Khilfa

Khilfa is a transliteration variant of the Arabic term khilāfah (also rendered khalīfah or khalifa) and is used in some languages to refer to the concept of the caliphate. In English-language scholarship the institution is usually called the caliphate or khaliphate. The khilāfah denotes the office of the caliph, who is regarded as the political and religious leader of the Muslim community (the ummah) and as the steward of governance according to Islamic law.

Historically, the khilāfah emerged after the death of the Prophet Muhammad and was first realized in the Rashidun Caliphate (the four rightly guided caliphs). Over time, several successive dynasties claimed or established caliphal authority, including the Umayyads, Abbasids, and Fatimids, with the Ottoman sultan later widely recognized as the Caliph of Islam from the 16th century until the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924. The concept has varied in interpretation and scope across different eras and Muslim communities, ranging from a unified political entity to a decentralized leadership model.

In modern usage, khilāfah remains a subject of historical analysis and political discourse. While some groups have proclaimed revived or claimed caliphates in contemporary times, such claims are contested within the Muslim world and by scholars who emphasize diverse constitutional and theological understandings of leadership. The term appears in religious texts, legal writings, and contemporary media as a reference to the historical institution and its modern debates.