The caliphate was founded to solve succession after Muhammad’s death

Evidence

As Prophet, Muhammad could have no successor. He was in Muslim parlance “the seal of the Prophets,” and his book was the final and perfect form of God’s revelation to mankind. But as head of the new Islamic state he needed a successor—and quickly, if the state was not to collapse in anarchy and its people revert to paganism. A group of his closest and ablest companions took immediate action, and agreed on one of their number, Abu Bakr, who assumed the headship of the community and state. Monarchical titles were odious to the early Muslims, and Abu Bakr preferred to be known by the modest term khalı¯fa, an Arabic word which, by an ultimately fortunate ambiguity, combines the meanings of deputy and successor. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1420

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader Islamic history thread and Protestant England context — new material but parallels debates over apostolic succession.
• DEFINE: Defines the term ‘khalifa’ and its fortunate ambiguity between deputy and successor.