The present study is so far the first to be based on a large newly discovered foundation of original material of early Ibadhi authorities and a thorough examination of most extant Ibadhi works in different fields of study. It is hoped that it will open a new horizon in the field of Islamic studies and encourage further investigation in the light of the new materials used here and the opinions reached. However, it is only the first step in the study of Ibadhiism, and no doubt a great deal remains to be done; though the writer trusts the way may have been paved by the results achieved in the research.

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(1) These texts are to be published separately.

CHAPTER I

THE FOUNDATION OF THE IBADHIAH, AND THE IBADHI VIEWS ON THE KHARIJITES.

"ABDULLAH B. IBADH"

The Ibadhi school took its name from 'Abdullah b, Ibadh al-Murri al-Tamimi. The school was named after his father because he was better known than the son, as is the case in Arabic genealogy1. Al-Malati alone reported that the sect was named after its founder who is, according to him, Ibadh b. 'Amr2. This information cannot be taken into account, for al-Malati reported information about the Kharijites in his book contrary to all sound authorities who dealt with the subject3.

Very little is known about 'Abdullah b. Ibadh in both Ibadhi and non-Ibadhi sources. He is of Banu Sarim b. al-Harith b. Muqa'is of Banu Tamim, one of the main tribes of Mudar.4 Nothing is known about his early life. The modern Ibadhi scholar Muhammad b. Yusuf Attafiyish suggests that Ibn Ibadh moved from Najd, the homeland of his tribe, to Basrah5. He also reported that certain narrations state that he was a 'Sahabi for a short time6. However, Ibadhi chronicles included Ibn Ibadh, among the class of al-Tabi'un who lived during the second half of the first century H7. It is not known whether he participated in the civil wars which occurred among Muslims before the 'Umayyad rule. But it appears that he was not satisfied by the rule of Mu'awiyah and criticised its violation of the Qur'an and the Sunnah8. The first definite information about