Zindq

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ZindiqisamedievalIslamictermappliedbyMuslimstoindividualswhoareconsideredtoholdviewsorfollow
practicesthatarecontrarytocentralIslamicdogmas.[1]

Contents
1 UndertheAbbasids
2 Laterusage
3 Famousandallegedzindiqs
4 References

UndertheAbbasids
TheArabiczindiqisaloanwordfrompreIslamicMiddlePersianzandik,aZoroastriantermofuncertain
etymologyandmeaning(foradiscussionoftheterminapreIslamiccontext,seezandik).

Underthe8thcenturyAbbasids,Arabiczindiqandtheadjectivalzandaqacould"denotemanydifferentthings,
thoughitseemsprimarily(oratleastinitially)tohavesignifiedafollowerofManichaeism."[2]However,manyof
thosepersecutedforzandaqaundertheAbbasidsclaimedtobeMuslims,andwhenappliedtoMuslims,the
accusationwasthattheaccusedsecretlyharboredManichaeanbeliefs.[2]"Theproofforsuchanaccusationwas
sought,ifatall,inanindicationofsomekindofdualism,orifthatindividualopenlyfloutedIslamicbeliefsor
practices."[2]Assuch,certainMuslimpoetsofearlyAbbasidtimescouldthusalsobeaccusedofzandaqaasmuch
asanactualManichaeanmight.[2]

Thechargeofzandaqawasaseriousone,andcouldcosttheaccusedhis/herlife.[2][3]The"Slaughterer"caliph
Abual'Abbasiscitedashavingsaid"toleranceislaudable,exceptinmattersdangeroustoreligiousbelief,orto
thesovereign'sdignity."[4]ThethirdAbbasidcaliph,AlMahdi,orderedthecompositionofpolemnicalworksto
refutefreethinkersandotherheretics,andforyearshetriedtoexterminatethemabsolutely,huntingthemdown
andexterminatingfreethinkersinlargenumbers,puttingtodeathanyoneonmeresuspicionofbeingazindiq.[4]
AlMahdi'ssuccessors,thecaliphsalHadiandHarunalRashid,continuedthepogroms,althoughwithdiminished
intensityduringthereignofthelatterandwaslaterabolishedbyhim.[2][5]ThispolicyinturninfluencedtheMihna
policyofalMa'munwhichtargetedthoseMuslimreligiousscholarsandofficialswhorefusedtoacceptthe
doctrineofcreatednatureofQuran.[2]

Thereasonforthesepersecutionsarenoteasytodetermine.[2]ZandaqawasviewedasathreattoIslam,toMuslim
society,andtothestate.[2]Inthe8thcentury,Islamicnormswerestillunderdevelopmentandhadnotyet
crystallized,andMuslimswerestillasmallminorityinthevastterritoriesruledbythecaliphate,andeventhose
whohadconvertedwereperceivedtohavebeenonly"imperfectly"Islamized.Manyoftheseconvertshad
previouslybeenManichaeans,andManichaeaismwithitswelldevelopedmissionaryidealshadundergoneaslight
resurgenceduringearlycaliphaterule.Assuch,theManichaeanswereperceivedasathreattothesecurityofthe
MuslimreligiouseliteandtotheAbbasidstate.Thethreatwasperceivedtobeespeciallyevidentinthequasi
scientificmannerinwhichtheManichaeansposedunsettlingquestions,theirskillatcreatingafavourable
impressioninpublicdebate,andtheirabilityindefendingtheirownintellectuallyappealingworldview.[2]
Laterusage
Intime,Muslimtheologianscametoapplyzindiqto"thecriminaldissidenttheprofessingMuslimwhoholds
beliefsorfollowspracticescontrarytothecentraldogmasofIslamandisthereforetoberegardedasanapostate
andaninfidel.Thejuristsdifferastothetheoreticalformulationofthepointofexclusion,butinfactusuallyadopt
thepracticalcriterionofopenrebellion."[1]

Inmoderntimes,thetermzindiqisoccasionallyusedtodenotemembersofreligions,sectsorcultsthatoriginated
inaMuslimsocietybutareconsideredhereticalorindependentfaithsbymainstreamMuslims.

Famousandallegedzindiqs
AbuNuwas
MuhammadibnZakariyaalRazi[6]:227230[7]
IbnalKhatib[8]
IbnalMuqaffa'[7]
AbuShakir[7]
AbuTammarMuttabib[7]
AbuIsaalWarraq[7]
IbnalRawandi[7]
AlMaarri
YazdanibnBadhan(Persian:)
BasharibnBurd
Abu'AllRaja'ibnYazdanbakht,aManichaeantheologianduringthecaliphateofalMa'mun(813833
CE).[9]
AbdulkarimibnabiAlOuja'[7]
KhalidalQasri

References
1.Lewis,Bernard(1993),Islaminhistory:ideas,people,andeventsintheMiddleEast,OpenCourt,p.287.
2.Zaman,MuhammadQasim(1997),ReligionandPoliticsUndertheEarly'Abbasids:TheEmergenceoftheProtoSunni
Elite,Brill,pp.6365.
3.Bowker,John(1997),"Zindiq",TheConciseOxfordDictionaryofWorldReligions,OUP.
4.Glass,Cyril(2013),"Zindiq",TheNewEncyclopediaofIslam(4thed.),Rowman&Littlefield,p.491.
5.ChristineCaldwellAmes(2015).MedievalHeresies.CambridgeUniversityPress.p.88.ISBN9781107023369.
6.Hecht,JenniferMichael(2003).Doubt:AHistory:TheGreatDoubtersandTheirLegacyofInnovationfromSocrates
andJesustoThomasJeffersonandEmilyDickinson.HarperSanFrancisco.ISBN0060097957.
7.Mirfetros,Ali(1978),"ZendiqsandMaterialisticThinkers",Hallaj(10thed.),AlborzPress,pp.102126.
8.AwasafanNasfiTawarikhwaSilat,pp19,MohamedKamalChabana
9.Zarrinkoub,Abdolhosein(1999),TwoCenturiesofSilence,ISBN9645983336

Hughes,ThomasPatrick(1994),DictionaryofIslam,Chicago,IL:KaziPublicationsInc.USA,ISBN0935782702

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