ISIS has no legal or moral right to call itself a caliphate

WHEN the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) declared its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi caliph, it sought to take advantage of an idea that has a prominent place in Islamist thought, as well as significant popular legitimacy in the Muslim world. The institution of the caliphate dates back to the beginnings of Islam. The title of "Khalifa" or Caliph, meaning "successor", was given to those who led the umma, or Muslim community, following the death of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, in 632CE (Common Era; 632AD).

The caliph, regarded as the highest human authority among Muslims, was considered to be under an obligation to uphold the tenets of Islam, and not to depart from them. He was expected to consult religious authorities and to seek advice from others before reaching decisions. Regardless of an individual caliph's personality or conduct, the caliphate as an institution was regarded as a pillar of a right and just order in the world, even when it had next to no practical impact on the daily lives of the vast majority of Muslims.

It is often claimed that, unlike in Christian Europe, traditional Muslim political thought does not recognise a division between secular and religious authority in the state, but this is not accurate. With the fragmentation of the Abbasid state from the 9th century, power within successor states passed to rulers whose authority was very evidently based on military power and right of inheritance. While religious authorities called upon their subjects to obey them, they also regarded the regimes of emirs and sultans as somewhat inferior in legitimacy to that of the caliphs.