“My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (Qur’an 20:114)
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If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they are the ones who preserved the methodology of the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Imamate).
Their imams safeguarded the pure religion
Since the day it was said that for Allah’s faith, there are many.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they are the only Islamic school of thought that managed to encompass various Islamic sects and schools under one umbrella in an astonishingly peaceful and harmonious coexistence.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, their great Imam, Jabir ibn Zayd, was praised by Ibn Abbas, who said: *”It is astonishing that the people of Iraq seek knowledge from us when they have Jabir ibn Zayd among them. If they turned to him, he would suffice them in knowledge.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the eloquent orator Abu Hamza al-Shari, Mukhtar ibn Awf, who delivered a sermon from the pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ that resonated through time. Malik ibn Anas said it enlightened the doubtful.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they defended Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah honor his face) when they approached Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) to change the practice of cursing Ali, established by Mu’awiyah. He complied with their request.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi, the pioneer of prosody and the teacher of Sibawayh.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they protected the Arabian Peninsula, fought against the Portuguese invasion, drove them out of the region, and cleared the seas of them—a history written in gold.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, their naval fleets were so formidable that European fleets feared them and considered them a serious force. Their fleet was the second most powerful in the world at the time.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they spread Islam throughout East Africa, reaching deep into its jungles, transforming Zanzibar into the jewel of Africa, and establishing an Omani-Zanzibari kingdom.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the great merchant Abdullah ibn al-Qasim, whom the Emperor of China honored with the title *”General of Noble Ethics.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the Libyan Mujahid Sheikh Suleiman Pasha al-Barouni, whom Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire entrusted with fighting the Italian invasion in Libya.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they were the ones who liberated the island of Socotra from the Christian Abyssinians when Imam Al-Salt ibn Malik dispatched a naval fleet to rescue them after a plea from Az-Zahra, in the third century Hijri.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they built mosques and gifted them to their Sunni brethren in Algeciras when they ruled it—a pinnacle of tolerance and noble character.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them were the Rustamid Imams who ruled North Africa for a century and a half. The Maliki historian Ibn al-Saghir described them as *”people of justice, asceticism, and equality.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they were the first in the Islamic world to compile books. The *Diwan* of Imam Jabir ibn Zayd was written in the first Hijri century but was lost during the Mongol invasions.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the pioneer of Algerian journalism, Abu al-Yaqzan, who presented Khedive Ismail with the *Mizab* newspaper during his visit to Algeria, impressing him with his bravery.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was Imam Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Khalili (may Allah have mercy on him), for whom the late Saudi Prince Faisal ibn Abdulaziz ordered the absentee funeral prayer at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they fought against the extremist Kharijite sect known as the Sufriyya in Oman during the reign of Imam Al-Julandah ibn Masoud in the early second Hijri century, and in Kairouan during the time of Imam Abu al-Khattab al-Ma’afari (may Allah have mercy on them).
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the Algerian scholar and freedom fighter Sheikh Ibrahim Bioudh, who resisted French colonialism, endured torture, and was imprisoned.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was Imam Qutb al-A’immah Muhammad Atfiyyash, whom the great Egyptian reformer Muhammad Abduh once said: *”We in Egypt seek his counsel.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, their city is Nizwa, the *”Egg of Islam,”* where, at one point in history, three hundred scholars gathered, issuing legal rulings. It was the capital of the valiant Imams of Oman.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among them was the scholar-poet Abu Muslim, who wrote a poem urging Riyad Pasha of Egypt to strengthen the resolve of the people of the Nile against colonial rule.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, among their books are:
– *Qamus al-Shari’a* (92 volumes)
– *Bayan al-Shari’a* (73 volumes)
– *Al-Diya’* (40 volumes)
– *Al-Musannaf* (42 volumes)
– *Sharh al-Nayl* (18 volumes), and many others.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, the Damascus scholar Izz al-Din al-Tanoukhi said: *”Whoever accuses the Ibadiyyah of misguidance is among those who have divided their religion and become sects and is of the ignorant and misguided.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they were acknowledged by Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rabuh, who wrote the insightful book *The Ibadiyyah: A Doctrine and a Way of Life*, where he stated: *”They are the true and valid currency for exchange.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, the renowned Islamic thinker Salim Al-Awwa, after thorough research, concluded: *”The Ibadiyyah are not a sect of the Kharijites, as is commonly claimed.”*
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, they have never fabricated a single hadith about the Prophet ﷺ, as they consider lying a major sin that dooms a person unless they repent.
If you do not know the Ibadiyyah, the historian Ahmad Amin described them as a people *”who neither indulge in wine nor lewdness, for you will not find any reference to such things in their literature—a pinnacle of chastity and purity.”*
May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.
May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah.
Prima Quran 