Caliphate is the name of the position which is responsible for applying Islamic judgments and rules as a manifestation of Allah’s right of sovereignty.

This position, which is exclusive to Islamic government both theoretically and practically, is generally called “Caliphate (khilafah)”. Besides having certain qualities, one should also go through certain ways in order to be promoted to this position.

As deduced from verses related to the topic in the Quran, Allah the Glorious created all human beings as His vicegerents (caliphs) on earth in general. That is to say, all human beings are held responsible for believing in Allah and accepting His sovereignty as a result of this belief. The caliphate of man means to carry out applications in the name of Allah. In these applications, Allah’s laws are indisputable criteria. Humankind cannot deviate from these criteria and cannot oppose them while performing their caliphate, because Allah did not give an infinite freedom to humankind which He assigned as caliphs to act in His name. Some limits have been established for human beings and they are expected not to go beyond them.

Each Muslim is responsible for believing, worshipping and applying Islamic rules in their relationships with others, even though there may not be a Caliph charged with governing the state, because it is not a deterrent factor. Individuals are not responsible if Islamic rules are not applied in the administration because it is the duty of the administrators.