Caliph

For main article see: Caliphate The Caliph (pronounced khaleef in Arabic) is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or global Islamic nation. It is a transliterated version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative". The early leaders of the Muslim nation following Muhammad's (570–632) death were called "Khalifat ar-rasul Allah", meaning the political successor to the prophet of God (referring to Muhammad), also as the spiritual leader of Islam. Some academics prefer to transliterate the term as Khalīf.