Islamic inquisition

E884988

The Islamic inquisition, or Mihna, was an early 9th-century religious and political persecution in the Abbasid Caliphate during which scholars were forced to conform to the caliphs’ theological views, particularly on the createdness of the Qur’an.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Islamic inquisition canonical 2
Abbasid inquisition 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf event in Islamic history
political persecution
religious persecution
theological inquisition
abolishedBy Caliph al-Mutawakkil
linked to: al-Mutawakkil
affectedInstitution hadith scholarship
judiciary (qadis)
theological discourse (kalam)
associatedTheologicalSchool Mu'tazilism
linked to: Muʿtazila
broaderCategory religious persecution in the Middle Ages
state-enforced religious doctrine
continuedBy Caliph al-Mu'tasim
linked to: al-Mu'tasim

Caliph al-Wathiq
linked to: al-Wathiq
endedByPolicyChange reversal of support for Mu'tazilism
endTime 848
enforcedDoctrine the Qur'an is created
linked to: Quran
hasAlias Abbasid inquisition
linked to: Islamic inquisition

Mihna
Miḥna
historicalSignificance early conflict over religious authority in Islam
precedent for relations between ulama and caliphs
initiatedBy Caliph al-Ma'mun
linked to: al-Ma'mun
legalForm caliphal decree
location Abbasid territories
linked to: Abbasid Caliphate

Baghdad
mainDoctrinalIssue createdness of the Qur'an
method dismissal from office
flogging
imprisonment
interrogation of scholars
notableOpponent Ahmad ibn Hanbal
opposedDoctrine the Qur'an is uncreated
politicalPurpose assertion of caliphal authority over religious scholars
centralization of religious doctrine
region Greater Syria
Iraq
religiousContext Islam
religiousPurpose imposition of Mu'tazilite theology
result decline of official Mu'tazilism
increased prestige of Ahmad ibn Hanbal
strengthening of traditionalist Sunni theology
startTime 833
stateContext Abbasid Caliphate
targetedGroup religious scholars
traditionalist theologians
timePeriod early 9th century

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Mihna alsoKnownAs Islamic inquisition
Islamic inquisition hasAlias Abbasid inquisition
linked to: Islamic inquisition
Miḥna alsoKnownAs Islamic inquisition