What does the word caliphate mean?

The word has two meanings. A prophet chosen by God is His vicegerent on earth, and whoever continues a prophet’s work among his followers after his death is his successor, who follows his teaching exactly.

The word caliphate comes from an Arabic word meaning vicegerent, deputy or successor. It is used in two senses. It refers either directly to God or to an earlier prophet.

In the first sense, the vicegerent is appointed on earth by God Himself through His word. He is God’s deputy among people. This is what the Holy Qur’an calls Adam (as), as the first verse shows, and likewise David (as) in the second verse. Every prophet whom God chooses is His vicegerent in this sense.

In the second sense, it concerns the time after a prophet. When a prophet appointed by God dies, his task passes to a successor among his followers. This person is called the successor of that prophet. Through the prophet he also inherits something of the deputyship of God that the prophet held. The promise in the third verse speaks of such successors.

From this follows a clear limit. Because the prophet follows the word of God perfectly, his successor must likewise follow that prophet’s teaching exactly. He has no authority of his own and puts nothing of his own in its place. His task is to carry on the prophet’s work faithfully.

Understood in this way, the caliphate is not rule in one’s own right. It is a service that God grants, and it remains bound entirely to the teaching of the prophet.