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
When prophet Muhammad died in 632 the whole future of the Islamic project hung in the balance. For a few weeks it was touch and go whether this new community would survive and expand or simply disintegrate into its feuding constituent parts. The future history of much of the world was decided by the actions of a small number of men arguing and debating in Medina. Muhammad had left no generally acknowledged heir. He had made it clear that he was the 'seal of the Prophets', the last in the great chain of messengers of God which had begun with Adam. It was quite unclear whether he could have any sort of successor at all.While the debate rumbled on and ideas were tossed around, other people were moving with speed and efficiency. Before the ansar had come to any firm conclusions, Omar b. al-Khattab had taken the hand of Abu Bakr and pledged allegiance to him as khalifat Allah, the deputy of God on earth. He also seems to have been tactful and diplomatic, but perhaps his most important quality was his knowledge of the Arab tribes of Arabia, their leaders, their interests and their conflicts. These qualities were to be extremely valuable in the crucial two years of his short reign.
Ecumenical caliphates
Rashidun Caliphate (8 June 632 – 29 January 661)
Hasan ibn Ali's CaliphateUmayyad Caliphate (661 – 6 August 750)
Abbasid Caliphate (25 January 750 – 20 February 1258)
.During the later period of Abbasid rule, Muslim rulers began using other titles, such as Sultan.
Mamluk Abbasid dynasty (1261 – 1517)
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.| # | Regnal name | Personal name | Reign | Parents | Notes |
| 57 | Al-Mustansir | Abu al-Qasim Ahmad | 13 June 1261 – 28 November 1261 | ||
| 58 | Al-Hakim I | Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad | 16 November 1262 – 19 January 1302 | ||
| 59 | Al-Mustakfi I | Abu ar-Rabi' Sulaiman | 20 January 1302 – February 1340 | ||
| 60 | Al-Wathiq I | Abu Ishaq Ibrahim | February 1340 – 17 June 1341 | ||
| 61 | Al-Hakim II | Abu al-'Abbas Ahmad | 1341 – 1352 | ||
| 62 | Al-Mu'tadid I | Abu Bakr | 1352 – 1362 | ||
| 63 | Al-Mutawakkil I | Abu 'Abdillah Muhammad | 1362 – 1377 | ||
| 64 | Al-Mus'tasim | Abu Yahya Zakariya | 1377 | ||
| Al-Mutawakkil I | Abu 'Abdillah Muhammad | 1377 – 1383 | |||
| 65 | Al-Wathiq II | September 1383 – 13 November 1386 | |||
| Al-Mus'tasim | Abu Yahya Zakariya | 1386 – 1389 | |||
| Al-Mutawakkil I | Abu 'Abdillah Muhammad | 1389 – 9 January 1406 | |||
| 66 | Al-Musta'in | Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas | 22 January 1406 – 9 March 1414 | ||
| 67 | Al-Mu'tadid II | Abu al-Fath Dawud | 1414 – 1441 | ||
| 68 | Al-Mustakfi II | Abu ar-Rabi' Sulayman | 1441 – 29 January 1451 | ||
| 69 | Al-Qa'im | Abu Al-Baqa Hamzah | 1451 – 1455 | ||
| 70 | Al-Mustanjid | Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf | 1455 – 7 April 1479 | ||
| 71 | Al-Mutawakkil II | Abu al-'Izz 'Abdul 'Aziz | 5 April 1479 – 27 September 1497 | ||
| 72 | Al-Mustamsik | Abu as-Sabr | 1497 – 1508 | ||
| 73 | Al-Mutawakkil III | Muhammad | 1508 – 1516 | ||
| Al-Mustamsik | Abu as-Sabr | 1516 – 1517 | |||
| Al-Mutawakkil III | Muhammad | 1517 |
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. Murad I was the first Ottoman claimant to the title of Caliph; claimed the title after conquering Edirne.| # | Portrait | Tughra | Name | Reign | Parents | Notes |
| 74 | Selim I | 1517 – 21 September 1520 | ||||
| 75 | Suleiman I | 30 September 1520 – 6 or 7 September 1566 | ||||
| 76 | Selim II | 29 September 1566 – 21 December 1574 | ||||
| 77 | Murad III | 22 December 1574 – 16 January 1595 | ||||
| 78 | Mehmed III | 27 January 1595 – 20 or 21 December 1603 | ||||
| 79 | Ahmed I | 21 December 1603 – 22 November 1617 | ||||
| 80 | Mustafa I | 22 November 1617 – 26 February 1618 | ||||
| 81 | Osman II | 26 February 1618 – 19 May 1622 | ||||
| Mustafa I | 20 May 1622 – 10 September 1623 | |||||
| 82 | Murad IV | 10 September 1623 – 8 or 9 February 1640 | ||||
| 83 | Ibrahim | 9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648 | ||||
| 84 | Mehmed IV | 8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687 | ||||
| 85 | Suleiman II | 8 November 1687 – 22 June 1691 | ||||
| 86 | Ahmed II | 22 June 1691 – 6 February 1695 | ||||
| 87 | Mustafa II | 6 February 1695 – 22 August 1703 | ||||
| 88 | Ahmed III | 22 August 1703 – 1 or 2 October 1730 | ||||
| 89 | Mahmud I | 2 October 1730 – 13 December 1754 | ||||
| 90 | Osman III | 13 December 1754 – 29 or 30 October 1757 | ||||
| 91 | Mustafa III | 30 October 1757 – 21 January 1774 | ||||
| 92 | Abdul Hamid I | 21 January 1774 – 6 or 7 April 1789 | ||||
| 93 | Selim III | 7 April 1789 – 29 May 1807 | ||||
| 94 | Mustafa IV | 29 May 1807 – 28 July 1808 | ||||
| 95 | Mahmud II | 28 July 1808 – 1 July 1839 | ||||
| 96 | Abdulmejid I | 1 July 1839 – 25 June 1861 | ||||
| 97 | Abdulaziz | 25 June 1861 – 30 May 1876 | ||||
| 98 | Murad V | 30 May 1876 – 31 August 1876 | ||||
| 99 | Abdul Hamid II | 31 August 1876 – 27 April 1909 | ||||
| 100 | Mehmed V | 27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918 | ||||
| 101 | Mehmed VI | 4 July 1918 – 1 November 1922 | ||||
| 102 | — | Abdulmejid II | 18 November 1922 – 3 March 1924 |
|
After the abolition 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)
, 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.Ummayad Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031)
'| Name | Reign | Parents | Notes |
| Abd-ar-Rahman III | 929–961 |
| |
| Al-Hakam II | 961–976 | ||
| Hisham II al-Hakam | 976–1009 | ||
| Muhammad II | 1009 | ||
| Sulayman ibn al-Hakam | 1009–1010 | ||
| Hisham II al-Hakam | 1010–1013 | ||
| Sulayman ibn al-Hakam | 1013–1016 | ||
| Abd ar-Rahman IV | 1021–1022 | ||
| Abd ar-Rahman V | 1022–1023 | ||
| Muhammad III | 1023–1024 | ||
| Hisham III''' | 1027–1031 |
Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)
.| Name | Reign | Parents | Notes |
| Al-Mahdi Billah | 909–934 | ||
| Al-Qa'im Bi-Amrillah | 934–946 | ||
| Al-Mansur Billah | 946–953 | ||
| Al-Muizz Lideenillah | 953–975 | Egypt is conquered during his reign | |
| Al-Aziz Billah | 975–996 | ||
| Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah | 996–1021 | ||
| Ali az-Zahir | 1021–1036 | ||
| Al-Mustansir Billah | 1036–1094 | ||
| Al-Musta'li | 1094–1101 | Quarrels over his succession led to the Nizari split | |
| Al-Amir | 1101–1130 | The Fatimid rulers of Egypt after him are not recognized as Imams by Mustaali Taiyabi Isma'ilis | |
| Al-Hafiz | 1130–1149 | ||
| Al-Zafir | 1149–1154 | ||
| Al-Faiz | 1154–1160 | ||
| Al-Azid | 1160–1171 |
Almohad Caliphate (1145–1269)
'| Name | Reign | Notes |
| Abd al-Mu'min | 1145–1163 | |
| Abu Yaqub Yusuf I | 1163–1184 | |
| Yaqub al-Mansur | 1184–1199 | |
| Muhammad an-Nasir | 1199–1213 | |
| Abu Ya'qub Yusuf II | 1213–1224 | |
| Abd al-Wahid I | 1224 | |
| Abdallah al-Adil | 1224–1227 | |
| Yahya | 1227–1235 | |
| Idris I | 1227–1232 | |
| Abdul-Wahid II | 1232–1242 | |
| Ali | 1242–1248 | |
| Umar | 1248–1266 | |
| Idris II''' | 1266–1269 |
Indian caliphates
Since the 12th century, despite the South Asian domination of numerous Muslim empires, kingdoms and sultanates, Islamic caliphates were not fully attempted to be established across the Indian subcontinent. However, under the sharia based reigns of Sunni emperors such as Alauddin Khalji, Mughal Empire's Aurangzeb, and Mysore's rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, absolute forms of caliphates were clearly to have appeared. These largely impacted the French-Italian emperor Napoleone Bonaparte and soldiers of the British Empire.Sokoto Caliphate (1804–1903)
''Established by Tariqa Islamic scholar and religious leader Usman dan Fodio through the Fulani War, 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.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. 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 Fatimid caliphs, he was a descendant ofMuhammad through a grandson of Hasan ibn Ali.
The Return of The Islamic Caliphate (2014–present)
On 29 June 2014, the Islamic State declared the return of the islamic caliphate and its first caliph was Amirul-mu'minin Abu Bakr Ibrahim bin Awwad Al-Badri Al-Husaini Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi As-sammera'i al-Baghdadi and the caliphate contained more than 12-million-people territory in Wilayat Al-'iraq and Wilyat Ash-sham and Alot more in Wilayat gharb Ifriqiyyah and Wilayat Sharq Asia and Wilayat Khorasan and Wilayat wasat Ifriqiyyah and Wilayat Al-Yaman and Wilayat Sina' under control of Islamic State.On 7 March 2015, Abu-bakr Al-Shekau pledged allegiance to The Islamic State via an official audio message Afterwards, Boko Haram assumed the name "Wilāyat Gharb Ifriqiyyah" or "Islamic State of West Africa".
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."
| # | Caliph | Date of birth | Resigned From | Resigned until |
| 1 | Abu-Bakr Ibrahim bin Awwad bin Ibrahim bin Ali bin Muhammad Al-Badri Al-Husaini Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi As-sammera'i al-Baghdadi | 28 July 1971 | 29 June 2014 | 27 October 2019 |
| 2 | Abu-Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi | Unknown | 31 October 2019 | Present |
Non-political
Ahmadiyya Caliphate (1908–present){{refn|Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the founder of the [Ahmadiyya] sect of Islam. The Sunni">Sunni Islam">Sunni mainstream and the majority of Muslims reject the sect as it believes in prophethood after Muhammad; see also [Persecution of Ahmadis] on this topic.|group=nb}}
Khalīfatul Masīh or Khalifa of Ahmadiya Community sometimes simply referred to as Khalifah 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. The fifth and current Khalifatul Masih is Mirza Masroor Ahmad. The first caliph was in 34th direct lineal male descent of Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab; the second caliph was in 41th direct lineal male descent of Husayn ibn Ali and thus his followers.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.