Institution

Qadi

Also known as qadis

A qadi is a judge in Islamic law, responsible for applying sharia in civil, family and criminal cases. Qadis were appointed by Muslim rulers from the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates onwards. They served in the judicial systems of states such as the Mamluk Sultanate, the Safavid Empire, the Songhai Empire, the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Wadai Empire.

Qadi
Image: Original: Institute of Knowledge Vectorization: Kaim Amin · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 16 profiles

Kanem-Bornu EmpireGovernanceMali EmpireGovernanceMamluk SultanateGovernanceRashidun CaliphateGovernanceSafavid EmpireGovernanceSonghai EmpireGovernanceUmayyad CaliphateGovernanceWadai EmpireGovernanceVolga BulgariaSocioeconomy, GovernanceCaliphate of CórdobaGovernanceCrimean KhanateGovernanceSultanate of RumGovernanceAq QoyunluGovernanceMombasaGovernanceSultanate of ZanzibarGovernanceIslamCommunity

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Sultanate of MogadishuBanu Ammar of TripoliThird Taifa of MálagaKingdom of Africa

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qadi. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qadi
MLA
“Qadi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qadi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Qadi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qadi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qadi’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qadi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻