Muslim judge who renders decisions according to the Islam .
The qāḍī hears only religious cases, such as those involving inheritance, pious bequests, marriage, and divorce, though theoretically his jurisdiction extends to civil and criminal matters. The second caliph, {{link=Umar ibn al-KhaTTab">Umar ibn al-Khattāb , was the first to appoint a qāḍī to eliminate the necessity of his personally judging every dispute that arose in the community.