List Of Caliphs

Caliphs led the Muslim Ummah as political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and widely-recognised caliphates have existed in various forms for most of Islamic history.

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. 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.

The Abbasid Revolution overthrew the Ummayads and instituted the Abbasid dynasty which ruled over the Abbasid Caliphate. 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.

Coin	Regnal name	Personal name	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Parents
	Al-Sāffaḥ	Abul-'Abbās 'Abdallah	721	25 January 750	10 June 754		Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah Rayta bint Ubaydallah 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 ibn al-Mansur
	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 Maridah bint Shabib
	Al-Wathiq	Abu Ja'far Harun	811–813	5 January 842	10 August 847		Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid Caliph Umm Harun Qaratis
	Al-Mutawakkil	Ja'far	February/March 822	10 August 847	11 December 861 (assassinated)		Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid Caliph Umm Ja'far 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
	Al-Ta'i'	Abd al-Karīm	932	974	991	3 August 1003	Al-Muti, Abbasid Caliph Utb (Greek concubine)
	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 Abdallah	1001	29 November 1031	2 April 1075		Al-Qadir, Abbasid Caliph Bal-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 Taif al-Afwah (Egyptian)
	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 Sayyida Zumurrud
	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.

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

The head of the Ottoman dynasty was just entitled Sultan originally, but soon it started accumulating titles assumed from subjected peoples. Murad I (reigned 1362–1389) was the first Ottoman claimant to the title of Caliph; claimed the title after conquering Edirne.

Image	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
	—	Abdulmejid II	18 November 1922 – 3 March 1924	Abdulaziz Hayranidil Kadın;

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.

Hasan ibn Ali's Caliphate (661)

After Ali was killed, the governor of Syria Mu'awiya led his army toward Kufa, where Ali's son Hasan ibn Ali had been nominated as Ali's successor. Mu'awiya successfully bribed Ubayd Allah ibn Abbas, the commander of Hasan's vanguard, to desert his post, and sent envoys to negotiate with Hasan. In return for a financial settlement, Hasan abdicated and Mu'awiya entered Kufa in July or September 661 and was recognized as caliph. This year is considered by a number of the early Muslim sources as 'the year of unity' and is generally regarded as the start of Mu'awiya's caliphate. Hasan abdicated as 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.

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)

Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)

 

Image/Coin	Regnal name	Personal name	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Parents
	al-Mahdi Billah	Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn	874	27 August 909	4 March 934		Abd Allah al-Radi
	al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh	Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh	893	4 March 934	17 May 946		Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah
	al-Mansur Billah	Abu Tahir Isma'il	914	17 May 946	18 March 953		al-Qa'im Karima
	al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah	Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah	931	19 March 953	21 December 975		al-Mansur Billah
	al-Aziz Billah	Abu al-Mansur Nizar	955	18 December 975	13 October 996		al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah Al-Sayyida al-Mu'iziyya
	al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah	Abū ʿAlī al-Manṣūr	985	14 October 996	13 February 1021		al-Aziz Billah as-Sayyidah al-'Azīziyyah
	al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah	Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥākim	1005	28 March 1021	13 June 1036		al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
	al-Mustansir Billah	Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Mustanṣir biʾllāh	1029	13 June 1036	29 December 1094		al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah Rasad
	al-Musta'li Billah	Abū al-Qāsim Aḥmad ibn al-Mustanṣir	1074	29/30 December 1094	11/12 December 1101		al-Mustansir Billah
	al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah	Abū ʿAlī al-Manṣūr ibn al-Mustaʿlī	1096	11 December 1101	7 October 1130		al-Musta'li
	al-Hafiz li-Din Allah	Abūʾl-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Mustanṣir	1074/5 or 1075/6	23 January 1132	10 October 1149		Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Mustansir Billah
	al-Ẓāfir bi-Aʿdāʾ Allāh	Abū al-Manṣūr Ismāʿīl ibn al-Ḥāfiẓ	1133	10 October 1149	1 or 15 April 1154		al-Hafiz
	al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah	Abūʾl-Qāsim ʿĪsā ibn al-Ẓāfir	1149	16 April 1154	22 July 1160		al-Zafir
	al-ʿĀḍid li-Dīn Allāh	Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yūsuf	1151	23 July 1160	13 September 1171		Yusuf ibn al-Hafiz li-Din Allah

Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031)

(Not universally accepted; actual authority confined to Spain and parts of Maghreb)

Almohad Caliphate (1145–1269)

(Not widely accepted, actual dominions were parts of North Africa and Iberia)

 

• Ibn Tumart 1121–1130
• Abd al-Mu'min 1130–1163
• Abu Ya'qub Yusuf I 1163–1184
• Abu Yusuf Ya'qub 'al-Mansur' 1184–1199
• Muhammad al-Nasir 1199–1213
• Abu Ya'qub Yusuf II 'al-Mustansir' 1213–1224
• Abu Muhammad Abd al-Wahid I 'al-Makhlu' 1224
• Abdallah al-Adil 1224–1227
• Yahya 'al-Mutasim' 1227–1229
• Abu al-Ala Idris I al-Ma'mun, 1229–1232
• Abu Muhammad Abd al-Wahid II 'al-Rashid' 1232–1242
• Abu al-Hassan Ali 'al-Said' 1242–1248
• Abu Hafs Umar 'al-Murtada', 1248–1266
• Abu al-Ula (Abu Dabbus) Idris II 'al-Wathiq' 1266–1269

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

 

 

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.

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.

Sokoto Caliphate (1804–1903)

 

(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)

 

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.^{[failed verification]}

In 2014–15, dozens of Salafi Jihadi groups and scholars around the world pledged allegiance 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."

The Islamic State of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the militant jihadist organization prescribed by many states as a terrorist organization, and the founding organization of the Islamic State caliphate. Were severely degraded in operational capability, subscribers and territorial control during the military intervention in Iraq and Syria by the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, and in Syria by the Russian military intervention.

As of early, 2022 Islamic State occupies some territory in Nigeria and has 3 million people under its rule; and also it continues to maintain control over some rural uninhabited areas in both Iraq and Syria

No.	Image	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	10 March 2022	15 October 2022
4		Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi	Unknown	30 November 2022	29 April 2023
5		Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi	Unknown	3 August 2023	Present

• Worldwide caliphate
• Shah
• Emir
• Shaykh al-Islām
  • List of Sheikh-ul-Islams of the Ottoman Empire
• Grand Imam of al-Azhar
  • List of grand imams of al-Azhar
  • List of presidents of Al-Azhar University
• Mouride#Leadership
• Succession to Muhammad
• History of Islam
• Shia Islam
• Sunni Islam
• Sharifate of Mecca