[KimLinbert]

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh

Can the word خليفة‎ / khalifa also be a verb besides being a noun?

I am asking this in light of the following which was written by a Bahai kafir:

"Surah 024.055... Below in Bold are three translations. None suggest the Caliphate is the successorship. Caliph is from the word khalīfah. The word you cited above, Khulifa, means successor. The translation you used creates the word as a noun. Both words have the same root, KhLF, but are not the same word. KhLF at the root means "to take the place of or to differ." It is a verb. Khalifah, is also a verb, which means "to succeed" or "to do in someone's place." The first time the word KhLF became a noun was when the Muslims had to figure out who would succeed the Seal of the Prophets. There was confusion as to who would. Some felt Ali should be the successor, others thought it should be by consensus of elders. The word "Caliph" which only means "Successor" became a formalized title of the position Abu Bakr was nominated for. In the Qur'an, you have the verb form. There was no formal noun version of the root KhLF in the Qur'an, although newer translations into English suggest KhLF as a noun. You can say humans created the Title of Caliph only as a response to no formal Title existing in the Qur'an."