The Mihna Inquisition

Timeline

1. 833Baghdad · BaghdadIn 833 al-Ma'mun issued an edict requiring scholars to openly declare the Quran a created thing, promoting Mu'tazila rational theology. Those who refused were to undergo interrogation (the mihna); famous scholars such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal were persecuted as a result.
2. 833–847Samarra · SamarraAfter al-Ma'mun's death, al-Mu'tasim and al-Wathiq continued the mihna policy, establishing dedicated interrogation bodies to examine judges and scholars across the empire. Traditionalist scholars endured prolonged imprisonment and flogging, and the empire's religious scholarship remained under long-term pressure.
3. 848Samarra · SamarraIn 848 Caliph al-Mutawakkil formally abolished the mihna, releasing imprisoned scholars and restoring the traditionalists' standing in doctrine. The fifteen-year state religious inquisition ended; the Mu'tazila school lost court patronage, and Sunni traditionalist scholarship revived.