Question

The Khalifa was the spiritual head of___________________
A. Buddhists
B. Christians
C. Jews
D. Muslims

Answer 1

Hint: The name Caliphate means maintenance of administrative affairs, which was led by Mohammad regarding the state and the society, after his demise, while caliph is the person who carries out mentioned affairs. Also in simple words, we can say that Caliphate is basically who replaces one and maintains his office.

Complete step by step answer:
Throughout the history of Islam, the title of Caliph is assigned exclusively to the head of the state at the highest level. Caliphate signifies succession of a person by another and the word Khalf means to succeed or replace one. So the word Caliph signifies a meaning where a person replaces one and maintains his office. Muhammad was not just a prophet for the Muslims but he also had some other duties such as being the army commander and head of the state. As a prophet, he was a religious leader of the faithful who believed in and set their hearts on him. In addition, he was also in search of a method for coexistence with members of other religions in and around Medina and he signed certain agreements with them.
Therefore, the Caliph became the political leader of society not just for the Muslims but for the non-muslims as well. Since he was also the prophet and since obedience to the prophet is synonymous with obedience to Allah, objections or doubts arouse in the Muslim society about his political leadership
So, the correct answer is Option D.

Note: Consequently during the lifetime of Muhammad, no dispute took place among Muslims regarding the administration of society. After his death, however, there was no prescribed rule on who and how to replace him. Therefore, the Muslim society had to resolve the problem of administration in the most reasonable and comprehensive manner possible.