List of Caliphs

This article is a list of people who have held or claimed the title of Caliph (Arabic: خليفة), the supreme religious and political leader of an Islamic state known as the caliphate (Arabic:خلافة).^[1]^[2] Caliphs led the Muslim Ummah as political successors to the Prophet Muhammad,^[3] and widely-recognised caliphates have existed in various forms for most of Islamic history.^[4]

The first caliphate, the Rashidun Caliphate, was ruled by the four Rashidun caliphs (Arabic:الخلفاء الراشدون,lit. ’Rightly Guided Caliphs’), Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, who are considered by Sunni Muslims to have been the most virtuous and pure caliphs. They were chosen by popular acclamation or by a small committee, in contrast with the following caliphates, which were mostly hereditary.^[5] On the other hand, Shiites only recognise Ali and consider the first three caliphs to be usurpers.

The Rashidun caliphate ended with the First Fitna, which transferred authority to the Umayyad dynasty that presided over the Umayyad Caliphate, the largest caliphate and the last one to actively rule the entire Muslim world.^[6]

The Abbasid Revolution overthrew the Ummayads and instituted the Abbasid dynasty which ruled over the Abbasid Caliphate.^[7] The Abbassid Caliphate was initially strong and united, but gradually fractured into several states whose rulers only paid lip service to the caliph in Baghdad. There were also rivals to the Abbasids who claimed the caliphates for themselves, such as the Isma’ili Shia Fatimids, the Sunni Ummayyads in Córdoba and the Almohads, who followed their own doctrine. When Baghdad fell to the Mongols, the Abbassid family relocated to Cairo, where they continued to claim caliphal authority but had no political power, and actual authority was in the hands of the Mamluk Sultanate.

After the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil III was taken to Constantinople, where he surrendered the caliphate to the Ottoman Sultan Selim I. The caliphate then remained in the House of Osman until after the First world war. The Ottoman Sultanate was abolished in 1922 by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The head of the House of Osman, Abdulmejid II, retained the title of caliph for two more years, after which the caliphate was abolished in 1924.

Rashidun Caliphate (632–661)

Name (in Arabic)	Born (CE)	Reigned from (CE)	Reigned until (CE)	Relationship with Muhammad	House	Notes
Abu Bakr (أبو بكر الصديق)	573	8 June 632	22 August 634	Father of Aisha, Muhammad’s wife	Banu Taim	First man to embrace Islam^[8] Chosen to succeed Muhammad in the Saqifa^[8] Led the Ridda Wars against rebel tribes^[8]
Umar (عمر بن الخطاب)	584	23 August 634	3 November 644 (assassinated by Abu Lu’lu’a Firuz)	Father of Hafsa, Muhammad’s wife	Banu Adi
Uthman (عثمان بن عفان)	579	11 November 644	20 June 656 (assassinated at the end of a siege upon his house; see First Fitna)	Husband of Muhammad’s daughters, Ruqayya and later Umm Kulthum, and grandson of Muhammad’s paternal aunt	Banu Ummaya
Ali (علي بن أبي طالب)	601	20 June 656	29 January 661 (assassinated while praying in the Mosque of Kufa; see First Fitna)	Muhammad’s cousin, and husband of Fatimah, Muhammad’s daughter and Umamah bint Zainab, Muhammad’s granddaughter	Banu Hashim

Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

Name	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Relationship with Muhammad (or previous Caliph)	Parents
Mu’awiyah I (معاوية)	602	661	29 April or 1 May 680		Half-brother of Umm Habiba, Muhammad’s wife	Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and Hind bint ‘Utbah
Yazid I (يزيد)	647	680	11 November 683		Son of Mu’awiyah I	Mu’awiyah I (C) and Maysun bint Bahdal
Mu’awiyah II (معاوية الثاني)	664	November 683	684		Son of Yazid I	Yazid I (C) and Umm Muawiya al-Kalbiyya
Marwan I (مروان بن الحکم)	623–626	684	7 May 685		First cousin of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan	Hakam ibn Abi al-‘As and Āmina bint ʿAlqama al-Kinānīyya
‘Abd al-Malik (عبد الملك بن مروان)	646	685	8 October 705		Son of Marwan I	Marwan I (C) and ‘Aisha bint Muawiya ibn Al-Mughira
Al-Walid I (الوليد الأول)	668	October 705	23 February 715		Son of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan	‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (C) and Walida bint al-‘Abbas
Sulayman (سلیمان بن عبدالملک)	674	February 715	22 September 717		Son of Abd al-Malik and younger brother of Al-Walid I	Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Ummayad Caliph and Walida bint al-‘Abbas
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (عمر بن عبد العزيز)	2 November 682	September 717	February 720		Grandson of Marwan I, first cousin of Al-Walid I and Sulayman ibn ‘Abd al-Malik and great-grandson of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab from female-line	‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Marwan and Umm Asim
Yazid II (يزيد الثاني)	687	10 February 720	26 January 724		Son of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan	‘Abd al-Malik (C) and Atikah bint Yazid
Hisham (هشام بن عبد الملك)	691	26 January 724	6 February 743		Son of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan	Abd al-Malik (C) and Fatimah bint Hisham
Al-Walid II (الوليد الثاني)	709	6 February 743	17 April 744 (assassinated)		Son of Yazid II and nephew of Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik	Yazid II (C) and Umm al-Hajjaj bint Muhammad al-Thaqafi
Yazid III (يزيد الثالث)	701	17 April 744	3/4 October 744		Son of Al-Walid I	Al-Walid I (C) and Shah-i Afrid
Ibrahim (ابراهيم ابن الوليد)		744 (few weeks)		25 January 750 (executed)	Son of Al-Walid I	Al-Walid I (C) and Budayra (also known as Su’ar)
Marwan II (مروان بن محمد)	691	744	6 August 750 (killed)		Cousin of Al-Walid I, Sulayman, Umar, Yazid II and Hisham.	Muḥammad ibn Marwān and Umm Marwan

Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)

Regnal name	Personal name	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Parents
As-Sāffaḥ	Abul-‘Abbās ‘Abdallah	721	25 January 750	10 June 754		Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah Raita al-Harsia
Al-Mansur	Abu Ja’far ‘Abdallah	714	10 June 754	775		Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah Sallamah
Al-Mahdi	Abu ‘Abdallah Muhammad	744/745	775	4 August 785		Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliph Arwa bint Mansur al-Himyari
Al-Hadi	Abu Muhammad Musa	764	August 785	14 September 786		Al-Mahdi, Abbasid Caliph Al-Khayzuran bint ‘Atta
Al-Rashid	Harun	763/766	14 September 786	24 March 809		Al-Mahdi, Abbasid Caliph Al-Khayzuran bint ‘Atta
Al-Amin	Muhammad	787	March 809	24/25 September 813		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Zubaidah bint Ja`far, granddaughter of Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliph
Al-Ma’mun	Abu al-Abbas ‘Abdallah	13/14 September 786	September 813	9 August 833		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Marajil
Al-Mu’tasim	Abū Ishaq Muhammad	October 796	9 August 833	5 January 842		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Marida bint Shabib
Al-Wathiq	Abu Ja’far Harun	811–813	5 January 842	10 August 847		Al-Mu’tasim, Abbasid Caliph Qaratis
Al-Mutawakkil	Ja’far	February/March 822	10 August 847	11 December 861 (assassinated)		Al-Mu’tasim, Abbasid Caliph Shuja
Al-Muntasir	Abu Ja’far Muhammad	November 837	861	7 or 8 June 862		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph Hubshiya, a Greek concubine
Al-Musta’in	Ahmad	836	862	866 (executed)		Muhammad ibn al-Mu’tasim, Abbasid prince Makhariq (concubine)
Al-Mu’tazz	Abū ʿAbd allāh Muhammad	847	866	869		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph Qabiha
Al-Muhtadi	Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad		869	21 June 870		Al-Wathiq, Abbasid Caliph Qurb (greek concubine)
Al-Mu’tamid	Abu’l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad	842	21 June 870	15 October 892		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph Fityan
Al-Mu’tadid	Abu’l-‘Abbas Ahmad	854/861	October 892	5 April 902		Al-Muwaffaq, Abbasid prince and Commander-in-chief Dirar
Al-Muktafi	Abu Muhammad ʿAlî	877/878	5 April 902	13 August 908		Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid Caliph Jijak
Al-Muqtadir	Abu al-Fadl Ja’far	895	13 August 908	929	31 October 932 (killed)	Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid Caliph Shaghab
Al-Qahir	Abu Mansur Muhammad	899	929		950	Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid Caliph Fitnah
Al-Muqtadir	Abu al-Fadl Ja’far	895	929	31 October 932 (killed)		Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid Caliph Shaghab
Al-Qahir	Abu Mansur Muhammad	899	31 October 932	934	950	Al-Mu’tadid, Abbasid Caliph Fitnah
Al-Radi	Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad	December 909	934	23 December 940		Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph Zalum
Al-Muttaqi	Abu Ishaq Ibrahim	908	940	944	July 968	Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph Khalub also known as Zuhra
Al-Mustakfi	Abu’l-Qasim ‘Abdallah	905	September 944	January 946	September/October 949	Al-Muktafi, Abbasid Caliph Ghusn, Greek concubine
Al-Muti	Abu al-Qasim al-Faḍl	914	January 946	5 August 974	12 October 974	Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph Mash’ala
At-Ta’i	Abd al-Karīm	932	974	991	3 August 1003	Al-Muti, Abbasid Caliph Hazar also known as Atab
Al-Qadir	Abu’l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir	947	1 November 991	29 November 1031		Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir, Abbasid prince Dimna
Al-Qa’im	Abu Ja’far	1001	29 November 1031	2 April 1075		Al-Qadir, Abbasid Caliph Badr al-Dija also known as Qatr al-Nida
Al-Muqtadi	Abū’l-Qāsim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qa’im	1056	2 April 1075	February 1094		Muhammad ibn al-Qa’im Abbasid prince, Urjuman, (Armenian concubine)
Al-Mustazhir	Abū l-ʿAbbās Ahmad	April/May 1078	February 1094	6 August 1118		Al-Muqtadi, Abbasid Caliph Altın (Turkic concubine)
Al-Mustarshid	Abū’l-Manṣūr al-Faḍl	April/May 1092	6 August 1118	29 August 1135		Al-Mustazhir, Abbasid Caliph Lubaba
Al-Rashid Billah	Abu Jaʿfar Manṣūr	1109	29 August 1135	1136	6 June 1138 (killed by Hashshashins)	Al-Mustarshid, Abbasid Caliph Khushf
Al-Muqtafi	Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad	9 March 1096	1136	12 March 1160		Al-Mustazhir, Abbasid Caliph Ashin Umm Muhammad
Al-Mustanjid	Abū’l-Muẓaffar Yūsuf	1124	12 March 1160	20 December 1170		Al-Muqtafi, Abbasid Caliph Thawus
Al-Mustadi	Hassan	1142	20 December 1170	30 March 1180		Al-Mustanjid, Abbasid Caliph Ghadha
Al-Nasir	Abu’l-ʿAbbās Ahmad	6 August 1158	2 March 1180	4 October 1225		Al-Mustadi, Abbasid Caliph Zumurrud, concubine
Al-Zahir	Abu Nasr Muhammad	1176	5 October 1225	11 July 1226		Al-Nasir, Abbasid Caliph Asma
Al-Mustansir	Abû Ja`far al-Manṣūr	17 February 1192	11 July 1226	2 December 1242		Az-Zahir, Abbasid Caliph Zahra
Al-Musta’sim	Abu Ahmad Abdallah	1213	2 December 1242	20 February 1258		Al-Mustansir, Abbasid Caliph Hajir

During the later period of Abbasid rule, Muslim rulers began using other titles, such as Amir al-umara and Sultan.

Mamluk Abbasid dynasty (1261–1517)

The Cairo Abbasids were largely ceremonial Caliphs under the patronage of the Mamluk Sultanate that existed after the takeover of the Ayyubid dynasty.^[9]^[10]

Regnal name	Personal name	Reign	Parents
Al-Mustansir	Abu al-Qasim Ahmad	13 June 1261 – 28 November 1261	Az-Zahir
Al-Hakim I	Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad	16 November 1262 – 19 January 1302	Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Al-Mustakfi I	Abu ar-Rabi’ Sulaiman	20 January 1302 – February 1340	Al-Hakim I
Al-Wathiq I	Abu Ishaq Ibrahim	February 1340 – 17 June 1341	Muhammad, son of Al-Hakim I
Al-Hakim II	Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad	1341–1352	Al-Mustakfi I
Al-Mu’tadid I	Abu Bakr	1352–1362	Al-Mustakfi I
Al-Mutawakkil I	Abu ‘Abdillah Muhammad	1362–1377	Al-Mu’tadid I
Al-Musta’sim	Abu Yahya Zakariya	1377	Al-Wathiq I
Al-Mutawakkil I	Abu ‘Abdillah Muhammad	1377–1383	Al-Mu’tadid I
Al-Wathiq II	‘Umar	September 1383 – 13 November 1386	Al-Wathiq I
Al-Musta’sim	Abu Yahya Zakariya	1386–1389	Al-Wathiq I
Al-Mutawakkil I	Abu ‘Abdillah Muhammad	1389 – 9 January 1406	Al-Mu’tadid I
Al-Musta’in	Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas	22 January 1406 – 9 March 1414	Al-Mutawakkil I Bay Khatun
Al-Mu’tadid II	Abu al-Fath Dawud	1414–1441	Al-Mutawakkil I Kazal
Al-Mustakfi II	Abu ar-Rabi’ Sulayman	1441 – 29 January 1451	Al-Mutawakkil I
Al-Qa’im	Abu Al-Baqa Hamzah	1451–1455	Al-Mutawakkil I
Al-Mustanjid	Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf	1455 – 7 April 1479	Al-Mutawakkil I
Al-Mutawakkil II	Abu al-‘Izz ‘Abdul ‘Aziz	5 April 1479 – 27 September 1497	Ya’qub bin Al-Mutawakkil I Haj al-Malik
Al-Mustamsik	Abu as-Sabr	1497–1508	Al-Mutawakkil II
Al-Mutawakkil III	Muhammad	1508–1516	Al-Mustamsik
Al-Mustamsik	Abu as-Sabr	1516–1517	Al-Mutawakkil II
Al-Mutawakkil III	Muhammad	1517	Al-Mustamsik

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.^[11]^[12] Murad I (reigned 1362–1389) was the first Ottoman claimant to the title of Caliph; claimed the title after conquering Edirne.^[13]

Tughra	Name	Reign	Parents
	Selim I	1517 – 21 September 1520	Bayezid II Gülbahar Hatun
	Suleiman I	30 September 1520 – 6 or 7 September 1566	Selim I Hafsa Sultan
	Selim II	29 September 1566 – 21 December 1574	Suleiman I Hürrem Sultan
	Murad III	22 December 1574 – 16 January 1595	Selim II Nurbanu Sultan
	Mehmed III	27 January 1595 – 20 or 21 December 1603	Murad III Safiye Sultan
	Ahmed I	21 December 1603 – 22 November 1617	Mehmed III Handan Sultan
	Mustafa I	22 November 1617 – 26 February 1618	Mehmed III Halime Sultan
	Osman II	26 February 1618 – 19 May 1622	Ahmed I Mahfiruz Hatun
	Mustafa I	20 May 1622 – 10 September 1623	Mehmed III Halime Sultan
	Murad IV	10 September 1623 – 8 or 9 February 1640	Ahmed I Kösem Sultan
	Ibrahim	9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648	Ahmed I Kösem Sultan
	Mehmed IV	8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687	Ibrahim Turhan Sultan
	Suleiman II	8 November 1687 – 22 June 1691	Ibrahim Aşub Sultan
	Ahmed II	22 June 1691 – 6 February 1695	Ibrahim Muazzez Sultan
	Mustafa II	6 February 1695 – 22 August 1703	Mehmed IV Gülnuş Sultan
	Ahmed III	22 August 1703 – 1 or 2 October 1730	Mehmed IV Gülnuş Sultan
	Mahmud I	2 October 1730 – 13 December 1754	Mustafa II Saliha Sultan
	Osman III	13 December 1754 – 29 or 30 October 1757	Mustafa II Şehsuvar Sultan
	Mustafa III	30 October 1757 – 21 January 1774	Ahmed III Mihrişah Kadın
	Abdul Hamid I	21 January 1774 – 6 or 7 April 1789	Son of Ahmed III Şermi Kadın
	Selim III	7 April 1789 – 29 May 1807	Mustafa III Mihrişah Sultan
	Mustafa IV	29 May 1807 – 28 July 1808	Abdul Hamid I Sineperver Sultan
	Mahmud II	28 July 1808 – 1 July 1839	Abdul Hamid I Nakşidil Sultan
	Abdulmejid I	1 July 1839 – 25 June 1861	Mahmud II Bezmiâlem Sultan
	Abdulaziz	25 June 1861 – 30 May 1876	Mahmud II Pertevniyal Sultan
	Murad V	30 May 1876 – 31 August 1876	Abdulmejid I Şevkefza Kadın
	Abdul Hamid II	31 August 1876 – 27 April 1909	Abdulmejid I Tirimüjgan Kadın
	Mehmed V	27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918	Abdulmejid I Gülcemal Kadın
	Mehmed VI	4 July 1918 – 1 November 1922	Abdulmejid I Gülüstü Hanım
— ^{[nb 1]}	Abdulmejid II	18 November 1922 – 3 March 1924	Abdulaziz Hayranidil Kadın;^[14]

The Office of the Ottoman 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 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.

Other caliphates

Hasan ibn Ali’s Caliphate (661)

After the death of Ali, the Muslims selected Hasan ibn Ali as the caliph. He successfully made a treaty with governor Mu’awiyah that led to the latter assuming political power. Later, he abdicated as the caliph after ruling for six or seven months.

Calligraphic/Coin	Name (and titles)	Birth	Reigned from	Reigned until	Death	Relationship with Muhammad (or previous Caliph)	Parents	House
	Hasan ibn Ali (حسن بن علي) Ahl al-Bayt Al-Mujtaba	624	661 (six or seven months)		670	Grandson of Muhammad Son of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib	‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib, fourth Rashidun Caliph and first Imam of Shia Islam Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad and his first wife Khadijah	Banu Hashim

Abd Allah 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.^[15]

Coin	Name (and titles)	Birth	Reigned from	Reigned until	Death	Parents	House
	Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (عبد الله ابن الزبير)	May, 624 AD	November 683 AD	November 692 AD	November 692 AD	al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam Asma bint Abi Bakr,	Banu Asad

Talib al-Haqq (747–748)

Calligraphic/Coin	Name (and titles)	Birth	Reigned from	Reigned until	Death	Parents	House
	Talib al-Haqq (طالب الحق)	709	745	748	749

Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)

The Fatimid Caliphate

(The Fatimids were Isma’ili Shia who claimed to be descendants of Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah and were seen as heretics by Sunnis. Their claims to a caliphate are also not recognized by the Muslim Ummah as a legitimate successor of the title of Caliph passed down from Muhammad, as no legitimate proof existed they were descendant from Fatimah).^[16]^[17]


Name	Reign	Parents
Al-Mahdi Billah	909–934	Radi Abdullah, Imamah of Isma’ilism
Al-Qa’im Bi-Amrillah	934–946	Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah
Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah	946–953	Al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah
Al-Muizz Lideenillah	953–975	Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah
Al-Aziz Billah	975–996	Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah	996–1021	Al-Aziz Billah
Ali az-Zahir	1021–1036	Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Al-Mustansir Billah	1036–1094	Ali az-Zahir
Al-Musta’li	1094–1101	Al-Mustansir Billah
Al-Amir	1101–1130	Al-Musta’li
Al-Hafiz	1130–1149	Muhammad ibn al-Mustansir
Al-Zafir	1149–1154	Al-Hafiz
Al-Faiz	1154–1160 Al-Zafir
Al-Adid	1160–1171	Yusuf, son of Al-Hafiz

Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031)

(Not universally accepted; actual authority confined to Spain and parts of Maghreb)^[18]^[19]


Name	Reign	Parents
Abd-ar-Rahman III	929–961	Muhammad ibn Abdullah son of the Emir of Córdoba Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi Muzna
Al-Hakam II	961–976	Abd-ar-Rahman III Murjan
Hisham II al-Hakam	976–1009	Al-Hakam II Subh
Muhammad II	1009	Hisham bin Abd al-Jabbar bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III Muzna
Sulayman ibn al-Hakam	1009–1010	Al-Hakam bin Sulayman bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III Thabiya
Hisham II al-Hakam	1010–1013	Al-Hakam II Subh
Sulayman ibn al-Hakam	1013–1016	Al-Hakam bin Sulayman bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III Thabiya
Abd ar-Rahman IV	1021–1022	Mohammed, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III
Abd ar-Rahman V	1022–1023	Hisham bin Abd al-Jabbar bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III Ghala
Muhammad III	1023–1024	Abd ar-Rahman bin Ubayd Allah bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III Hawra
Hisham III	1027–1031	Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Malik bin Abd ar-Rahman III, grandson of Abd ar-Rahman III ‘Ateb

Almohad Caliphate (1145–1269)

The Almohad dynasty at its greatest extent (c. 1200)

(Not widely accepted, actual dominions were parts of North Africa and Iberia)^[20]^[21]


Name	Reign
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

Bornu and Songhai Empires (15th/16th century)

The Bornu Empire at its greatest extent (c. 1750)

Songhai Empire at its greatest extent (c. 1500)

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.^[22]

Indian caliphates (late medieval/early modern)

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.^[23]^[24]^[25]^[26]

Sokoto Caliphate (1804–1903)

The Sokoto Caliphate (pink) at its greatest extent (c. 1800)

(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.

Ahmadiyya Caliphate (1908–present)

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Flag.

The Khalīfatul Masīh (Arabic: خليفة المسيح; Urdu: خلیفہ المسیح; English: Successor of the Messiah), sometimes simply referred to as Khalifah (i.e. Caliph, successor), is the elected spiritual and organizational leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and is the successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who had taken the titles of Mahdi and Messiah of Islam.^{[nb 2]} The Caliph is believed to be divinely guided and is also referred to by members of current Khalifatul Masih is Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

After the death of Ghulam Ahmad, his successors directed the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from Qadian in Punjab, British India, which remained the headquarters of the community until 1947 with the independence of Pakistan. From this time on, the headquarters moved to and 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.^[30]

Sharifian Caliphate (1924–1925)

Map with the kingdom in green and the current region in red.

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.^[31] Like the Fatimid caliphs, he was a descendant of Muhammad through a grandson of Hasan ibn Ali. Hussein’s claim for caliphate was not accepted by the Wahhabi and Salafi movements, and in 1925 he was driven from Hejaz by the forces of Ibn Saud as an outcome of the Second Saudi-Hashemite War. He continued to use the title of caliph during his remaining life in exile, until his death in 1931.

Islamic State (2014–present)

On 29 June 2014, the Islamic State proclaimed the return of the Islamic caliphate, with its first “caliph” as Amir al-Mu’minin Abu Bakr Ibrahim bin Awwad Al-Badri Al-Husaini Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi As-sammera’i al-Baghdadi.^[32]^[33] The caliphate’s claimed territory at its peak controlled 12 million people. At its height, Islamic State ruled territories in various countries including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, Libya, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Congo, Yemen, and the Sinai region in Egypt, in addition to running guerrilla cells in many other countries.^[34]^[35]^{[failed verification]}

In 2014-15, dozens of Salafi Jihadi groups^[36] and scholars^[37] around the world pledged alligience to ISIL claimed Caliphate.

On 10 April 2018, during a rally of U.S. President Donald Trump in Elkhart, Indiana in support of Mike Braun’s bid for the US Senate, 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.”^[38]

As of early, 2022 Islamic State occupies some territory in Nigeria and has 3 million people under its rule;^[39] and also it continues to maintain control over some of rural un-habitant areas in both Iraq and Syria^[40]^[41]


No.	“Caliph”	Date of birth	Reigned from	Reigned until
1	Abu-Bakr Ibrahim bin Awwad al-Baghdadi	28 July 1971	29 June 2014	27 October 2019
2	Abu-Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi	October 1976	31 October 2019	3 February 2022
3	Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi	Unknown	4 February 2022	October 2022
4	Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi	Unknown	October 2022	Present

আরব লাইট

Rashidun Caliphate (632–661)

Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)

Mamluk Abbasid dynasty (1261–1517)

Ottoman Caliphate (1517–3 March 1924)