Ibadhism
Who Are The Ibadhis?
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Many stories were fabricated and attributed to the Prophet that a ruler must be obeyed under all circumstances, whether righteous or insolent, just or oppressive, as long as he says: “There is no God but Allah” as if the sentence “There is no God but Allah” is a passport to injustice, vice, tyranny and oppression; and not a means to righteousness, justice, honesty and fairness between the people. The understanding of “There is no God but Allah" is loneness of God in Sovereignty, Might, Authority and Order. The Divine Power is for God alone and people are equal before God and they do not precede one another except in piety. How then could this sentence on which has been established justice, and religion be a means to oppression of the oppressors, tyranny of the tyrannical and arrogance of the arrogant?
In such a situation, there were voices calling for justice and propagating to people to stick to the aims of excellent qualities and adherence to the principles of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah which were brought by the Prophet and implemented by the Orthodox Caliphs after him. These voices called for the system of the Prophet and the Caliphs, but many tongues shouted against them and accused those people with various accusations. They were given bad names and were branded with low opinions. Such accusations were made popular to the people and much was said against them as it is well-known.
The Ibadhis were in the fore-front of those who called for the adoption of the system of the Prophet and the Caliphs after him. They received the biggest share of the accusations and were fiercely attacked without clemency both materially and morally. They were pierced simply because they believed in God - The Almighty, The Praise-worthy.
Those warring people were concerned with running their affairs on the footsteps of the oppressors and were always on the oppressors’heels in order to benefit from such way of life. That was so because people loved the world. Knowledge was exploited — with much regret —for the interest of the system.
All this took place after the state of the Ommaiads reigned over the Muslim countries. Such a tyrannical rule which digressed from the correct Islamic system. This was followed by the Abbaside rule which pursued the same system. These two states fought many battles against the Ibadhis. The Ibadhis were accused badly inspite of the fact that they stood firm with the limits set by God and worked according to the teachings of the Prophet of God. They never exceeded a length of hair in what God — The Almighty — has ordered and what has forbidden.They were strictly committed to the Quran and the Sunnah.
“One may say that I have a prejudice against the rule of the Ommaiads, and that I have attributed things for which they are innocent. I want to make it clear to those who have such feelings that neither I nor anybody else who say as I say, has any prejudice against the Ommaiads as Ommaiads, but I hate the falsehood as falsehood and the tyranny as tyranny and the oppression as oppression and the digression as digression. Otherwise we worship God under the rule of anyone who came after the Ommaiads—The oppressors and the violators. Those who came and established justice and land inspite of their being Ommaiads— such people as Imam Omar bin Abdul Aziz who was the righteous Caliph and just Imam. May Allah be pleased with him.”
We worship God under his leadership and we consider his leadership as nearness to God. That Caliph who eradicated the darkness of tyranny and injustice which prevailed during the days of the Ommaiads—he eradicated it with the light of justice and brought people to justice which prevailed during the time of the Prophet and of the righteous Caliphs. We make inference of this righteous Caliph by deeds and words that the Ommaiads were astray, and whoever wished to investigate on that should refer to what has been written about him and what has been preserved in his letters in which he showed intolerance to the precedents of the Ommaiads for digressing from the straight path as followed by the Prophet.
It is sufficient to mention that he took from them all the property and put it into the Muslim Treasure House, because they got it unjustly, by corruption, prejudice and tyranny. Were those Ommaiads righteous, just and reasonable, this Caliph would have been considered tyrannical in this action. But he was far from tyranny and oppression.
The Ibadhis agreed with this rightful Caliph. They sent their delegation to him when they heard about his justice, righteousness, counsel and generosity. The delegation was led by six among their very learned people. They were: HattatIbni Katib, Salim bin Zakwani Hilaly, Jaafar bin Sammak A1-Abdy, Abu Al-Hur Ali Ibni Al-Hussain, Hayyan Al-Aaraj and Al-Muutabar bin Imara. They agreed with him on many issues but differed on minor matters. Notwithstanding that, the Ibadhi leader at that time, Abu Obaidah bin Muslim bin Abi Karimah Al-Tamimy said: “If only all the people obeyed him.” This means that they agreed with him even in these minor issues in which they differed.None of them pointed a sword at him but all submitted to him in obedience and considered him the righteous Caliph. The Ibadhi books are full of praise for him and records of his good findings. This may be found both in their prose and poetry, and it is an evidence that the Ibadhis did not hide their hatred against the Ommaiads because they are Ommaiads or against the Abbasides or Bani Marwan in particular because they are Bani Marwan but because they hate falsehood whether it is brought by the next of kin or by the distant person, and whether it is embraced by the hateful or by the friend.
This is what has been clearly known in their books; and one author has recorded that in volume three of his book: “Dhuha Al-Islam” (forenoon of Islam). He is Ahmed Amin, and he said: “And they, when they look at persons, they look in the light of ideology; unlike others who look at the ideology in the light of persons.” He has been correct in that although he included them in the group of Khawarij.However, referring them for what they agree with him in justice and righteousness is in itself fairness for them and it indicates an investigation for the truth about them.
It is known that many people in the past and the present have criticised the rule of the Ommaiads and have described it for what it was reputed with. I have mentioned in some of my replies which have been recorded in tapes what the Muslim Martyr Sayyid Qutub has written in his book: The Social Justice in Islam: which is a witness of the tyranny of the Ommaiads and their digression from the straight path which was adopted by the Prophet and followed by the Orthodox Caliphs. I wish to add here to what I have mentioned therein two evidences from the two contemporary significant learned men. They are Imam Abu Al-Aalaa Al-Mawdudi in his book: The New In This Religion:, and Sheikh Abu Al-Hassan al-Hadawi in his book: What has the World Lost by The Decline of Muslims: In his book: A Brief History of Renewal And Revival of the Religion: which was published by the Saudi Publishing and Distributing House, Abu Al-Aalaa Al-Mawadudi has written from page 40 to page 43 (after describing what the Prophet has done) the following, and I quote: “All this work was accomplished by the last of the Prophets; our Master Muhammad in the period of 23 years. Then God decreed to the people the two able leaders— Abu Bakar Al-Siddiq and Omar Al-Faaruqi; may Allah be pleased with them —They continued his work totally in all its aspects and sections.
“Thereafter the authority went to the Caliph Othman (May Allah be pleased with him) and the affairs remained unchanged for a number of years, but then they changed as the Caliphate expanded and advanced with the passage of time according to the rapid expansion of the Islamic state. The third Caliph who was entrusted with the responsibility of the reign of that significant work was not characterised with such a competence as was gifted to the great two who preceded him. Consequently, paganism found its way into the collective Islamic system and its current could not be prevented although Othman put his life blood efforts in an attempt to stop it. He was succeeded by Ali — May Allah honour him — who made all efforts to stop this discord and to safeguard the political authority in Islam from the control of paganism but could not repel this reactionary revolution. Thus, the reign of the Caliphs based on the Prophet’s system came to an end and was replaced by the secular rule. The rule and authority began to work on the principles of paganism instead of Islamism, and made its way into the social life creeping therein like cancer in the body.”
“And no wonder! The reins of authority were in the hands of Islam, and when Islam lost the authority it could not prevent the effects of paganism from gaining influence and its authority from spreading. Paganism did not spread in its naked exposed picture but faced people wearing coloured Islamic conviction. Had it been that, face to face with Islam, were people who were open pagans, the battle would have been easy, but they were the people whose publicity was confession and belief the Unity of God and faith in the message, preservation of the Ordinances of God, citation of the Book and the Sunnah, but in secret their truth was paganism which was working behind the screen. ”
When paganism and Islam meet in this fashion in one place, there must be problems, solution of which will be a thousand times more difficult than resisting unmixed paganism. When you fight an open paganism hundreds of thousands of Muslim fighters will come around to support, but if you fight this mixed type of paganism, it is not possible to single out the hypocrites from the Muslims and thus many Muslims would be involved. Then all will blame Islam and accuse it.And it is a fact, by God! That a Muslim should be made to follow the evil rule of pagans, follow the pagan political leadership, work as a teacher in the Institute of pagan education and attend the pagan elders was cheating, but only a few could be cheated to fall into that snare.The most serious and most dangerous thing in this centered revolution was that came in its three faces wearing Islamic attire. It came into the Arab Muslim community and dwelt therein and its effects increasingly spread with the passage of time.
The open paganism aimed at the state and the government and controlled it and the Caliphate changed into Caesarism. Islam came and eradicated its roots and nothing remained of it except its name.Since the belief in the Divine Power of the things could not be questioned by anyone, they used a trick to hold them by the visible force — The authority against God. The kings and the princes retained power through this trick as the sole people to be unquestionably obeyed — a matter which is specifically for God.
The princes, rulers, militarymen and the affluent resorted to complete paganism under this monarchy and their lives were more or less influenced by its policies. Their character and ways of life were corrupted and it was natural that all that was happening was connected with the spread of the false qualities of paganism — its arts, culture and general knowledge were in that style. All such matters require the attention and supervision of the State and since paganism was in control, it was natural that it would control these matters as well.
This is what Abi Al-Aalaa Al-Mawdudi has said. It is quite clear and does not need any elaboration. It is clear that that state which came after the Orthodox Caliphs was the Pagan state which did not have any connection with Islam except saying, “Allah is one.” It had no claim to Islam except the claim which had no any indication and proof, but on the contrary, the signs showed quite the opposite direction. Islam is not merely a call, it is implementation and activities as prescribed by the Quran and the Sunnah
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