al-Ibadiyya fi Mizan Ahl al-Sunna
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- al-Ibadiyya fi Mizan Ahl al-Sunna
al-Ibadiyya fi Mizan Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a ("The Ibadis in the Balance of Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama'a") is a theological treatise compiled by Abd Allah ibn Masud al-Sunni examining the history, doctrines, and figures of the Ibadiyya from the doctrinal perspective of Ahl al-Sunna.
Purpose and Scope
The author frames the work as an assessment of the Ibadiyya, whom he describes as a theological offshoot of the Kharijites that adopted certain Mu'tazili and Jahmi doctrines while referring to themselves as Ahl al-Haqq wa-l-Istiqaama ("the people of truth and rectitude"). The text reviews the historical origins of the group, its naming after Abd Allah ibn Ibad, and its claims of lineage from early figures. It addresses the Ibadi claim that Jabir ibn Zayd was their first imam and founder, countering it with reports from biographical works such as al-Tabaqat by Ibn Sa'd showing Jabir disassociating himself from the Ibadiyya and the people of al-Nahrawan. The book also lists the geographical areas where Ibadi communities reside, including the Sultanate of Oman, Jabal Nafusa and Zuwarah in Libya, the M'zab Valley in Algeria, Djerba in Tunisia, parts of North Africa, and the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.
Structure and Content
The core of the book systematically treats nine primary theological topics:
- Monotheism (Tawhid): The author examines Ibadi juristic positions regarding vows and sacrifices directed toward graves, citing passages from Ibadi reference texts such as Lubab al-Athar by Muhanna ibn Khalfan al-Busa'idi and Manhaj al-Talibin by Khamis ibn Sa'id al-Shaqsi, contrasting these with the Sunni prohibition of making vows or slaughtering for the dead.
- The Createdness of the Quran (Khalq al-Qur'an): The text outlines the Ibadi stance that the Quran is created, quoting Ibadi authorities such as Ibn Jami' in Muqaddimat al-Tawhid, Abu Ya'qub al-Warjalani in al-Dalil li-Ahl al-'Uqul, and Ahmad ibn Hamad al-Khalili in al-Haqq al-Damigh, and refutes it using the Sunni consensus that the Quran is the uncreated speech of God.
- The Beatific Vision (Ru'yat Allah): It addresses the Ibadi denial of the believers seeing God in the Hereafter and their reliance on figurative interpretation, contrasting it with Sunni scriptural proofs.
- Intercession and Eternal Damnation: The work discusses the Ibadi rejection of intercession for major sinners and their position on the eternal punishment of sinful believers in Hellfire.
- The Definition of Faith (al-Iman): It reviews Ibadi definitions describing faith as internal affirmation of the heart (al-tasdiq bi-l-qalb), which the author likens to Jahmi and Ash'ari definitions, against the traditional Sunni definition requiring belief in the heart, verbal confession, and bodily action.
- Divine Names and Attributes (al-Asma' wa-l-Sifat): It critiques Ibadi formulations regarding the divine names and their negative theology concerning the divine attributes.
- The Traverse (al-Sirat): It discusses the majority Ibadi interpretation of the Sirat as referring metaphorically to the religion of Islam rather than a physical bridge over Hellfire, alongside al-Jaytali's view allowing its rational possibility, contrasting these with Sunni hadiths.
- Stance on the Companions: The author explores Ibadi positions regarding early Muslim figures, quoting classical Ibadi works—such as Tuhfat al-A'yan by Abdullah ibn Humayd al-Salimi, Bayan al-Shar' by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Kindi, and letters attributed to Ibn Ibad—to document disassociation (bara'a) from Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, and other companions.
- Dissimulation (al-Taqiyya): It notes the Ibadi permissibility of taqiyya, citing narrations compiled under this heading in Musnad al-Rabi' ibn Habib.
The book concludes by citing evaluations of the Ibadiyya by later scholars, including figures of the Najdi reform movement such as Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
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