What is the term for the successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims?

• A. Caliphate
• B. Imam
• C. Shah
• D. Caliph

Answer: (D)

Caliph is the term for the successor who combines political and religious leadership after Muhammad. The word Khalifa means “successor” or “steward,” and in the early Muslim community the caliph was meant to be the leader who both carried on Muhammad’s guidance and governed the Muslim community. The title refers to the person, while the caliphate is the office or realm they head. By contrast, an imam is typically a prayer leader and, in Shia Islam, a divinely guided line of leaders; shah is a Persian term for king, not the standard Islamic title for Muhammad’s successor; and caliphate describes the institution, not the individual leader.