He also wrote in the same letter, "...he who fights us, we fight him back, and inspect his property in order to return to its owners those of people's rights of which he had taken possession, and hand back to him what belongs to him through which he caused no injustice to anyone, and we deliver it to his descendants and heirs. No booty or captives should be taken from the people of the Qiblah (i.e. Muslims), for they are not like polytheists whose property is to be despoiled and their women and children taken captive. But the people of the Qiblah are two parties of which one summons to what is right, holding fast to it, and the other summons to injustice and persists in it."107

Abu Hamzah al-Mukhtar b. 'Awf, one of the prominent Ibadhis of Basrah, and the most important leader in the wars of 'Abdullah b. Yahya al-Kindi, said, "We give you (i.e. non-Ibadhi Muslims) the choice of three attitudes of which you may take of yourselves whichever you prefer. May God bless him who chooses for himself. It may be either that of him who assumes the same views as we do and believes in what we propagate. His proof directs him to struggle with us by himself. He will therefore receive the same reward as one of the mujahids among us, and will receive the same share in the booty as one of our best men. Or it may be that of him who acknowledges this affairs (i.e. Ibadhiism) and stays at home, does not take action, but summons unto it with his heart and tongue. His position (in the eyes of God) may be better than ours. Or that of the third who dislikes our views but refrain from opposing us by hand and tongue. He is allowed to leave with safety granted for his family and property. If we gain the victory we will not shed his blood; and if we were killed he is saved the trouble of fighting us, and it may be that he will not live in his infidelity except for a short time!"108

The earliest and most detailed account of Ibadhi policies on those issues -policies which were violated by the extreme Kharijites - are given in the Sirah of Salim b. Dhakhwan, of which the following are extracts:

"We recognise the right of parents, the right of relatives, the right of the poor, the right of the travellers, the right of the friend, the right of the neighbour, and the right of the slaves we own, and hold that it is our duty to fulfil their rights, regardless of whether they were good or evil. To those who entrusted it to us we deliver back the trust of all people, our people and others. When we can we give them back all that is taken from them unjustly by our people. We give protection to those of our people and others who sought it from us, and grant safety for those who abstained during the fighting (between us and our opponents; without being in any doubt about their error in taking an intermediate position between right and evil for " there is nothing after the truth but error " when we settle our account with our opponents , and are faced with their case , we invite them to follow the book of alla and to gnosis of the