Mihna
محنة
miḥna
🏛️Historical
Trial or ordeal; specifically the Abbasid inquisition.
Full Definition
Mihna means trial, ordeal, or inquisition. It specifically refers to the religious inquisition instituted by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (813-833 CE) to enforce the Mu'tazilite doctrine that the Quran was created rather than eternal. The mihna involved testing scholars and punishing those who disagreed, representing a controversial period in Islamic intellectual history.