MIHNAH

any of the Islamic courts of inquiry established about AD 833 by the 'Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (reigned 813833) to impose the Mu'tazilite doctrine of a created Qur'an (Islamic sacred scripture) on his subjects. The Mu'tazilites, a Muslim theological sect influenced by the rationalist methods of Hellenistic philosophy, taught that God was an absolute unity admitting of no parts. This rationale was brought to bear on the problem of God's Word, the Qur'an: because the Word is God and not a part of Him, the Qur'an, as a verbal expression and thus a material thing removed from God, had to be created by God in order to be accessible to man. In contrast, the traditionalist view held that the Qur'an was uncreated and external, essentially, that it had existed along with God since the beginning of time. Al-Ma'mun adopted the Mu'tazilite view and demanded that all judges and legal scholars in the empire submit to questioning to determine the soundness of their positions. Most acquiesced, utilizing the principle of taqiya (concealment of one's beliefs under duress) to avoid imprisonment. When al-Ma'mun died, the new caliph, al-Mu'tasim (reigned 833842), continued the policies of his brother. The caliph al-Wathiq (reigned 842847) also vigorously enforced the mihnah, in one case trying himself to execute a man he considered a heretic. The inquisition continued until about 848, when al-Mutawakkil (reigned 847861) made the profession of the Mu'tazilite view of a created Qur'an punishable by death. See also Mu'tazilah.