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Khalifa (خليفة ẖalīfä) is Arabic for "stewardship" of nature and family, and is a key obligation of a Muslim. The word is most commonly used for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, which is translated into English as Caliph. While Sunni and Shia Islam differ sharply on the conduct of a caliph and the right relations between a leader and a community, they do not differ on the underlying theory of stewardship. Photo credit: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection |
