God’s Caliph Religious authority in the first centuries of Islam PATRICIA CRONE Fellow o Seu Cle Oxford and MARTIN HINDS Fel ry Ha Comoe CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS‘The Pi Bing Temps See Cabrel Kegon The th Bling Coe 22 UK Ne Soe Ne ot =, USA se cealecn fastest pecan © Uninet Py Oe Sai denen crs ce oa op ‘Stern ya ny ee ins Fe eed 6 pao 203 cag fh kao eB ibray ayo Congres Colping i Pao ats {Sancny one tl pain.) meres ie 3. ape tren SSBNDSS S41 pene ‘CONTENTS Introduction ‘The tie half Aah “The Umayyad conception of the caliphate Caliph law From caliphal 9 Prophetic numa The Umayyads The ‘Abbasids Epilogue “Append On the date and origin of the caliphate ‘Appendéx 2 The eters of a-Wald Il and Yazid I “Appendix 3A Hamza’s comments onthe caliphs “Appendix 4 a-Ma''s letter of designation of ‘AR TRIG as his suxesor Works cited Index o s ” m ns 19 ry 0Introduction What was the nature ofthe early caliphate? Islamists genealy aleve itt have been a purely political institution. According to Nalin, no caliph ever enjoyed religious authority! according to cer Ishamiciss, some caliphs di ay claim to such authority, but nly by way of secondary development and only with limited tuezess.In what follows we shal challeage this bel. Iti of couse true thai selgouseuthorty was te perogaive of scholars rather than of clips in clasical Islam, bt we sal argue that his not how things began. The early caliphate was conceived along ines very diferent fom the classical ation, all religious and pois! tuthonity being concentrated int twas the caliph who was charped With the defination of Islamic law, the very core of the religion and Whur allepance to a caliph no Muslim could achive salvation In Short, we shall argue thatthe ary caliphate was conceived along the nes familia from Site stam “The conventional Islamic view ofthe caliphate is that enshrined Inthe balk of our soures. Practialy all the erature informs that though the Prophet wat God’ representative om earth in both pollial and religious matter, there ceased to be single represen Tae in religious mater onthe Prophe's death. Polis! power atte tothe new head of state, the clip: bat eigiows authority Femained withthe Prophet himself or, diferealy put, it passed 10 ‘eo so TW. Arvo The Caliph Lode e8,p 10 See See ere a tet fen reeectbas ete Ep aoe Sean aoe