Letters from 'Abd Allah b. Ibad - Prof. Valerie J. Hoffman
Allegedly written to the Umayyad Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān (r. 65/685–86/705), or perhaps ʿAbd al-Malik b. ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān who died during the reign of his fathers (99/717–101/720).
The contents of the first letter contains a version of the history of the early caliphate and maintains that ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān and others who do not rule according to the Qurʾān are infidels (kāfirs, citing Qurʾān, 5, "Al-māʾida", v. 44). Ibn Ibād also defends the Khawārij as obeying the Qurʾānic injunction to “fight the infidels who live near you” (Qurʾān, 9, "al-Tawba", v. 123), but disassociates from Nafī’ b. al-Azraq.
The second letter is in response to ʿAbd al-Malik praising Alī b. Abī Tālib and accusing the people of Nahrawān of injustice against him. Ibn Ibād narrates the Ibādī perspective on ʿAlī’s caliphate, saying it was ʿAlī who oppressed the people of Nahrawān, who were “the best of the Companions”. He then goes on to blame al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī for “selling his religion” for gold and silver by submitting to Muʿāwiya.
Check Out the Full Podcast Here: • Ibadism in Arabia: The Convergence of Fait...