narrations of Abu Sufyan Mahbub b. al-Rahil from al-Rabi', narrations of Imam 'Abd al-Wahhab b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Rustam from Abu Ghanim Bishr b. Ghanim al-Khurasani, and the maqali of Jabir b. Zaid. In these maqali, the authority for transmission between Jabir and the Prophet is not mentioned.

As for the first two parts of the Musnad, they contain Traditions on legal and religious matters, arranged in the same manner as the Sunni collections of Hadith. The Isnad (chain of authorities) of the two first parts is as follows:

Al-Rabi' b. Habib Abu 'Ubaidah - Jabir b. Zaid a Companion - the Prophet. The Companions are mainly: Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Anas b. Malik, 'A'ishah and others. According to al-Rabi', the Traditions reported from 'A'ishah were 68; Traditions from Ibn 'Abbas 150; Traditions from Anas b. Malik 40; Traditions from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri 60; Traditions from Abu Hurairah 72. The marasil Traditions of Jabir b. Zaid 180, and those of Abu 'Ubaidah 88. Traditions through the following Isnads:

(a) Al-Rabi' - Abu Aiyub al-'Ansari - the Prophet;

(b) Al-Rabi' - 'Ubaidah b. al-Samit - the Prophet, and

(c) Al-Rabi' - Ibn Mas'ud - the Prophet, number 92.

The rest of the Traditions added by Abu Ya'qub in parts three and four are 261.46 The Ibadhi collection of hadith is much less in number than the Sunni collections of hadith. Al-Rabi' himself confirmed the well-known statement that the total number of the authentic Traditions reported from the Prophet is four thousand, 900 on the 'Usul, and the rest on morals ('Adab) and history ('Akhbar).47 The Ibadhi collection with the additions of Abu Ya'qub contains 1005 Traditions.

The material of the Musnad of al-Rabi' b. Habib is the same as the material reported by Sunnis in their collections. Most of the Traditions reported by al-Rabi' b. Habib are reported by other Sunni authorities with the same wording, or with slight differences. Al-Salimi, in his commentary on the Musnad, pointed out the Traditions reported in a unique form not found in the Sunni collections, but there are still similar Traditions expressing the same views, technically called Shawahid. On the other hand, the Ibadhi collection contained a number of Traditions, each reported with its sound Isnad of the Ibadhi authorities, which nevertheless were not accepted in the Sunni collections. Some of them have been described as being invented (mawdu'). The same is the case with a number of Traditions regarded as authentic by the Sunni authorities, but which were, to Ibadhi authorities, no more than plain lies or innovations (bida').48

Ibadhi jurisprudence during its long history depended only on Ibadhi material