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A Caliph is a religious position and represents the direction and purpose of Muslims. Shiites have not had a caliph since 'Ali's passing and the slaughter of his two sons Hussein and Hassan. The Sunnis had a Caliph until 1923 when the Republic of Turkey abolished the position. In many respects, the Caliph is similar to a Pope in function.

Sultan comes from the Arabic "Salat" which means control or power. A sultan is a strictly earthly ruler, like a king.

It is important to note that many Caliphs ran theocratic states combining earthly and heavenly domains, while Sultans almost always differed religious matters to a Caliph or to Religious Scholars (Ulemaa) or both.

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Q: The difference between a caliph and a sultan in islamic history is that?
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Who was the key leader of the Islamic Empire?

A Caliph.


What is a major difference between the Safavid and mughal empires?

mughal monuments were built by mughals and sultanate monuments by sultans of delhi


What title was given to the leaders of the Islamic empire after the death of Muhammad?

Caliph (or Khalifa in Arabic)


What are the stories of four caliphs in Islamic history?

as u know that there were four caliphs after hazrat Muhammad ( P B U H )wen there is no leader the unity is broken so after longfights the first caliph hazrat abu bakar sidduiqe razitallah anah was made r first caliph or in other words : The death of Muhammad in 632 created confusion in the nascent Muslim community, for Muhammad had left no details as to who should succeed him. After a heated discussion by the senior members of the community, Abu Bakr was selected as the first caliph.


What is the golden period of Islam?

The golden period of Islam was most likely the rule of the early Ummayad and Abbasid Caliphs, whereupon most of the islamic middle east was united under a single ruler. Under the early Sunni Abbasid caliphs, in particular the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, science and art flourished, in a time where Islamic culture vastly surpassed western European society (which still dwelled in the dark ages). The Golden age of islam can best be seen as the time period between 750 AD- 1258 AD, brought to an end by, not so much the Crusades but more the Mongol invasion, the death of the last Caliph and the gradual political fragmentation of the Islamic world.

Related questions

What was the rank of the supreme ruler of the Islamic empire?

It depends on the Islamic Empire in question. (There have been over 25 distinct Islamic Empires.) Usually this position was taken by a Caliph, but there a significant number of Islamic Empires, especially later in history, where the Caliph was exclusively a religious leader and it was the Sultan who ruled from a political perspective.


What was the significance of the title of caliph?

A Caliph or khalifa is a sort of religious dictator, an Islamic ruler, considered to be the political-religious leader of an Islamic community of believers, ruling in accordance with Islamic law.


What title was given to the supreme Islamic authority?

Caliph meaning the representative of God on earth


Who is a rashdun?

The religious head (caliph) of Islamic religion.


What was the title of the Islamic Empire?

The title of the Islamic Empire was Caliphate. The Caliph was called Amir-ul-Momineen.


Who are the Islamic Sunni?

The Sunnis are a sect of Islam that believe that the caliph may be anyone who believes in the Islamic religion.


Who was the key leader of the Islamic Empire?

A Caliph.


What title was given to the supreme Islamic authority the successor of the prophet?

Caliph


Islamic leaders after muhammad's death the arabic word for successors to the prophet?

The word is "Khaleefa" /kəli:fə/ or Caliph Arabic writing: خليفة


What are the responsibilities of a caliph?

A caliph is responsible for governing the Islamic community, upholding Islamic law, promoting justice, protecting the community, and serving as a religious and political leader. The caliph is also seen as a successor to the Prophet Muhammad and is expected to lead by example with humility and wisdom.


What is a major difference between the Safavid and mughal empires?

mughal monuments were built by mughals and sultanate monuments by sultans of delhi


Who is the fifth khalifa of Muslim?

There is no 5th Khalifah, there were only 4 ______________________________ The Caliph Umar Ibn AbdelAziz is the fifth Caliph (or Khalifa) of the four Rashidoun Caliphs. ______________________________ The Rashidoun Caliphate is entirely made up of four Caliph's, islamic history does not reflect a 5th Caliph at all. Umar (R.A.) was teh second Caliph, not teh 5th.