Muhdath
/muˈħdaθ/noun
In Islamic theology and philosophy, something originated or created in time rather than eternal.
Did you know?The term became central to debates over whether the Qur’an was *muhdath*—created in time—or *qadīm*, eternal, during the medieval Islamic theological controversy known as the Mihna.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥ-d-th
“To happen, occur, or become new”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥadatha
“It happened, occurred, or came into being”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
muḥdath
“Brought into being, originated, or newly produced”
8th–9th Century
Arabic
muḥdath
“A technical theological term for something created in time, opposed to the eternal”
9th–10th Century
Arabic
muḥdath
“Used in philosophical and theological discussions of creation, temporality, and the Qur’an”
Modern English
English
muhdath
“A scholarly loanword meaning originated, created, or temporally produced”