Arabic vocabulary
خَلِيفَةcaliph in Arabic
خَلِيفَة is how you say “caliph” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root خ ل ف (kh-l-f)nounPronounced khalīfah
Meaning of caliph in Arabic
- caliph — the successor to the Prophet as leader of the Muslim community; the word's standard historical/political application
- successor, vice-agent, substitute — the underlying sense: one who comes after another and takes their place, whether in a family, an office, or any position of trust
خَلِيفَة names anyone who takes another's place — the same root gives the phrase 'khalafa Llāhu ʿalayka' ('may God be a khalīfah to you'), said to someone who has lost a father or other irreplaceable relative, invoking God as the one who fills that gap. Applied to a ruler, the word narrows to its best-known sense: 'caliph', the successor who takes up leadership after a predecessor.
Words from the same root
- خَلَفَto come after, follow, succeed, or remain after another
- خِلَافَةٌsuccession; the office or act of being someone's successor or vice-agent
- خَلَفٌa successor or substitute; that which takes the place of another
- خَلْفٌthose who come after; a succeeding generation or posterity
- خِلْفَةٌalternation or succession in turn, as night following day or one thing replacing another
Common questions
- How do you say "caliph" in Arabic?
- خَلِيفَة (khalīfah).
- What does خَلِيفَة literally mean?
- Literally 'successor' or 'vice-agent' — someone who comes after another and takes their place; 'caliph' is this general sense applied specifically to a ruler.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
كم بين قوله لآدم إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة،
How vast is the difference between His words to Adam: 'I will place a vicegerent on earth,'
خَلِيفَةً — a vicegerent. khalifa means 'a successor, steward'; the '-an' ending marks it as the object ('place a steward').
From: Adam's Descent →
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