِيفَة
Khalifah

A successor: the leader of the Muslims after the Prophet ﷺ; also man's role as steward on earth.

Also spelled: Caliph, Khilafah

Khalifah explained

Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali were the four rightly guided caliphs, al-Khulafa ar-Rashidun, whose thirty years the Prophet ﷺ foretold. The Quran also calls Adam and his children khalifah on the earth, entrusted with it.

Source
Al-Baqarah 2:30; Sunan Abi Dawud 4646

Related terms

Questions about Khalifah

What does Khalifah mean?

Khalifah (خَلِيفَة, Khalifah) means: A successor: the leader of the Muslims after the Prophet ﷺ; also man's role as steward on earth.

How is Khalifah written and pronounced in Arabic?

It is written خَلِيفَة and pronounced Khalifah. It is also spelled Caliph, Khilafah.

Where does Khalifah come from in the Quran or hadith?

Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali were the four rightly guided caliphs, al-Khulafa ar-Rashidun, whose thirty years the Prophet ﷺ foretold. The Quran also calls Adam and his children khalifah on the earth, entrusted with it. Source: Al-Baqarah 2:30; Sunan Abi Dawud 4646.

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