Entering an American state quietly, I can't abide an Islamic one (9)
I believe the answer is:
caliphate
'islamic one' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't see how one could define the other.
'entering an american state quietly i can't abide' is the wordplay.
'entering' is an insertion indicator.
'an american state' becomes 'cal' (short for California. I am not sure about the 'american' bit.).
'quietly' becomes 'p' (p for piano and quiet).
'can't abide' becomes 'hate' (I've seen this in another clue).
'cal'+'p'='calp'
'calp' placed around 'i' is 'calip'.
'calip'+'hate'='CALIPHATE'
'an' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for caliphate that I've seen before include "Type of government" , "religious office" .)