"Caliphate"

The term caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa or Turkish Halife )it is a noun from the Arabic root word "Khalifa"‘behind’ or ‘back’ or to come after, or succeed. A khalifa is a person who succeeds another person, and judges "Sharia Law". The plural is khulafaa and the process is khelafah. in this case managing the affairs of the Muslim community. It refers to the first system of government established in Islam, and represented the political unity of the Muslim Nation. In theory, the meaning is that the head of state or "Caliph"and and other officials are dictate to the people according to Islamic law "Sharia Law", which exercises power over their citizens. It was initially led the disciples or Mohamed to a none-constitutional political system the prophet established, known as the "Rashidum Caliphates". It represented the political unity, not the theological unity of Muslims as theology was a personal matter. It was the world's first major institutional acclaimed empire claimed by the Mauryan Empire 800 years earlier)^. A "caliphate" is also a "State" which implements such as a governmental system. Sunny Islamic estates that the head of state "The Caliph", should be selected by the "Shura" a body of "Selected Iman" or their representatives. Followers of "Shia Islam" believe the caliph should be an Iman descended in a line of "Ahl al-Bayt". After the Rashidum period until 1924, caliphates, sometimes two at a single time, real and illusory, were ruled by dynasties. The first dynasty was the "Umayyad". This was followed by the "Abbasid", the "Fatimid", and finally the ver feared and awesome and powerful Ottoman Dynasty.