money for land tax and protection tax, without doing injustice to the subject population, or acting against the teaching of Islam. The letter sent by Jabir to al-Nu'man on this matter contains interesting information about the methods used in collecting taxes, and shows how, out of three hundred dirhams, less than one hundred reached Bait al-Mal; while the rest was taken by the dihqans (Chiefs of farmers) and tax collectors.70 The other person is called Yazid b. Yasar, who sent a letter to Jabir telling him that he had been put in charge of some posts in Oman and asking him for his opinion on certain problems.71 Among other people of Oman who had contacts with Jabir was Malik b. Asid or 'Usaid, who sent a letter to Jabir offering to buy him a she-camel from Oman, to which Jabir agreed, as he indicated in his letter to Malik b. Asid.72

Apart from sending legal opinions to his friends in those far-off places, Jabir asks them to report to him on the situation in their countries, and tell him about anything, which happened there.73

These wide contacts with powerful people and families, and the general respect for the knowledge of Jabir, made al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf wary of him. He tried to win over Jabir to his side, and offered him the Qadiship, but Jabir refused this offer.74 Ibadhi sources reported that Jabir, in many cases, showed his opposition to al-Hajjaj, telling him that the Prophet said, "God curses the unjust, their helpers, and those who help their helpers, even by handing them a pen."75 He also refused to agree with al-Hajjaj on the matter of rubbing over the shoes for ablution; and said, "How should I rub over the shoes while God commands us to wash the feet?"76 Jabir himself was cautious and careful in his contacts with his friends and followers. This can be clearly noticed from his correspondence. In five of his letters he asked that they be destroyed. He gave his reasons in three of them; a) In his letter to al-Harith b. 'Amr, one of the oldest 'followers' of Kufah,77 Jabir wrote, "Know, may God set your affairs aright, that you are in a land in which I do not wish you to mention my name, so do not transmit anything that I have written to you"78 This could have been during the rule of Ziyad, for al-Harith died during the Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah. b) In his letter to 'Abd al-Malik b. al-Muhallab, Jabir wrote, "Write to me of what you need, and sent it to me in secret with whoever you trust, for you know our situation and what we fear those who look for reasons to harm us, so do not run into a risk by which you may cause us to perish; may God set your affairs aright."79

In another letter, Jabir described the affair of the rulers (al-umara') as follows, "For you know the affairs of the rulers; we are afraid of them they search for excuses against us."80 All these items of information show that Jabir was always afraid of the rulers and was cautious in his activities.

In one of his letters to 'Abd al-Malik b. al-Muhallab, Jabir expressed his