▁the ▁" definition ▁and ▁elabor ation ▁of ▁God ' s ▁ordin ances , ▁or ▁in ▁other ▁words ▁the ▁definition ▁or ▁elabor ation ▁of ▁Islam ic ▁law ." ▁ ▁The ▁Um ay y ads ▁have ▁met ▁with ▁a ▁largely ▁negative ▁reception ▁from ▁later ▁Islam ic ▁histor ians , ▁who ▁have ▁accused ▁them ▁of ▁prom oting ▁a ▁king ship ▁( mul k , ▁a ▁term ▁with ▁con not ations ▁of ▁ty ran ny ) ▁instead ▁of ▁a ▁true ▁cal i ph ate ▁( kh il af a ). ▁In ▁this ▁respect ▁it ▁is ▁notable ▁that ▁the ▁Um ay y ad ▁cal i ph s ▁referred ▁to ▁themselves ▁not ▁as ▁k hal if at ▁ras ul ▁Al lah ▁(" success or ▁of ▁the ▁mess enger ▁of ▁God ", ▁the ▁title ▁preferred ▁by ▁the ▁tradition ), ▁but ▁rather ▁as ▁k hal if at ▁Al lah ▁(" de put y ▁of ▁God "). ▁The ▁distinction ▁seems ▁to ▁indicate ▁that ▁the ▁Um ay y ads ▁" reg arded ▁themselves ▁as ▁God ' s ▁represent atives ▁at ▁the ▁head ▁of ▁the ▁community ▁and ▁saw ▁no ▁need ▁to ▁share ▁their ▁religious ▁power ▁with , ▁or ▁delegate ▁it ▁to , ▁the ▁emer gent ▁class ▁of ▁religious ▁sch ol ars ." ▁In ▁fact , ▁it ▁was ▁precisely ▁this ▁class ▁of ▁sch ol ars , ▁based ▁largely ▁in ▁Ira q , ▁that ▁was ▁responsible ▁for ▁collect ing ▁and ▁recording ▁the ▁trad itions ▁that ▁form ▁the ▁primary ▁source ▁material ▁for ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Um ay y ad ▁period . ▁In ▁re construct ing ▁this