when Ilyas b. Habib was appointed governor of Tripoli after 127H. It is reported that Ilyas killed 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud al-Tujibi, of the Tujib, an Arab tribe of Hadrami origin, who was one of the leaders of the Ibadhi community of Tripoli.89 It is not known why this Ibadhi leader was killed. Both 'Ali Mu'amar and Ihsan 'Abbas suggested that Ilyas wanted to intimidate the Ibadhis by this act,90 the fact which indicates that the Ibadhis were a power of a considerable weight in Tripoli and its areas at the time. However, I think that this action may have been a direct consequence of the successful revolts that the Ibadhis of Hadramawt and Yemen carried out at about the same time against the Umayyad dynasty to establish an independent Imamate. The Umayyads would have naturally been anxious to prevent any repetitions in other Ibadhi strongholds by taking pre-emptive measures. It appears that Ilyas b. Habib underestimated the power of the Ibadhis, and his action, rather than force them into submission, aroused their anger and gave them an immediate reason for their revolt. They elected al-Harith b. Talib al-Hadrami as Imam. Al-Harith, with the assistance of his Qadi, 'Abd al-Jabbar b. Qais b. Nusair b. Rashid, the client of al-'Ansar, in revenge for 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud al-Tujibi.91 Al-Harith ruled all the area between Qabis and Sirt, then both he and 'Abd al-Jabbar were killed by Shu'aib b. 'Uthman, one of the leaders appointed by 'Abd al-Rahman b. Habib to quench the Ibadhi revolt.92 The Ibadhis then elected Abu al-Zajir Ismail b. Ziyad al-Nufusi to lead them in their struggle. He gained a stronghold over the areas of Tripoli.93 According to Ibadhi sources, Abu al-Zajir was an Imam of defense, (Imam al-difa'),94 a fact which suggests that the period under his leadership was one of continuous military struggle against his enemies and that he was not able to establish a stable state. The first struggle for the Imamate in North Africa took place between the years 127-132 H. After this date the Ibadhi community reverted to secrecy, (kitman), for eight years. After this Abu al-Khattab 'Abd al-'A'la b. al-Samh al-Ma'afiri, one of the 'bearers of learning', was elected for the post of Imam in Tripoli in the year 140 H. He ruled all the area between Sirt, Qairawan and Zuwailah. But this Ibadhi Imamate could not resist the power of the 'Abbasid Caliphate, and Abu al-Khattab was killed with some fourteen thousand of his followers by the 'Abbasid army under the leadership of Muhammad b. al-'Ash'ath, governor of Egypt for Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, in the year 144 H.95

THE BEARERS OF LEARNING (HAMALAT AL-'ILM)

It is essential here to give some account of the role of the 'bearers of learning', in the expansion of the Ibadhi doctrine in North Africa. It seems that their educational activities began during the early decades of the second century H. As mentioned earlier, their contact with the Ibadhi scholars of Basrah was after the visit of Salamah b. Sa'd to North Africa. They were chosen from different