Khilafat

noun

/xɪˈlɑː.fət/

The institution of the Caliphate — the political-religious office of successor to the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the worldwide Muslim community (Ummah); in the Indian context, refers to the movement (1919--1924) by Indian Muslims to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Khilafat agitation, by forging a rare confluence of pan-Islamic sentiment and Gandhian non-cooperation, briefly welded Hindu-Muslim unity into a potent anti-colonial force, even as its collapse foreshadowed the communal fault-lines that would later fracture the nationalist movement.

Synonyms

CaliphateKhalifatevicegerencyimamatesuccessorshipCaliphal authority

Antonyms

republicsecular stateinterregnum

🌱 Word Family

khalifa (n), caliph (n), caliphate (n), khalifah (n)

🔡 Root

Arabic khilāfah = succession, vicegerency; root kh-l-f = to succeed, come after

📜 Etymology

From Arabic khilāfah (خلافة), meaning "succession" or "vicegerency," from the root kh-l-f ("to succeed, come after").

🧠 Memory Hook

Root kh-l-f means "to follow after" - a Khalifa follows after the Prophet, and Khilafat is the office he fills. Hear "Khalifa + at" = the realm a successor governs.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Khilafat Movement, Home Rule & Constit...

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