A Study of the Term “Caliph of God” in Mystical Texts (2nd to 11th Century AH)

The doctrine of "Caliph of God" is an important doctrine in Islamic theology and is the most important basis for thinking about the superiority of man. Considering the influence of Islamic mysticism on the formation of Islamic theology, this study seeks to investigate the use and evolution of the meanings of this term in mystical texts. Our method for this research is the analysis of the descriptive content of the first mystical texts up to the 11th century AH. The findings of this study show that the phrase "Caliph of God" has been used four times in all books of the second and third centuries AH. Later, in the fourth and fifth centuries AH, it is still rare to see this phrase in mystical texts; but its frequency has increased compared to the past. But from the sixth and seventh centuries onwards, this phrase has been used extensively. In the following centuries, the use of "Caliph of God" has been completely institutionalized and its examples have become diverse; but the most important example was the "Perfect Man." Also throughout these centuries, many Sufis have always explicitly or indirectly opposed to the use of the term and avoided mentioning it.