noun
- Plural of kaliph; Islamic religious and political leaders who are considered successors to the Prophet Muhammad.
Usage: Also spelled 'caliphs' (more common in modern English).; Historical and religious term.
Examples
- The early kaliphs expanded the Islamic empire across three continents.
- Medieval kaliphs were both spiritual and temporal authorities.
- Different kaliphs implemented varying interpretations of Islamic law.
- The Umayyad kaliphs ruled from Damascus for nearly a century.
- Historians study the reigns of various kaliphs to understand Islamic civilization.