Approaching the West — Page 46
A pproaching the West—46 eyes of the Muslim Ummah. Clearly, the caliphs were far- removed from the norms set by the Prophet and the early khulaf ā ’ to be serious contenders to the leadership of Muslims. None of them could claim to be the spiritual and religious leader of the entire Muslim Ummah. The objectives of Prophethood were mostly discarded. But in secular matters, cultural advancements were made in various sciences and arts creating a new and robust civilization. The moral and spiritual essence of Khil ā fat survived to some extent through the religiosity of conservative Isl ā mic Scholars (‘Ulam ā ), but was mostly preserved and sustained by Auliy ā (Saints), Im ā ms (spiritual and religious guides), Mujaddids (religious reformers) and the Ṣū f ī s (mystics). End of the Caliphate During the World War I (1914-1918), the Turkish Ottoman Empire fought against Britain and her Allies, and was defeated. By the end of World War I, the Turkish Ottoman Empire was occupied by European allies, and its territories were divided among them. Ma ḥ m ū d VI, the 36th Sultan was exiled, and after his death the Sultanate was abolished in 1922. However, his cousin, the Crown Prince ‘Abdul-Majid II, was elected by the Turkish National Assembly in Ankara as ‘Caliph. ’ Later, on March 3, 1924, he was deposed and expelled from Turkey along with the rest of his family. This was followed by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) formally abolishing Caliphate and the shar ī ‘ah court system. ‘Abdul-Majid II, therefore, is considered to be “ Ā khir Khal ī fat-ul-Muslim ī n,” the last Caliph among the Muslims.