List of caliphs

No.	Calligraphic/Coin	Name (and titles)	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Relationship with Muhammad	Parents	House	Notes
1		Abū Bakr (أبو بكر) Aṣ-Ṣiddīq	573	8 June 632 (03-13-11 AH)	22 August 634		Father of Aisha, Muhammad's wife	'Uthman Abu Quhafa Salma Umm-ul-Khair	Banu Taim	Approximately the fourth person to accept Islam after the beginning of Muhammad's prophethood Launched the Ridda Wars in 632
2		ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (عمر بن الخطاب) Al-Farooq	584	23 August 634 (06-22-13 AH)	3 November 644 (assassinated)		Father of Hafsa, Muhammad's wife	Khattab ibn Nufayl Hantamah bint Hisyam	Banu Adi	Became a Muslim in approximately the sixth year of Muhammad's prophethood
3		'Uthman ibn 'Affan (عثمان بن عفان) Dhun Nurayn	579	11 November 644 (01-05-24 AH)	20 June 656 (assassinated at the end of a siege upon his house)		Husband of Muhammad's daughters, Ruqayya and later Umm Kulthum Grandson of Umm Hakim bint Abdul Muttalib, Muhammad's paternal aunt	'Affan ibn Abi al-'As Arwa bint Kurayz	Banu Ummaya
4		'Ali ibn Abi Talib (علي بن أبي طالب) Amir al-Mu'minin Haydar Abu Turab Al-Murtaza	15 September 601	20 June 656 (12-21-35 AH)	29 January 661 (assassinated while praying in the Mosque of Kufa)		Muhammad's first cousin Husband of Muhammad's daughter Fatimah Husband of Umamah bint Zainab, Muhammad's granddaughter All modern descendants of Muhammad are through Ali	Abu Talib ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib Fatimah bint Asad	Banu Hashim	Born in the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam First male to openly accept Islam Considered the first successor to Muhammad by Shia Muslims

Hasan ibn Ali's Caliphate (661)

No.	Calligraphic/Coin	Name (and titles)	Birth	Reigned from	Reigned until	Death	Relationship with Muhammad (or previous Caliph)	Parents	House	Notes
5		Ḥasan ibn ʿAli (الحسن بن علي) Ahl al-Bayt Al-Mujtaba[1]	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	Considered the second successor to Muhammad by Shia Muslims Made a treaty with Mu'awiyah that led to the latter assuming political power Also known as the 5th Rashidun Caliph

No.	Image/Coin	Regnal name	Personal name	Born	Reigned from	Reigned until	Died	Parents	Notes
20		As-Sāffaḥ	'Abdallah Abul-'Abbās	721	750	10 June 754		Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah Raita al-Harsia	Descendant of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of Muhammad
21		Al-Mansur	Abu Ja'far 'Abdallah	714	10 June 754	775		Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah Sallamah	Remembered for killing Ja'far al-Sadiq, who was a descendant of Muhammad, the sixth Shia Imam and a major figure in Sunni jurisprudence[2]
22		Al-Mahdi	Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad	744/745	775	4 August 785		Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliph	Named al-Mahdi by al-Mansur in order to turn the attention of his subjects from the ‘Alid family toward the family of 'Abbas[3]
23		Al-Hadi	Abu Muhammad Musa	764	August 785	14 September 786		Al-Mahdi, Abbasid Caliph Al-Khayzuran bint 'Atta
24		Al-Rashid	Harun	763/766	14 September 786	24 March 809		Al-Mahdi, Abbasid Caliph Al-Khayzuran bint 'Atta
25		Al-Amin	Muhammad	787	March 809	24/25 September 813		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Zubaidah bint Ja`far, granddaughter of Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliph
26		Al-Ma'mun	Abu Jaʿfar 'Abdallah	13/14 September 786	September 813	9 August 833		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Marajil
27		Al-Mu'tasim	Abū Ishaq Muhammad	October 796	9 August 833	5 January 842		Harun ar-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph Marida
28		Al-Wathiq	Abu Ja'far Harun	811–813	5 January 842	10 August 847		Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid Caliph Qaratis
29		Al-Mutawakkil	Ja'far	February/March 822	10 August 847	11 December 861 (assassinated)		Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid Caliph Shuja
30		Al-Muntasir	Abu Ja'far Muhammad	November 837	861	7 or 8 June 862		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph	Reigned during the Anarchy at Samarra (861–870)
31		Al-Musta'in	Ahmad	836	862	866 (executed)		Muhammad, son of Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid Caliph
32		Al-Mu'tazz	–	847	866	869		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph
33		Al-Muhtadi	Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad		869	21 June 870		Al-Wathiq, Abbasid Caliph Greek concubine
34		Al-Mu'tamid	Abu’l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad	842	21 June 870	15 October 892		Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph
35		Al-Mu'tadid	Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad	854/861	October 892	5 April 902		Al-Muwaffaq, regent of the Abbasid Caliphate Dirar	Grandson of Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph
36		Al-Muktafi	Abu Ahmad ʿAlî	877/878	5 April 902	13 August 908		Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph
37		Al-Muqtadir	Abu al-Fadl Ja'far	895	13 August 908	929	31 October 932 (killed)	Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph	Title caliph also claimed by al-Mahdi Billah of the Fatimids in 909 (Not accepted by the Muslim dominions in the Umayyad-ruled Iberian Peninsula).[4][5]
38		Al-Qahir	Abu Mansur Muhammad	899	929		950	Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph
(37)		Al-Muqtadir	Abu al-Fadl Ja'far	895	929	31 October 932 (killed)		Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph	Title caliph also claimed by 'Abd ar-Rahman III of Córdoba on 16 January 929
(38)		Al-Qahir	Abu Mansur Muhammad	899	31 October 932	934	950	Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph
39		Ar-Radi	Abu al-'Abbas Muhammad	December 909	934	23 December 940		Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph
40		Al-Muttaqi	Abu Ishaq Ibrahim	908	940	944	July 968	Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph Khalub or Zahrah	Beginning of the later Abbasid period
41		Al-Mustakfi	'Abdallah	905	September 944	January 946	September/October 949	Al-Muktafi, Abbasid Caliph
42		Al-Muti	Abu al-Qasim al-Faḍl	914	January 946	974		Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph
43		At-Ta'i	–	932	974	991	3 August 1003	Al-Muti, Abbasid Caliph
44		Al-Qadir	–	947	1 November 991	29 November 1031		Ishaq bin Caliph Al-Muqtadir Tumna
45		Al-Qa'im	–	1001	29 November 1031	2 April 1075		Al-Qadir, Abbasid Caliph
46		Al-Muqtadi	–	1056	2 April 1075	February 1094		Muhammad, son of Al-Qa'im, Abbasid Caliph Urjuman, Armenian concubine
47		Al-Mustazhir	–	April/May 1078	February 1094	6 August 1118		Al-Muqtadi, Abbasid Caliph
48		Al-Mustarshid	–	April/May 1092	6 August 1118	29 August 1135		Al-Mustazhir, Abbasid Caliph
49		Ar-Rashid	–	1109	29 August 1135	1136	6 June 1138 (killed by Hashshashins)	Al-Mustarshid, Abbasid Caliph
50		Al-Muqtafi	–	9 March 1096	1136	12 March 1160		Al-Mustazhir, Abbasid Caliph
51		Al-Mustanjid	–	1124	12 March 1160	20 December 1170		Al-Muqtafi, Abbasid Caliph Thawus
52		Al-Mustadi	Hassan	1142	20 December 1170	30 March 1180		Al-Mustanjid, Abbasid Caliph
53		An-Nasir	–	6 August 1158	2 March 1180	4 October 1225		Al-Mustadi, Abbasid Caliph Zumurrud, concubine
54		Az-Zahir	–	1176	5 October 1225	11 July 1226		An-Nasir, Abbasid Caliph
55		Al-Mustansir	Abû Ja`far	17 February 1192	11 July 1226	2 December 1242		Az-Zahir, Abbasid Caliph
56		Al-Musta'sim	–	1213	2 December 1242	20 February 1258		Al-Mustansir, Abbasid Caliph	Last Abbasid Caliph
	Interregnum								Mongol sack of Baghdad

During the later period of Abbasid rule, Muslim rulers began using other titles, such as Sultan.

The Cairo Abbasids were largely ceremonial Caliphs under the patronage of the Mamluk Sultanate that existed after the takeover of the Ayyubid dynasty.[6][7]

The head of the Ottoman dynasty was just entitled Sultan originally, but soon it started accumulating titles assumed from subjected peoples.[8][9] Murad I (reigned 1362–1389) was the first Ottoman claimant to the title of Caliph; claimed the title after conquering Edirne.[10]

No.	Image	Tughra	Name	Reign	Parents	Notes
74		Tughra of Selim I	Selim I	1517 – 21 September 1520	Bayezid II Gülbahar Hatun	Reigned until his death.[11]
75		Tughra of Suleiman I	Suleiman I	30 September 1520 – 6 or 7 September 1566	Selim I Hafsa Sultan	Reigned until his death.[12]
76		Tughra of Selim II	Selim II	29 September 1566 – 21 December 1574	Suleiman I Hürrem Sultan	Reigned until his death.[13]
77		Tughra of Murad III	Murad III	22 December 1574 – 16 January 1595	Selim II Nurbanu Sultan	Reigned until his death.[14]
78		Tughra of Mehmed III	Mehmed III	27 January 1595 – 20 or 21 December 1603	Murad III Safiye Sultan	Reigned until his death.[15]
79		Tughra of Ahmed I	Ahmed I	21 December 1603 – 22 November 1617	Mehmed III Handan Sultan	Reigned until his death.[16]
80		Tughra of Mustafa I	Mustafa I	22 November 1617 – 26 February 1618	Mehmed III Halime Sultan	Deposed due to his non-syndromic mental retardation in favour of his young nephew Osman II.[17]
81		Tughra of Osman II	Osman II	26 February 1618 – 19 May 1622	Ahmed I Mahfiruz Hatun	Deposed in a Janissary riot on 19 May 1622; Murdered on 20 May 1622 by the Grand Vizier Kara Davud Paşa (Black Da'ud Pasha) from compression of his testicles.[18]
(80)		Tughra of Mustafa I	Mustafa I	20 May 1622 – 10 September 1623	Mehmed III Halime Sultan	Returned to the throne after the assassination of his nephew Osman II; Deposed due to his syndromic mental retardation and confined until his death in Istanbul on 20 January 1639.[17]
82		Tughra of Murad IV	Murad IV	10 September 1623 – 8 or 9 February 1640	Ahmed I Kösem Sultan	Reigned until his death.[19]
83		Tughra of Ibrahim	Ibrahim	9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648	Ahmed I Kösem Sultan	Deposed on 8 August 1648 in a coup led by the Sheikh ul-Islam; Strangled in Istanbul on 18 August 1648[20] at the behest of the Grand Vizier Mevlevî Mehmed Paşa (Sofu Mehmed Pasha).
84		Tughra of Mehmed IV	Mehmed IV	8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687	Ibrahim Turhan Sultan	Deposed on 8 November 1687 following the Ottoman defeat at the Second Battle of Mohács; Died in Edirne on 6 January 1693.[21]
85		Tughra of Suleiman II	Suleiman II	8 November 1687 – 22 June 1691	Ibrahim Aşub Sultan	Reigned until his death.[22]
86		Tughra of Ahmed II	Ahmed II	22 June 1691 – 6 February 1695	Ibrahim Muazzez Sultan	Reigned until his death.[23]
87		Tughra of Mustafa II	Mustafa II	6 February 1695 – 22 August 1703	Mehmed IV Gülnuş Sultan	Deposed on 22 August 1703 by reason of the Janissary uprising known as the Edirne Event; Died in Istanbul on 8 January 1704.[24]
88		Tughra of Ahmed III	Ahmed III	22 August 1703 – 1 or 2 October 1730	Mehmed IV Gülnuş Sultan	Deposed in consequence of the Janissary rebellion led by Patrona Halil; Died on 1 July 1736.[25]
89		Tughra of Mahmud I	Mahmud I	2 October 1730 – 13 December 1754	Mustafa II Saliha Sultan	Reigned until his death.[26]
90		Tughra of Osman III	Osman III	13 December 1754 – 29 or 30 October 1757	Mustafa II Şehsuvar Sultan	Reigned until his death.[27]
91		Tughra of Mustafa III	Mustafa III	30 October 1757 – 21 January 1774	Ahmed III Mihrişah Kadın;	Reigned until his death.[28]
92		Tughra of Abdülhamid I	Abdul Hamid I	21 January 1774 – 6 or 7 April 1789	Son of Ahmed III Şermi Kadın;	Reigned until his death.[29]
93		Tughra of Selim III	Selim III	7 April 1789 – 29 May 1807	Mustafa III Mihrişah Sultan;	Deposed as a result of the Janissary revolt led by Kabakçı Mustafa against his reforms; Assassinated in Istanbul on 28 July 1808[30] at the behest of Ottoman Sultan Mustafa IV.
94		Tughra of Mustafa IV	Mustafa IV	29 May 1807 – 28 July 1808	Abdul Hamid I Sineperver Sultan	Deposed in an insurrection led by Alemdar Mustafa Pasha; Executed in Istanbul on 17 November 1808[31] by order of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II.
95		Tughra of Mahmud II	Mahmud II	28 July 1808 – 1 July 1839	Abdul Hamid I Nakşidil Sultan	Disbanded the Janissaries in consequence of the Auspicious Event in 1826; Reigned until his death.[32]
96		Tughra of Abdülmecid I	Abdulmejid I	1 July 1839 – 25 June 1861	Mahmud II Bezmiâlem Sultan;	Proclaimed the Hatt-ı Sharif (Imperial Edict) of Gülhane (Tanzimât Fermânı) that launched the Tanzimat period of reforms and reorganization on 3 November 1839 at the behest of reformist Grand Vizier Great Mustafa Rashid Pasha; Accepted the Islâhat Hatt-ı Hümayun (Imperial Reform Edict) (Islâhat Fermânı) on 18 February 1856; Reigned until his death.[33]
97		Tughra of Abdulaziz	Abdulaziz	25 June 1861 – 30 May 1876	Mahmud II Pertevniyal Sultan;	Deposed by his ministers; Found dead (suicide or murder) five days later.[34]
98		Tughra of Murad V	Murad V	30 May 1876 – 31 August 1876	Abdulmejid I Şevkefza Kadın;	Deposed due to his efforts to implement democratic reforms in the empire; Ordered to reside in Çırağan Palace where he died on 29 August 1904.[35]
99		Tughra of Abdülhamid II	Abdul Hamid II	31 August 1876 – 27 April 1909	Abdulmejid I Tirimüjgan Kadın	Reluctantly allowed the First Constitutional Era on 23 November 1876 and then suspended it and reverted to personal rule on 13 February 1878; Forced to restore the Second Constitutional Era on 3 July 1908; Deposed after the 31 March Incident (on 13 April 1909); Confined to Beylerbeyi Palace where he died on 10 February 1918.[36]
100		Tughra of Mehmed V	Mehmed V	27 April 1909 – 3 July 1918	Abdulmejid I Gülcemal Kadın;	Reigned as a figurehead of Mehmed Talât, İsmail Enver, and Ahmed Cemal (Djemal) Pashas until his death.[37]
101		Tughra of Mehmed VI	Mehmed VI	4 July 1918 – 1 November 1922	Abdulmejid I Gülüstü Hanım;	Sultanate abolished; Left Istanbul on 17 November 1922; Died in exile in Sanremo, Italy on 16 May 1926.[38]
102		— [nb 1]	Abdulmejid II	18 November 1922 – 3 March 1924	Abdulaziz Hayranidil Kadın;[39]	Elected caliph by the TBMM; Exiled after the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate;[40] Died in Paris, France on 23 August 1944.[41]

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.

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.[42]

No.	Coin	Name (and titles)	Birth	Reigned from	Reigned until	Death	Parents	House	Notes
1		Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr	May, 624 AD	November, 683 AD	November, 692 AD	November, 692 AD	*al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam *Asma bint Abi Bakr,	Banu Asad	Grandchild of Abu Bakar as-Siddiq (the first holder of Rashidun Caliphate)

(Not universally accepted; actual authority confined to Spain and parts of Maghreb)[43][44]

The Fatimid Caliphate

(The Fatimids were Isma'ili Shia who claimed to be descendants of Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and were seen as heretics by Sunnis. Their claims to a caliphate are also not recognized by the Muslim Ummah as a legitimate successor of the title of Caliph passed down from Muhammad, as no legitimate proof existed they were descendant from Fatimah).[45][46]

The Almohad dynasty at its greatest extent (c. 1200)

(Not widely accepted, actual dominions were parts of North Africa and Iberia)[47][48]

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.[49][50][51][52]

The Sokoto Caliphate (pink) at its greatest extent (c. 1800)

(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.

The Bornu Empire at its greatest extent (c. 1750)

Songhai Empire at its greatest extent (c. 1500)

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.[53]

Map with the kingdom in green and the current region in red.

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.[54] Hussein's claim for caliphate was not accepted however, and in 1925 he was driven from Hejaz by the forces of Ibn Saud due to his lack of support for Shari'ah. He continued to use the title of caliph during his remaining life in exile, until his death in 1931. Like the Fatimid caliphs, he was a descendant of Muhammad through a grandson of Hasan ibn Ali.

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.[55][56] The caliphate's claimed territory at it's peak controlled 12 million people. Territories under the control of the Islamic State included Wilayat Al-'iraq, Wilyat Ash-sham, Wilayat gharb Ifriqiyyah (the state of West Africa), Wilayat Sharq Asia (the State of North Asia), Wilayat Khorasan, Wilayat wasat Ifriqiyyah (the State of Central of Africa), Wilayat Al-Yaman (the State of Yemen), and Wilayat Sina' (the State of Sinai).[57][58]

On 7 March 2015, Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to The Islamic State via an official audio message.[59][60] Afterwords, jama'ah Ahlu-sunnah lilda'wah wal-jihad assumed the name "Wilāyat Gharb Ifriqiyyah" (Arabic: ولاية غرب إفريقية‎, "West Africa Province") or "Islamic State of West Africa" (ISWAP).[61]

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."[62]

No.	Image	"Caliph"	Date of birth	Reigned from	Reigned until
1		Abu-Bakr Ibrahim bin Awwad bin Ibrahim bin Ali bin Muhammad Al-Badri Al-Husaini Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi As-sammera'i al-Baghdadi	28 July 1971	29 June 2014	27 October 2019
2		Abu-Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Quraishi	Unknown	31 October 2019	Present

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Flag.

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.[nb 2] The Caliph is believed to be divinely guided and is also referred to by members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as Amir al-Mu'minin (Leader of the Faithful). The fifth and 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.[66]