brought it to Jabal Nufusah, but being in opposition to the ruler of the Jabal and Rustumid Imamate, Naffath destroyed the copy of the Diwan so that his opponents would not get access to it.40 However, Ibadhi Jurisprudence was established mainly on the basis of the Traditions, and legal opinions handed down by Jabir to his Ibadhi students. Abu 'Ubaidah Muslim b. Abi Karimah said: "Every man of Tradition who has not an Imam in jurisprudence is fallen into error. If God Almighty had not favoured us with Jabir b. Zaid we too would have fallen into error."41

Non-Ibadhi scholars Non-Ibadhi scholars have tried to prove that Jabir had no relation with the Ibadhis, and various stories were reported to show that Jabir himself denied this sort of relationship.42 Qatadah and Dawud b. Abi Hind reported from 'Azrah that he said, "I told Jabir that the Ibadhis claim that you are one of them"43 He said, "I declare myself before God quit of them." It is also reported that Hind b. al-Muhallab said that although Jabir was a close friend of hers and her mother's, and he used to order her to do everything which might bring her nearer to God, he never invited her to Ibadhism.44

Careful examination of the above information led to its classification into three groups:

I. Information reported as from Jabir, in which he denies any sort of relation with the Ibadhis. In this category comes the information reported in non-Ibadhi sources only, and transmitted by Thabit al-Banani actually visited Jabir with al-Hasan al-Basri is also reported by Ibadhis. In all sources, the story avers that Jabir, on the brink of death, wished to see al-Hasan al-Basri who was at that time in hiding from al-Hajjaj. Thabit al-Banani told al-Hasan of the wish of Jabir and both came together secretly to Jabir's house. When they saw him al-Hasan said to Jabir, "Say that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Jabir replied, "O, Abu Sa'id, on the day that one of thy Lord's signs comes it shall not profit a soul to believe that never believed before, or earned some good in his belief." Then he added, "I am of its people, and I take refuge with Allah from Hell." On hearing this, al-Hasan commented, "By God, this is the learned faqih."

All sources reporting the story concur up to this point. The addition that al-Hasan questioned Jabir on his opinion of the people of al-Nahr and his opinion of the Ibadhis is reported by Ibn Sa'd alone on the authority of 'Azrah and Thabit al-Banani. This addition cannot be regarded as authentic for several reasons:

a) Most sources, including non-Ibadhi sources, reported the story without mentioning that Jabir spoke of his attitude towards Ibadhis conversation with al-Hasan as presented above, asserted that Jabir added no further