Sunnah of the Apostle of God. He likes only what God and His Apostle like.21

2) Concerning the decision of the Imam whether it can be changed by the learned men of the community or not, Abu 'Ubaidah Muslim said, "If his decision was contrary to the 'Book' and the Sunnah, and the decision on the case is known in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, they must change what is contrary to the 'Book' and the Sunnah."22

3) Safety lies in what came from God and His Apostle, and peril in opposing them. No one can be right except he who agrees with them.23

The students of Abu 'Ubaidah kept to the same line. Some of his students went to the extent of rejecting the opinions of early Ibadhi authorities, such as Jabir b. Zaid and Abu 'Ubaidah, when authentic Traditions were reported on a case, even by non-Ibadhi authorities. On the question of hiyazah (acquisition of the right of possession), it was reported that Jabir b. Zaid, out of precaution, added ten years more to the ten years fixed by the Prophet as the maximum time for acquisition of the right of possession of land or property, if the original owner did not claim his right to it during those twenty years. 'Abdullah b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, a student of Abu 'Ubaidah, rejected the opinion of Jabir on the basis of the Tradition from the Prophet, reported by both Medani and Kufi authorities, that the fixed time for hiyazah was ten years only.25 His argument concluded with the following statements, "What the Prophet said is the only truth. The Sunnah must come first, provided it is an authentic Sunnah from the Prophet. As for analogy, (qiyas), though it may be old, it still cannot supersede the Sunnah."26

IBADHI CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF HADITH:

The eagerness of the early Ibadhi authorities to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet manifested itself in their contribution in the field of Hadith. Ibadhis considered themselves as the true followers of the Sunnah. The usage of the term 'Sunnis' as a definition of the four orthodox schools of Islamic law was usually rejected by Ibadhis on the basis that they also, if not alone, are the true followers of the Sunnah.27 They contributed to the field of Hadith by preserving and recording their own collection of Hadith. All early authorities, who founded the Ibadhi school, were eminent Traditionalists such as Jabir b. Zaid, Abu Nuh Salih b. Nuh al-Dahhan, and Hayyan b. al-'A'raj. Their names