al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Khawarij

al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Khawarij? (The Ibadis and Are They Kharijites?) is a concise theological treatise by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Aziz bin Muhammad Al Abd al-Latif examining the origins, epistemological sources, and creedal positions of the Ibadi sect to determine whether they belong to the Kharijites al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….

Background and Purpose

The author states that he wrote the treatise in response to a contemporary resurgence in Ibadi activity, marked by the printing, editing, and distribution of classical Ibadi texts—including publications sponsored by the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture in Oman al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…. He was prompted also by contemporary Ibadi claims disavowing any connection to the Kharijites, their accusations of bias against classical heresiographers, their disparagement of Sunni Islam, and public calls by their scholars—such as the Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmad al-Khalili—to engage in public debates with Sunni authorities, including a debate requested with Abd al-Aziz bin Baz that Bin Baz declined al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…+1.

Origins and Sub-Sects

The work defines the Ibadis as the followers of Abd Allah ibn Ibad al-Tamimi, who emerged during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Marwan ibn Muhammad; another report notes that he was initially aligned with Nafi' ibn al-Azraq before breaking away due to Nafi's extremism, with Ibn Ibad deeming the shedding of opponents' blood permissible while prohibiting the confiscation of their property al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…. The treatise addresses the Ibadi claim of affiliation with the early Successor Jabir ibn Zayd (Abu al-Sha'tha'), noting historical reports that Jabir disavowed them al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…. It lists several Ibadi sub-sects—including the Hafsiyya, the Harithiyya, and the Yazidiyya—highlighting the extreme views of Yazid ibn Unaysa, who claimed a non-Arab prophet would arrive with a heavenly book and abandoned the Islamic sharia, leading most Ibadis to disassociate from him or withhold judgment al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….

Critique of Epistemology and Sources

Al Abd al-Latif criticizes the reliance of the Ibadis on Musnad al-Rabi' ibn Habib, compiled by al-Rabi' ibn Habib al-Basri and arranged into legal chapters across four small parts bound in a single volume, which the Ibadis treat as their most authentic text after the Quran al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…. The author raises several objections against the collection:

• The absence of an introductory apparatus documenting narrator biographies or authenticating its attribution to al-Rabi' al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….
• The presence of interrupted chains of transmission (isnad munqati') and fabricated narrations, such as the report mandating the presentation of hadiths before the Quran al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….
• Doctrinal errors embedded within the text, including the denial and figurative reinterpretation of divine attributes (ta'til al-sifat)—such as denying the Beatific Vision in the Hereafter, reinterpreting God's Hand as power, and negating God's ascent over the Throne (istiwa'), Eye, and Self—as well as rejecting the wiping over leather socks (al-mash 'ala al-khuffayn) al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….

The work also notes that under the influence of scholastic theology (kalam), the Ibadis reject solitary transmissions (khabar al-ahad) in matters of creed, and points to instances where contemporary Ibadi authors employ forced figurative interpretations (ta'wil) to explain away authentic hadiths al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…+1.

Comparison with the Kharijites

The treatise outlines points of agreement between the Ibadis and classical Kharijite doctrine to argue that the Ibadis constitute a branch of the Kharijites al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…:

• Historical lineage: Abd Allah ibn Ibad considered his group a continuation of the early Muhakkima, as articulated in his correspondence with the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….
• Theology and divine attributes: Alignment with the Kharijites on the createdness of the Quran (khalq al-Quran)—quoting Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari in Maqalat al-Islamiyyin that all Kharijites held this view—as well as negating divine attributes like the vision of God al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh…+1.
• Status of sinners: Agreement on the eternal damnation of unrepentant grave sinners in Hell, with the Ibadis classifying such individuals in this world as guilty of ingratitude (kufr ni'ma) or hypocrisy (kufr nifaq) al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….
• Intercession: Denial of the Prophet's intercession (shafa'ah) on behalf of sinful monotheists al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….
• Political theory and historical stance: Permitting armed rebellion against unjust rulers (al-khuruj 'ala a'immat al-jawr), rejecting the prerequisite of Qurayshite descent for the Imam, criticizing Companions such as Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan and Amr ibn al-As, and defending the Kharijites of the Battle of Nahrawan al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….

The text concludes with an exhortation directed at members of the Ibadi community to abandon partisan adherence and blind imitation (taqlid), and to adopt the texts of the Quran and the Sunnah according to the understanding of the Righteous Predecessors (al-Salaf al-Salih) al-Ibadiyya wa Hal Hum Kh….