Islamic Qadi Courts

Timeline

1. 601–750Damascus · SyriaUmayyad caliphs appointed qadis in the provinces to handle disputes within Muslim communities; qadis judged according to the Quran and hadith, not bound by local tribal custom, forming the prototype of a royal judicial system independent of tribal justice and laying the foundation for later qadi courts.
2. 750–1001Baghdad · IraqThe Abbasid dynasty established the chief qadi (qāḍī al-quḍāt) in Baghdad, overseeing judicial appointments across the empire and compiling doctrinal digests; qadi courts became standing institutions for adjudicating litigation among Muslims, operating alongside sultanate military justice and customary courts.
3. 901–1101Islamic world · Central AsiaAfter the maturation of the four Sunni schools of law, each polity appointed qadis according to its official doctrine and applied the corresponding digests. The Maliki school dominated West Africa and Al-Andalus, the Hanafi school dominated Central Asia and Anatolia, and the Shafi'i school prevailed in Egypt and elsewhere; qadi courts became the core arena for putting school doctrines into practice.
4. 1211–1220Islamic world · Iberian PeninsulaIn the early 13th century, qadi courts remained indispensable judicial institutions across the polities of the Islamic world. From Morocco to Central Asia, qadi seats were established in both cities and countryside, handling marriage, inheritance, contracts, and criminal cases, operating alongside Khwarazm on the eve of the Mongol invasions, the declining Almohads, and a stable Ayyubid Egypt.