Database: Judges and Judicial System
Feeling wronged and aggrieved? Come see your qadi (religious judge)! His job was to use the shari'a (existing jurisprudence) to ensure peace among Muslims. As such, he could pass judgment on any subject from debt to inheritance disputes, from thievery to adultery.
Any free, sane adult Muslim male could become a qadi. He simply needed to receive an education in Islamic sciences from the adult classes offered around the city. He could then practice law at the mosque or at home. There, he would wait for plaintiffs to present petitions and make their case against defendants. Each of them could produce witnesses and supporting written elements. Guided by Islamic precedent, the qadi would then issue his judgment. His decision could not be appealed. Depending on the crime, punishments could be discretionary or predetermined: slandering a neighbor could lead to 80 lashes while injuring his head would cost you five camels!
Qadis were also responsible for confirming on a local level that caliphal decisions corresponded to shari'a. They could therefore refute caliphal law on the grounds that it ran contrary to religious law. In order to retain their power over religious authorities, caliphs employed various methods to curb the influence of local qadis. One such method was the mazalim court, a tribunal packed with judges nominated by the caliphs.