2                   Introduction
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most
merciful.
Praise be to Allah, lord of the worlds, and prayers and
peace be upon our master Muhammad, his family and
all of his companions.
These are a few pages in which I briefly explained the
adherence of the Ibadites to the teachings of Islam in
politics, belief and dealing, with evidence from the
Qur’an, Sunnah and reality to make the reader aware.
I ask Allah that this work will benefit the students of
knowledge and may He grant us His support.
                   Nasser Al Maskari
                            3
             Ibadite Sect Origins
The Ibadite sect arose in the first century A.H. It is the
oldest Islamic sect at all. Their imam is Imam Jabir bin
Zaid, born in 22 A.H, and he died in 96 A.H according
to the most likely sayings, whereas the imam of the
oldest of the Sunni sects, Imam Abu Hanifa, was born
in 80 A.H.
Imam Jaber was contemporaneous with many of the
companions of the Prophet and took knowledge from
them. He lived at the same time of seventy people of
Badr, but he took his most knowledge from Abdullah
bin Abbas and the mother of the believers Aisha, may
Allah be pleased with them. This is an advantage to
the Ibadite sect, as it took knowledge from its pure
source; the companions of the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Imam Jaber
was known for his vast knowledge to the extent that
Ibn Abbas said about him: “Ask Jabir bin Zaid, for if the
people of the East and the West asked him, his
knowledge will suffice them.”
                             4
The image of the Ibadite sect was crystallized at the
hands of Abu Ubaidah Muslim bin Abi Karima. The
leadership of the Ibadites ended to him as he taught
men of thought and religion from various Islamic
countries known as the bearers of knowledge in
Oman, Morocco and Yemen. Their efforts resulted in
the establishment of the caliphate on the rightly-
guided approach in those countries.
 There are those who claim that Imam Jabir
disavowed the Ibadites, but the reality belies that as
the students of Imam Jaber bin Zaid are the leaders of
the Ibadites and their imams later, as well as the views
of Imam Jabir bin Zaid in various fields are approved
by them.
 They call themselves People of Truth and
Righteousness. As for the Ibadite name, Umayyah
Caliphs named them after Abdullah bin Ibadh At-
Tamimi, because he was a defender of them and a
clarifier of their thoughts. And perhaps the Umayyah
Caliphs did not want their lineage to Imam Jaber,
because naming the ibadite sect after an imam of
knowledge the size of Jabir bin Zaid pushes them to
                            5
fall under its banner, and this is what the Umayah
Caliphs did not want.
            Books of Islamic Sects
Most of the writers of the sects did not tell the truth
in their writings, nor did they investigate it, for this
reason they did not write anything real, at least about
the Ibadites. In their view, the Ibadites are a stray sect
that should be thrown into a remote place, and for
that they did not bother to search for Ibadite sources
to know who they are and how much they adhere to
Islamic principles.
Rather, they were satisfied with gathering inaccurate
gossips from here and there such as: “Some people
said”... And “some said that” .. “And it was narrated to
us about them that we did not verify” and “it was said
about them that they were” as what Abu Al-Hasan Al-
Ashaa’ri did for example.
And the result is that they came up with sects that
they drove like a herd and labeled them with beliefs
                            6
of polytheism, then they put them under the name of
the Ibadites. The Ibadites do not know anything about
these sects, and there is no mention of them, nor of
their beliefs or their imams in the books of the
Ibadites, whether those that were written before the
articles’ books (Books of Islamic sects) or those that
were written after them. The Ibadites repudiated the
alleged sects if they existed at all and just as they did
repudiate those who linked the Ibadites with the
alleged sects.
Because of the unity of belief of these people about
the Ibadites, the later took what the former wrote
without following the truth from the books of the
Ibadites, even though some of them conditioned
themselves to take knowledge from Ibadite books,
and were followed by those who were led by whims
and blinded by fanaticism, except for some of the fair
writers for whom we give thanks and appreciation.1
1
  Whoever wants to know their slander and the response to them, should
refer to the book The Ibadites among the Islamic Sects by Sheikh Ali
Muammar, or my book The Ibadites in the Field of Truth
                                   7
However, the reality of the books of Islamic sects was
realized by those seeking the truth. Among these is Dr.
Abdul-Aziz Salih Al-Hilabi, who said: “We see, on the
other hand, that it is never correct to rely on books of
sects and articles in studying historical issues, since
most of them - if not all - were written in the spirit of
prejudice and intolerance, and they lack honesty and
scrutiny of the authenticity of what is transmitted, in
addition to a lot of exaggerations and contradictions.2
2
  Abdullah bin Saba, a study of historical narrations about his role in
sedition, p. 57
                                     8
 Sources of Legislation in the Ibadite
                          Sect
The main source of legislation in the Ibadite sect is the
Noble Qur’an, and the second is the purified Sunnah
of the Prophet, all the books of the Sunnah, such as
the Musnad of Imam Ar-Rabee’, Bukhari, Muslim, An-
Nasa’i and others, are approved by them, and they
take what is true and proven. The third source is
consensus, and the fourth source is analogy, on the
foundations known in the books of fundamentals.
             Belief in Ibadite Sect
Faith consists of three essentials: belief,
acknowledgment and action.
Faith is not complete without these three, so whoever
neglects acting is a sinner but has all the Islamic rights.
Whoever denies what is known from the religion by
necessity is a polytheist.
                            9
                      Hypocrisy
The Ibadites consider that hypocrisy is of two types:
hypocrisy in creed and it applies to everyone who
manifests faith and hides polytheism, and they are the
ones concerned with what Allah said in Surat An-Nisa,
verse 145: (Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest
depths of the Fire) and practical hypocrisy, which is
what is meant in the saying of the Prophet - Peace be
Upon Him: “Whoever has the following four
(characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever
has one of the following four characteristics will have
one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he
gives it up:
   1. Whenever he is entrusted; he betrays;
   2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie;
   3. Whenever he makes a convent; he proves
       treacherous;
   4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very
       imprudent, evil and insulting manner”.
       Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.
                            10
Reflect: With this clear evidence, we find those who
object on Ibadites using this label on those whom the
hadith meant.!
 Blasphemy Against Allah’s Blessings
The Ibadites call the one who commits a major sin a
blasphemer, and it does not mean that he is a
polytheist, he is still considered a Muslim who has all
Islamic rights. This naming was not invented by the
Ibadites but was mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
In the Qur’an, the Almighty says in An-Naml; Verse 40:
"This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether
I will be grateful or ungrateful.” And in Al-Insan; Verse
3 He says: “Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he
grateful or be he ungrateful.”.
The one who commits a major sin is not a polytheist,
and he is not grateful, so his disbelief (or blasphemy)
is blasphemy against Allah’s blessings.
                             11
And in the Sunnah, the Prophet says: “Do not revert
to disbelief after me by striking (cutting) the neck of
one another”. Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.
Reflect: With this clear evidence from the Qur’an and
Sunnah, we find those who object on Ibadites using
this naming and take it as an opportunity to tarnish
the Ibadite sect, claiming that the Ibadites declare
Muslims to be infidels and polytheists, ignoring these
texts.
                           12
           Who are the Ibadites?
They are the heir of the Prophet’s covenant and the
Rightly-Guided Caliphate, because they built their sect
with the values of virtue, the principles of justice,
equality and consultation on the basis of Islam that
the Rightly-Guided Caliphs followed. The Almighty
Allah blessed them with leaders who were established
on and followed the path of the Rightly-Guided
Caliphs, not on the path of the Umayyah Caliphs. They
took the same path that the Prophet’s Companions
took, and it was approved by the consensus. They
were very keen that their steps be on the same path;
in word and deed, peace and war, judgment and
dealings, this was seen by those who liberated
themselves from passion and fanaticism. This is not
just a claim, but the reality supports it, as you will
know in the next chapter, the Characteristics of the
Ibadites.
                           13
      The Characteristics of Ibadites
They were close to the source of revelation (from
Allah), as their imam Jabir bin Zaid, may Allah be
pleased with him, took knowledge from the
companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace. He met with seventy
Badri Companions and acquired all their knowledge
expect the knowledge of “The Sea”: Ibn Abbas.
He is trusted by everyone, and one of the senior
Tabi’in scholars (Scholars who did not see the Prophet
but were taught by the Companions of the Prophet)
and one of the leaders who are referred to in the
interpretation of the Noble Qur’an.
It is the sect that established the Islamic caliphate,
establishing the law of Allah in His land wherever this
sect is found. The principle of Shura stipulated in the
Qur’an in the Almighty’s saying in Ash-Shura, Verse
38: (And those who have responded to their lord and
established prayer and whose affair is [determined
by] consultation among themselves) and was applied
                           14
by the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
in electing caliphs through the consensus of the
people in authority, and that the caliph should be
from the righteous believers, only the Ibadites
preserved it. This is very clear as tens of imams in
Oman were elected this way along 12 centuries
starting from the second century A.H. Imams were
also elected in Yemen and Morocco the same way.
Non-Ibadites testified that the Ibadites followed the
rightly-guided caliphs’ approach in terms of election,
selection, justice and action.
Sheikh Hussein Obaid Ghanem Ghobash says: "The
Ibadite movement found its doctrinal and intellectual
identity at an early age, and through its preservation
of the principle of consultation and the free election
of imams, the principle of consensus and agreement,
it can be considered and consider itself the true heir
of the traditions of the system of the rightly-guided
Caliphs (11-40) A.H. Especially the first period of it, the
period of Abu Bakr and Omar Ibn Al-Khattab3. The
Caliphate State is this ideal and exemplary period of
3
  (Islamic Democratic Amman, p. 51) Quoted from Al-Istibdad p. 275
                                   15
the Islamic state after the death of the Messenger
(Peace be Upon Him). This period represents the only
Islamic reference for the Ibadites, from which the
Ibadite movement derived its vision, legitimacy,
principles and constitutional laws, and all of that in the
way to establish the Islamic state and society through
the establishment of the Imamate system."4
Sheikh Bin Ashour says about the Ibadite sect, “and
with that it has continued to exist until today, and it is
established as the purest manifestation of Islam,
deriving its immortality from the strength of its origins
and the flexibility of its branches.”
If you are in doubt about what I said, go back to the
biography of the Ibadite imams in the East and the
West, and you will find, Allah willing, piety and
consultation, not dancing, drinking, domination and
wasting money for praises, as is the case with those
whom some call caliphs.
4
  Hussein Obaid Ghobash Oman and Islamic Democracy on p. 11
                                16
       Their Commitment to Honesty
They are the most distant people from lying in general
and about the Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, in particular. You will not find
a single hadith that was fabricated by an Ibadite, just
as their disagreement with the other sects did not
cause them to lie about them in compliance with the
Almighty’s saying: “O you who have believed, be
persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in
justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent
you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to
righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is
acquainted with what you do.” Al-Maidah, Verse 8.
Their opponents have testified of their sincerity. Ibn
Taymiyyah said: “The Kharijites are among the
greatest people in prayer, fasting and reciting the
Qur’an, and they have armies and soldiers, and they
are religious inwardly and outwardly devout to the
religion of Islam.”5.
5
  Ibn Taymiyyah Minhaj As-Sunnah vol.3 p.38
                                  17
He also said: “They are not those who deliberately lie.
Rather, they are known for their truthfulness, until it
is said that their hadith is among the most sound
hadiths.”6. However, we do not agree with being
called (Kharijites) as this is a confusion between us
(Ibadites) and the (Kharijites).
He also said: We cannot accuse them of lying, because
we tried them and found them seeking truth for them
and against them.”7. Dr. Mustafa As-Siba’ei says, “I did
not find a hadith that was fabricated by a Kharijite,
and I searched a lot in the books of fabricated hadiths,
and I did not find a Kharijite that was considered of
liars and fabricators.”8
Ahmed Amin said: “They do not like lies and do not
like sins, so they were, as Al-Mubarrad said: The
Kharijites of all kinds repudiate the liar and those who
commit an apparent sin.9. (And as I said, we do not
agree with them on this label).
6
  Same reference, part 1, p. 68
7
  Ad-Dhahabi Al-Muntaqa min Minhaj Al-Etidal pg. 480
8
  As-Siba’ei Sunnah and Its Place in Legislation, p. 81
9
  Duha Al-Islam, Volume 3, Pg. 342, The Egyptian Renaissance Library.
                                      18
     Distancing Themselves from the
                    Blood of Muslims
The Ibadites are far from the blood of Muslims, and
this is an approach we the Ibadites have followed
since the inception of the sect. Our early Ibadites
refused to be drawn into the call of the Kharijites to
fight Muslims, and that is why they called them Al-
Qa’adah. When Abu Hamza went to Tai’f, its men fled,
thinking that the Ibadites had come to shed blood, as
was the custom in the wars of the Umayyah Caliphs,
and they left the women. The women did not find
anything from Abu Hamzah's soldiers but
righteousness and charity, and the caller of Abu
Hamza called out for four days: People are safe,
except for those who fight us.10
If they are compelled to fight, they do not start it until
their opponent begins and after the means of peace
have been exhausted.
10
   Ansab Al-Ashraf, part 3, p. 237, as well as in the Comprehensive Library.
                                      19
History does not record that they attacked anyone;
They did not attack any country even though they
were powerful to do so. The Ya’aribah state, which
ruled Oman between 1624-1744 A.D., was able to
expel the Portuguese invaders from the country, the
Gulf and East Africa.
Imam Ahmed bin Said was able to repel the Persian
invasion that the country was subjected to, in the
period between 1737-1744 A.D., and had great credit
for repelling the Persian forces in Iraq. The Turkish
High Gate requested him to repel the Persian attack,
and he did as he sent his son Hilal in a large fleet,
cutting the iron chains with which the Persians closed
the waterways, and the Persian forces were defeated
after a fierce battle and they turned away. This was
clear evidence of their strength but they are bound by
the teachings of Islam, which forbids aggression.
If they go out to fight, they will not go out to seek a
kingship or take revenge, but rather in response to the
call of truth and justice, as the Messenger (Peace and
Blessings be Upon Him) and his rightly-guided caliphs
did, and their history in that is clear.
                            20
We find that the positions that the Ibadites have taken
throughout history are positions of honor and glory
that the Almighty wanted them to be the title of
glories on the forehead of eternity.
When the safe sanctuary of Allah was attacked and
the Kaa’ba was thrown by the Umayyahs with
catapults, the Ibadites revolted against those mighty
tyrants.
When the honor of the daughters of the Companions
and the followers in the City of the Prophet, peace be
upon him, was violated by the army of Yazid, the
blood of the Ibadites erupted in order to purify it from
the abomination of tyrants and villains.
When the sanctities of Muslims in Kairouan were
insulted, the Ibadites were not satisfied until they
lifted the grievance and injustice from the shoulders
of the Muslims.
When the honor of the Muslim women in the island of
Socotra was violated by the Christians, the Ibadite
                           21
armies and their battalions raced, defying the rough
waves of the seas in order to defend the sanctities of
Muslims and discipline the enemies of Allah.11
        Far from Taking the Money of
                               Muslims
Whether it is in war or otherwise, they do not allow
taking spoils from Muslims, as stated in their books.
When Abdullah bin Yahya, the first Ibadite imam in
Yemen, entered Sana’a, he collected the treasuries
and the money, that the Umayyah agents had unjustly
collected from the Muslims, and divided them among
the people of Sana’a, and neither he nor those with
him took anything from them, even though they were
in dire need of money.
Abu Al-Khattab Al-Ma’afari, who held the imamate in
140 A.H., established the balance of equity and justice
11
   Ibadites: History of Glory and The Glory of History
                                      22
among the people. When a woman from the people
of Kairouan sought his help to rid the country of
oppression of the Warfuja Al-Sufriya tribe, he went to
rescue her, and he warned his army that no one of
them should extend his hand on any of the properties
of his opponents because their money is protected
with the unification of Allah Almighty, although the
Sufriya are legalizing the monotheists’ money
according to their false belief, but it is not correct that
they be treated reciprocally12 and this is a lesson for
those who attach the Ibadites to the Kharijites.
12
   Ibadites in the Procession of History 1/130
                                      23
    Ibadites Relationship with Other
                      Islamic Sects
Ibadites look at their opponents from the people of
the Qiblah as their brothers in religion, so everyone
who pronounces the two testimonies has the same
rights that we have and he is obligated to the same
obligations; whether in relation to “the state”; such as
justice, repelling injustice on their behalf, protecting
oneself, money, and family, participating them in
assuming positions and business in the state
according to their competencies and qualifications
like others, so they become part of the state, or
whether what is related to “individuals” such as
marriage, inheritance, mosques, praying for the dead
Muslims, washing and shrouding them, burial,
sacrifices, and cemeteries. These are rights and
facilities for all the people of the Qiblah with no regard
to their sects. This is our approach, and if something
goes against that, then it is an injustice and Ibadite
principles are innocent of it.
                              24
All of this was witnessed by their enemies. This is Ibn
Al-Saghir, although he does not hide his enmity to the
Ibadites, he admitted the truth and said: “When Abd
ul-Rahman ibn Rustom was appointed in charge of
people’s affairs, he rolled up his sleeves, made his
conduct better, and sat in his mosque for the support
of the widow and the weak, and he did not fear the
blame of the blamer in Allah ..."13
And he said: No one from strangers stays with them
and does not settle with them, and builds among
them, because he sees the prosperity of the country
and the good conduct of the imam and his justice in
his people, and when you see a house, it was said: This
is for the Kufi so-and-so, and this is for the Egyptian
so-and-so, and this is for the Qarawi so-and-so, and
this is the mosque of the Qarawiyin, and this is the
Kufic Mosque.14
This is about their conduct in Morocco, and about
their conduct in Yemen, the professor Mahdi Talib
Hashem said about Imam Talib Al-Haqq “and because
13
   News of the Rustameen Imams by Ibn al-Saghir p.36
14
   Dictionary of Countries, Yaqoot Al-Hamawi, Volume 2, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut
                                     25
of these reforms and flexible policy with his enemies,
all historians agreed on his good conduct and policy,
and we did not find among them anyone who denied
his justice as the religious people of Yemen loved him
for his adherence to Islamic law.”15
And their conduct in Oman in the establishment of
truth and justice is not hidden.
               Far from Causing Strife
Whether they are a minority or a majority, they are far
from provoking strife by word or deed. They have
established the tolerant thought that calls for
unification, lack of fanaticism and disunity wherever
they are found, and in all classes of society, and accept
the excuse of the wrongdoer.
Their broad-mindedness and openness of heart
15
   Dictionary of countries, Yaqoot Al-Hamawi, part 2, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut.
                                     26
They follow the truth, taking the hadiths of the
Prophet from all the books of the Sunnah, and they
quote the sayings of the opponents, especially the
imams of the Sunni sects and their senior scholars,
and they give preference to any saying they see its
evidence is stronger, regardless of who said it, and this
is clear in their books.
Their social justice
Citizens of the other Islamic sects under the Ibadite
state have all the rights and duties that every Muslim,
whether Ibadite or otherwise, deserves, and if
something contrary to that happened, it is unjust
which Ibadite principles are innocent of it.
Distancing themselves from retaliation and revenge
Despite what the Umayyahs did of injustice, when
Abdullah bin Yahya entered Sana’a - and he is the first
Ibadite imam in Yemen - he imprisoned Ad-Dahhak bin
Zammal, and Ibrahim bin Jabalah bin Makhramah, the
workers of Bani Umayyah, collected the treasuries
and money, then he sent to Ad-Dahhak and Ibrahim,
                            27
and said to them: I imprisoned you for fear for you
from the common people, and there is no harm upon
you now so stay, if you like, or leave, and they left.16
And when Imam Abu al-Khattab, seized Tripoli
without shedding a drop of blood, gave the ruler of
the country the choice between staying in his nation
and his brothers in safety, or leaving to his sultan with
ease. 17 18
Distancing themselves from the Analogy of Allah
They are far from the sayings of the analogists, which
described the Lord with the attributes of His creation.
Distancing Themselves from the Refuting Allah’s
Attributes
They affirm all the attributes of Allah Almighty, and as
for their interpretation of what may seem analogy, it
is proving Allah’s integrity based on the saying of the
16
   The Ibadite Movement in the Arab Mashreq, p. 105-106.
17
   Alaghani p. 236 according to the Comprehensive Library (C 23, p. 234.
18
   Ibadites in the Procession of History, volume one, episode two, first
section, pp. 57-58.
                                      28
Allah Almighty: (There is nothing like unto Him, and
He is the Hearing, the Seeing.) Ash-Shu’ra, Verse 11,
and His saying: (O mankind, you are those in need of
Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the
Praiseworthy.) Fa’tir, Verse 15.
And they were not alone in it, for this Al-Fakhr Ar-Razi
says: All the sects of Islam acknowledge that there is a
need for interpretation in some of the apparent text
of the Qur’an and hadiths.
Distancing Themselves from Heresies
You do not find a single issue when the Ibadites are
not based on evidence, or draw closer to Allah by
something that is not permitted by sharee’ah. The
Ibadites are limited to receiving from the Noble
Qur’an and the purified Sunnah of the Prophet. Any
saying that contradicts the Qur’an or the Sunnah has
no value to them.
So how is it that they are accused of heresy?
                            29
Imam Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Khalili - may Allah
have mercy on him - said in Fat’h Al-Jaleel p.193:
“A saying that contradicts the the hadith, throw it on
the wall.”
The unity of their sayings in matters of belief, even in
contentious issues, in denying seeing Allah, for
example, they have one saying, as well as in not
coming out of Hellfire and intercession and so on,
while you do not find this agreement in the other
sects. Although faith is not subject to opinions as the
truth is one.
       Ibadites Doctrinal Principles
The general principle of the Ibadite faith is the
absolute exaltation of the Creator, the Exalted, the
Majestic.
Thus, Ibadites believe that there is nothing like
Almighty, based on what the Almighty said in Ash-
Shu’ra: (There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the
Hearing, the Seeing.) Verse 11.
                           30
All the illusion of simile from the unspecific verses of
the noble Qur’an, they refer them to the precise
verses, following the saying of the Almighty in Al-
Imran: (It is He who has sent down to you, [O
Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are]
precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and
others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is
deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which
is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an
interpretation [suitable to them]) Verse 7.
Many of the Qur’anic phrases cannot be interpreted
according to their explicit meaning because their
interpretation on their apparent meaning leads to an
weird contradiction such as in what Allah says in At-
Tawbah: (They have forgotten Allah, so He has
forgotten them [accordingly]) Verse 67 and His saying
in Maryam: (And never is your Lord forgetful) Verse
64. Whoever interprets forgetting as its apparent
meaning will prove forgetfulness to Allah in the first
and deny it in the second, and His Saying in Fu’ssilat:
(Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from
behind it) Verse 42; to interpret it as it appears
                             31
requires assuming hands and a back to the Noble
Qur’an. Also in Almighty saying in Ta’ha: (brought up
under My eye) Verse 39; cannot be interpreted as the
apparent text says. Allah also says: (The hand of Allah
is over their hands.) Al-Fat’h, Verse 10; interpreting
the verse without metaphor requires affirming a real
hand for Allah, and for Allah’s hand to be above the
hands of those who pledge allegiance. This is also
applies to Almighty’s saying: (Allah has set a seal upon
their hearts) Al-Baqarah, Verse 7, and His Saying:
(Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith) Al-
Mujadilah, Verse 22. Did he take a pen and write it on
their hearts? And His saying: (And hold firmly to the
rope of Allah all together) Al-Imran Chapter, Verse
103; there is no real tangible cord.
    Ibadites Affirm the Attributes of
                          Allah
The Ibadites affirm all the actual and intrinsic
attributes of Allah, such as Hearing, Seeing, Powerful,
Creator and other attributes, but they say that His
intrinsic attributes are not something that exceeds the
                            32
Self. They are absolute, subjective perfections that
are not lacking in an audio or visual apparatus as is the
case with His creatures, for Allah’s hearing does not
depend on sound vibrations transmitted through the
ether to an audio apparatus, but rather hears in and
of itself. He is all-knowing of all sounds, and He is not
distracted by a sound from a sound. He is also not in
need of an optical apparatus to be a mediator
between Him and the beings in order to be
manifested to Him. His sight is all-encompassing, and
He is powerful by Himself, not lacking two real hands
to create with them.
The Ibadites denial of these physical body parts that
are affirmed by the analogists is what made the
analogists claim that the Ibadites deny the attributes
of Allah, because the analogists affirm parts for Allah,
and the Shafi’is, the Malikis, the Hanafis, and Ibn al-
Jawzi from the Hanbalis responded to their claims.
                            33
    Exalting Allah from Partiality in a
                         Place
Ibadites exalt Allah from partiality in a place because
He was before the creation of time and place, and He
is as He is since. He does not transform or change. It is
impossible for any of His creatures to have an effect
on Himself, so neither place nor time has an effect on
Him.
This is what Imam Abu Idris Al-Shafi’i said: “As in It’haf
As-Sadah Al-Muttaqin 2/24) where he said: He, the
Exalted, was and there was no place, so He created
the place, and He is in His eternal attribute as He was
before His creation, and this is what most of the
scholars of the Islamic nation are agreed upon. The
Imam of the Two Holy Mosques said in Al-Irshad (p.
58): “The creed of all the people of truth is that Allah,
Glory be to Him, is above partiality and being in
directions.
                            34
Ahmad ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani Al-Shafi’i said in Fat’h Al-
Bari (7/124): “The belief of the forefathers of the
nation and the scholars of the Sunnah after them is
that Allah is beyond movement, transformation and
placement.”
This also agreed upon by: Al-Ghazali in his book Ihya
Ulum Al-Din (C.1/128), Al-Qurtubi in Al-Jami Li Ahkam
Al-Quran vol.3 p.278), Abu Bakr Al-Baqlani Al-Maliki in
Al-Insaaf, Al-Nawawi in Sharh Sahih Muslim (3/19), Ibn
Hajar Al-Asqalani Al-Shafi’i in “Fat’h Al-Bari” 6136), Ibn
Jama’ah Al-Shafi’i in I’idah Al-Dalil (p. 104-105), Ibn Al-
Subki in “It’haf Al-Kainat, Ibn Ashour in Al-Tahrir wa
Al-Tanweer and Ibn Al-Jawzi Al-Hanbali:” In Daf’e
Shubah Al Mushabiheen (p. 85).
Ibn Hajar Al-Haythami in “Al-Fatwa Al-Haditha” (p.
144) denies that Imam Ahmad affirmed Allah’s being
in directions where he said: What spread among those
who are attributed to the great hard-working Imam
that he believed in Allah’s being in directions, is lies,
and slander against him.
                            35
From this point of view, we explain the ascension to
the throne as kingship and ownership, not physical
sitting or stability. The throne is a place, and Allah
does not lack a place. Allah is not in need of a place or
anything else as He says: (and Allah is the Free of
need) Muhammed, Verse 38.
Allah existed before the existence of the Throne, and
it is impossible to say that He became stable on the
Throne after He was not like that, because Allah does
not change.
And the angels carry the Throne, so if Allah were
stable on it, then the holder of the throne would be
the carrier of Allah, exalted be Allah, He is above that.
And this is not the saying of the Ibadites themselves
only, as it was presented a little while ago that all the
Sunnis do not believe in Allah’s placement in place
except for the analogists.
So think: Is exalting Allah from the lack of space, and
that Allah is absolutely in no need for a place which is
what the majority of the Muslim nation scholars have
                            36
said is heresy?! Is the belief that Allah requires a place
for his existence is the real Sunnah?!
   Ibadites Exalt Allah from Descent
                 and Movement
The Ibadites deny descent and self-movement from
Allah, and they explain the hadith of descent by the
descent of Allah’s command because Allah Almighty is
impossible for conditions to have an effect on Him,
and for Him to change from one condition to another
as this is one of the characteristics of the creature.
Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, nullified the
divinity of the planets, the moon and the sun with
their decline, and faced his people with this argument.
And this is not the saying of the Ibadites alone. Ibn
Hajar Al-Asqalani attributed in his explanation of the
hadith of descent the saying that Allah is not described
as descending to the public. He said: “The one who
affirmed the direction, and said it is the direction of
elevation, used it as evidence, and the majority denied
                             37
that, because saying that leads to partiality and Allah
is exalted from that19. He also said, “The ancestors of
the nation and the scholars of the Sunnah after them
believe that Allah is beyond movement,
transformation and placement, and there is nothing
like Him20. And it was mentioned that the meaning of
the “coming of Allah” is the coming of his command
(but [the decree of] Allah came upon them from
where they had not expected) Al-Hashr, Verse 2.
Allah mentioned His coming to them, but He did not
come to them Himself; His command came to them.
Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari said when explaining the verse:
Allah’s command came to them.
19
   Fat’h Albari 3/30.
20
   Fat’h Albari 7/124.
                           38
       Allah is Exalted from Illusions
Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is not conditioned by
illusions, nor limited by thoughts. Man has a great
perceptive power, but he can only perceive what he
his senses reach and realize. If someone is created
blind and you try to bring or show him the colors, it is
impossible for him to perceive them; because his
senses did not reach or realize them, and the Ibadites
do not imagine the image of Allah because of their
belief that seeing Allah is impossible. Thus, you do not
hear from them someone who says that I saw Him in
a dream, or He is a beardless young man, or
something like that like what the others say.
                             39
   Exalting Allah from Being Visually
                     Perceived
Allah Almighty praised Himself in Al-An’am that eyes
cannot perceive Him. He says: (Vision perceives Him
not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle,
the Acquainted.) Verse 103. Thus, Allah cannot be
seen in this life (Dunia) nor in the afterlife.
If you search in language dictionaries, you will find
that “I have perceived it with my sight” means “I have
seen it”, and the perception of sight does not mean
anything but vision.
Allah Almighty said to Moses, peace be upon him:
(You will not see Me) Al-A’raf, Verse 143; Allah denied
He could be seen. If you follow the verses of the
Qur’an, you will find everything that is denied about
Allah by any means of negation whatsoever; that
negation does not change in this world or in the
afterlife, so this cannot differ from what is in the
Qur’an in general.
                            40
As for the verse from Al-Qiama, it means waiting, so
we referred it to the precise, the verse of Al-An’am.
And the hadith that those who affirm seeing of Allah
depend on (You will see your Lord) and claim that it is
Mutawatir (Consecutive), they themselves disagree
with it. You can refer to the hadith in Sahih Muslim
which affirms that seeing Allah is possible for
hypocrites, however, those who believe in seeing
Allah say it is just possible for true believers only. I
asked a question to one of them, who was claiming
the hadith to be mutawatir, and I said to him: If it was
mutawatir, then why would you disagree with it and
say that the hypocrites will not see their Lord as it
came in the hadith that you claim to be mutawatir? He
did not reply.
Think: The dictionaries say that perceiving the sight is
vision and not full perception of the divine being, so
denying this perception is a denial of vision. This is
what we said, where is the heresy?
                           41
     Our Belief in The Words of Allah
We describe Allah as speaking, i.e. able to speak,
meaning he is not mute. This is a subjective quality
that Allah has characterized from eternity.
It is said “a speaker”, and it is meant that He speaks,
given that He initiates speech whenever He wills, so
He speaks to whomever he wills whenever he wills, as
He spoke to Moses, peace be upon him, so this is a
description of a verb.
As for the speech He speaks to whomever he wills, it
is created because it is the effect of that attribute. For
example, Allah’s ability to create is an intrinsic quality,
and His creation of creations is an actual attribute, and
the creation that He created is a creature.
The scholar Abu Zahra said: And the fact that he
created the creation with this ability did not
necessitate the ancientness of the creation, so the fact
that the Qur’an is spoken by Allah, and is addressed to
His Prophet, and He revealed it to him by His power,
                            42
and in the manner of the words with which He
described Himself, it does not require that the Qur’an
to be ancient.21
And when we say: The Qur’an is created, we do not
mean by it the attribute of speech, since there is no
evidence to call it Qur’an, or the attribute of
knowledge, as these two subjective attributes are
undoubtedly ancient, but we are talking about the
Qur’an recited in tongues, written in the Mus’haf,
since the attributes of Allah are inseparable from Him.
And this is the Qur’an, which we said is created; is
what is in our hands, and the challenge occurred with
this composition, and Allah referred to it by the sign
of the present, and He says: (Indeed, this Qur'an
guides to that which is most suitable) Al-Isra, Verse 9
so what is present between our hands is the Arabic
composition and this is what Allah prevented the
unpurified from touching. He said: (None touch it
except the purified) Al-Waqi’ah, Verse 79 22. Allah has
21
   Abu Zahra, “Ibn Hanbal His Life and His Time,” pg. 52, Dar Al-Fikr Al-
Arabi, quoting Burhan Al-Haqq, vol. 3, p. 37
22
   The Straight Path in Proving the Old Letter, Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi, p.
25, quoting Burhan Al-Haqq, vol. 3, p. 61.
                                     43
informed us that it is in the hearts of those who have
been given knowledge. He said: (Rather, the Qur'an is
distinct verses [preserved] within the breasts (hearts)
of those who have been given knowledge) Al-
Ankabut, Verse 49. He has informed that it is in the
Preserved Slate. He said: (But this is an honored
Qur'an, [Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate) Al-Buruj,
Verses 21-22. If the Qur’an was Allah’s attribute, it
would not be separated and placed in a creation of
Allah.
Ibn Taymiyyah himself says that there is no essence
other than the one present with us, where he said,
“The claim of the existence of an essence other than
the one that exist outside is a corrupt claim.”23
We have fifteen proofs from the Qur’an that indicate
its occurrence, including: It is not impossible for it to
perish (And if We willed, We could surely do away
with that which We revealed to you) Al-Isra, Verse 86,
and the Eternal One is impossible to perish.
23
   Majmoo’ Fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah Volume 12 p. 319
                                  44
And some verses are abrogated (Whenever We
abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten, We bring
one better than it or one equal to it) Al-Baqarah, Verse
106, and the attribute of Allah does not change.
And it is perfected and presented in detail ([This is] a
Book whose verses are perfected and then presented
in detail) Hud, Verse 1.
And it is revealed (or descended) (believe in what has
been revealed to you) Al-Baqarah, Verse4, and what is
descended is transferred from one place to another,
which is impossible for the ancient.
And it is connected with time (Then We said to the
angels, "Prostrate to Adam") Al-A’raf, Verse 11. How
what its occurrence is connected with a time is an
eternal?
And it is preserved (Indeed, it is We who sent down
the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian) Al-
Hij’r, Verse 9, and the attributes of Allah do not need
to be preserved by preservers.
                            45
And it is placed in a creation of Allah. The Almighty
said: ([Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate) Al-Buruj, Verses
22. (Rather, the Qur'an is distinct verses [preserved]
within the breasts of those who have been given
knowledge) Al-Ankabut, Verse 49. So if the Qur’an is
an attribute of Allah who is not created, how can the
created be mixed with it - and even dominate it?!
Imam Muhammad Abduh said: “The one who says
that the recited Qur’an is ancient is worse in state and
misguided in belief than every religion that the Qur’an
named astray and called to oppose. Believing that
Qur’an was created by Allah with no intervene of the
humans does not disgrace its honor. Rather, that is the
purpose of what the religion calls to believe in, for it is
the Sunnah, and it is what the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, was upon. Everything
that contradicts it is heresy and misguidance.”24 (24)
The alteration occurred on the previous books of the
Jews and Christians, and if those revelations were
24
   Risalat At-Tawheed, p. 66, Dar Ihya al-Ulum, Beirut.
                                     46
attributes of Allah, they would not have been able to
dominate them and make alterations to them.
Apparently, those who say that the Qur’an is ancient
have three issues mixed: the fact that the Qur’an is an
addition to Allah, so they did not differentiate
between Allah’s ability to speak and its effect, and
that its being present in Allah’s knowledge, and that
the presence of Allah’s names in it.
Ibn Hazm said: “Ahl Al-Sunnah said that the word of
Allah Almighty is His knowledge and that it is not
created, and this is the saying of Imam Ahmad bin
Hanbal and others.”25
He also said: The Qur’an is the word of Allah and it is
His knowledge. ”26 And in the Book of the Sunnah by
Al-Khallal, it says (1864) Abu Al-Nadhar Ismail bin
Abdullah bin Maymun Al-Ajli told me he said: I heard
Abu Abdullah saying: Whoever says that the names of
Allah Almighty are created, and that Allah’s
25
   Al-Fasl fi Al-Milal wa Al-Ahwa’a, vol. 3, p. 4.
26
   Previous reference p. 6.
                                      47
knowledge is created, then he is An infidel”27. All of
this does not indicate the ancientness of the revealed
words of Allah.
As for adding speech to Allah, it is a matter of adding
speech to the one who says it, and it does not mean
that it is the same as the ability of Allah to speak,
which is a self-perfection that negates muteness.
As for the existence of the Qur’an and other books in
the knowledge of Allah does not mean that it is the
same as His self-knowledge. Rather, it is known to
Allah, for every atom in the universe is in the
knowledge of Allah, but the ancientness of the
knowledge does not determine the precedence of the
known. As Allah Almighty knows about the revealed
books from eternity, their quantity, letters and
utterances, He also knows the time of their revelation
and to whom they will be revealed.
As for the presence of His Names, the Most High, in
the Qur’an does not indicate His ancientness, just as it
27
   Burhan Al-Haqq, Volume 3, by His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalili, p. 41.
                                      48
contains His Names, the Most High, there are also the
names of His creatures in it. Then, shall we say this is
ancient and this is created? In fact they are words
written by pens and pronounced with tongues.
       Those Who Say the Qur’an is
      Ancient Destroy Their Sayings
Those who say that the Qur’an is old have destroyed
their belief themselves. With their saying that the
word of Allah is a sound, they admit that the sound
ends, so it cannot remain, let alone its precedence.
Rather, Ibn Taymiyyah attributed the corruption of
this saying to the majority of the wise, so he said, “The
sound’s survival cannot be imagined, let alone its
ancientness, and he said: So the majority of the wise
said to them: This opinion is known to be corrupt by
necessity, for the eternity of the voice cannot be
imagined, and the claim of the existence of an essence
other than what exists outside is a corrupt claim.28
And they demolished the argument they relied upon
28
   Majmoo’ Fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah Volume 12 p. 319.
                                  49
in their saying that the word of Allah is ancient as Allah
differentiates between creation and command in His
saying, the Most High, in Al-A’raf: (Unquestionably,
His is the creation and the command) Verse 54.
Scholars said the Command is old, and it is the word
“Kun” (Be) in His saying in An-Nahl: (Indeed, Our word
to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it,
"Be," and it is.) Verse 40. Ibn Al-Qayyim invalidated
this evidence that they relied on by saying: The verses
indicate the occurrence of the Command. Allah said:
(Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but
that We say to it, "Be," and it is.) An-Nahl, Verse 40
and His saying: (His command is only when He intends
a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.) Yasin, Verse
82. If the verb and “An-‫ ”أن‬are denoting the future,
and (we say-‫ )نقول‬is a verb denoting the present and
the future, and (be-‫ )كن‬two letters precedes one
another, so what this verse necessitates is what is in
the clear minds and instincts. As well His saying: (And
when We intend to destroy a city, We command its
affluent) Al-Isra, Verse 16; whether the Command
                            50
here is an order of formation or an order of legislation,
it exists after it was not.29
Allah Does not Break His Promise (or
                               Threat)
Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is true to His promise
and threat. He says in Qaf: (while I had already
presented to you the warning, The word will not be
changed with Me, and never will I be unjust to the
servants.") Verses 28-29.
This is not the saying of the Ibadites alone. Al-Fakhr
Al-Razi responds to those who said that Allah’s going
back on His threat is the generosity of Him when
interpreting the Almighty’s verse 93 in An-Nisa’a: (But
whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense
is Hell). Saying that means Allah is breaking His threat,
and this is an extremely corrupt saying; because the
threat is one of the sections of the telling and if it is
29
   Al-Sawa’iq Al-Mursala, pg. 429/430, Imam Press 13 Qarqoul Street, Al-
Manshiyya, Egypt. See Fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah, vol. 12, p. 239/240, 1st -
Riyadh Press
                                    51
permissible for Allah to break it, then it is permissible
for Him to lie, and this is a great mistake, rather it is
close to being infidelity. The wise are unanimously
agreed that it is impossible for Allah Almighty to lie,
and because if it is permissible for Allah to lie in a
threat because breaking a threat is generosity, then
why is it not permissible to lie in stories and news for
the purpose of interest!? It is known that opening this
door leads to distorting and challenging the Qur’an
and all of the Shariah.
         Repentance is The Basis of
                    Forgiveness
A sin is not forgiven without repentance, Allah said in
An-Nisa’a: (Indeed, Allah does not forgive association
with Him, but He forgives what is less than that) Verse
48.
In Ta’ha, Allah points out those for whom He wills
forgiveness, He said: (But indeed, I am the Perpetual
Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does
                            52
righteousness and then continues in guidance.) Verse
82. The Qur’an explains itself and confirms this by
saying: (and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and
[who] do not persist in what they have done while
they know, whose - their reward is forgiveness from
their Lord) Al-Imran, Verses 135-136. He stipulated
for forgiveness not to persist in committing sins
(meaning repentance), and He told that the sins that
are forgiven without repentance are minor sins only.
Allah Almighty said in An-Nisa’a: (If you avoid the
major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove
from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble
entrance [into Paradise]) Verse 31, and He said:
(Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities,
only [committing] slight ones) An-Najm, Verse 32.
Despite this, there are those who insist that they are
under the will (Allah’s will to forgive them), so they
can be forgiven even if they insist on sins, even though
Allah stipulated that they should not insist.
Think: Allah said: (But indeed, I am the Perpetual
Forgiver) so how can we say that a person will be
                           53
forgiven if he does not repent? And He said: (and
[who] do not persist) so how can we say: He will
forgive them even if they persist? And He said: (If you
avoid) so how can we say: He will atone for your sins,
even if you do not avoid them?!
                       The Scale
We say that the scale on the Day of Resurrection is not
tangible, but rather it is the true and fair separation
between the actions of the creatures as per the saying
of the Most High: (And the weighing [of deeds] that
Day will be the truth) Al-A’raf, Verse 8, and His saying,
Glory be to Him, in Al-Anbiya: (And We place the
scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection) Verse 47.
It is a distinction between good and bad deeds.
                            54
      Intercession for The Righteous
Our belief is that intercession is for the righteous and
repentant, not for those who persist in major sins.
Some may object that repentance itself expiates sins,
and there is no effect of intercession with it. The
answer is that even if repentance is expiation by the
grace and mercy of Allah, the repentance of the
penitent conduces to the entitlement to the
intercession of the Prophet, Peace and Blessing of
Allah be Upon Him, as the angels ask forgiveness for
those who repent, as the Almighty said: ("Our Lord,
You have encompassed all things in mercy and
knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and
followed Your way) Ghafir, Verse 7.
The evidence for the unworthiness of intercession for
the people of major sins are many, including Allah’s
saying: (And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for
another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted
from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor
will they be aided) Al-Baqarah, Verse 48. In this verse,
Allah has denied the acceptance of intercession from
anyone for anyone, and if the intercession of the
                           55
Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him or someone else, was
accepted, this meaning would be contradicted by this
text. This is supported by the denial of the
recompense of one soul for another, and what
followed it from His sayings: (nor will they be aided).
If the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, intercedes for one
of those who commit major sins deserving Allah’s
punishment, then, a soul would be a recompense for
a soul and a supporter of it. This verse, as you can see,
proves that intercession will not be accepted on that
day, and it is what its sister verse 123 (nor will any
intercession benefit it) also proves because benefit is
the fruit of acceptance; if intercession is accepted, it
will benefit, just as if it is not accepted, it will not
benefit anything.
The fact that the discourse in the verse is for the Jews
does not mean that what was mentioned in it, of
describing that day, does not include others, for they
are warned one of a day that would be the same with
them and with others. If Jews were the only ones
meant here, then, the warning would not include the
polytheists and atheists, which is what unanimously
disagreed with.
                            56
If the warning from the evil of that day in the verse
was directed at the Jews, then the similar was directed
to the believers in His saying, Glory be to Him, who
said: (O you who have believed, spend from that
which We have provided for you before there comes
a Day in which there is no exchange and no friendship
and no intercession. And the disbelievers - they are
the wrongdoers) Al-Baqarah, Verse 254.                                 The
discourse here is for the believers, and this is sufficient
evidence of the unworthiness of intercession for the
one who commits major sins 30 (30).
If warning someone of a matter meant that he is the
only one warned against that matter, then this verse
would be evidence that the believers would also be
the only ones who do not sell, do not have friendship
and do not get intercession on that day.
Allah Almighty said: (and they cannot intercede
except on behalf of one whom He approves) Al-
Anabiya’a, Verse 28, and Allah Almighty does not
accept the wrongdoers. And He said: (For the
30
   Refer to Jewels of Interpretation (Jawahir A’Tafseer), His Eminence
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalili, part two.
                                      57
wrongdoers there will be no devoted friend and no
intercessor [who is] obeyed) Ghafir, Verse 18, and
Injustice (or wrongdoing) is not limited to polytheism.
Allah says: (Indeed, those who devour the property of
orphans unjustly) An-Nisa’a, Verse 10, and if injustice
were confined to polytheism, the non-polytheists
would not have entered Hell, because Allah says:
(They who believe and do not mix their belief with
injustice - those will have security, and they are
[rightly] guided) Al-An’am, Verse 82, and the
Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him, said to his
aunt Safiya, and his daughter Fatimah, may Allah be
pleased with them both: (O Safiya, (the aunt of Allah’s
prophet) I cannot save you from Allah (if you disobey
Him) O Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad! Ask what
you wish from my property, but I cannot save you
from Allah (if you disobey Him) narrated by Bukhari
and Muslim.
Note: All the evidence for the immortality of the
people of major sins confirm the lack of intercession
for them.
                           58
So how does the Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon
Him, intercede for someone whom Allah has told us
that he will be immortal in Hellfire? How can he
intercede for someone who himself has forbade from
Paradise? Rather, how can he intercede for the one
who said about him himself that he will not smell the
scent of Paradise?!
     The People of The Hellfire Will
         Remain Therein Eternally
There has been a lot of vilification and criticism of the
Ibadites for advocating the immortality of the people
of major sins in Hellfire on social networking sites,
especially on Twitter, by misguided advocates of
sedition, their imitators and gossipers.
One asks, “How do you say that a monotheist will be
immortal in Hell, and there are clear hadiths that
every monotheist will come out of Hell?” And another
says: You equated him with the polytheist, and he
                           59
said: Where did his deeds go? And a third says: You do
not believe in the Sunnah, and your statement is
nothing but following your scholars.
We respond: This case is not resolved by accusations
and the arbitration of reason without referring to the
text; we must submit to the text (And if you disagree
over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if
you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is
the best [way] and best in result) An-Nisa’a, Verse 59.
We furthermore say the following:
First, this belief was mentioned by the Qur’an and
clarified that it is not based on evidence in Al-Baqarah,
Verse 80 (And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us,
except for a few days." Say, "Have you taken a
covenant with Allah? For Allah will never break His
covenant. Or do you say about Allah that which you
do not know?") He replied to those who say that
whoever earns a bad deed and does not get rid of it
by repentance is immortal in Hellfire: (Yes, whoever
earns evil and his sin has encompassed him - those are
the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein
                             60
eternally.) Al-Baqarah, Verse 81. He replied to them
that Paradise is not for those who do evil deeds, but
for those who do good deeds (But they who believe
and do righteous deeds - those are the companions of
Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.) Al-
Baqarah, Verse 82.
We also benefit from the verses that:
    1. This belief is of Jewish origin, as it appears from
         the text, and it was mentioned for the purpose
         of denouncing them and denouncing their
         misguidance.
    2. The denunciation of this belief and that it is not
         based on a covenant from Allah.
    3. It stated that whoever committed a sin that
         encompassed him - meaning he did not get rid
         of it by repentance - then he will be eternal in
         the Fire.
Secondly, the Qur’an states that Allah’s mercy in the
hereafter is for the righteous only ("My punishment -
I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses
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all things." So I will decree it [especially] for those who
fear Me) Al-A’raf, Verse 156.
Someone told me that the pious is the one who avoids
polytheism. I said this is not said by those who have
the slightest knowledge of the teachings of Islam, so
the one who accuses unwary chaste women with
adultery is cursed, and the one who deals with usury
is cursed, and the one who deals with alcohol is
cursed, and others, so how is the cursed one is pious?!
And the Messenger, Peace Be Upon Him, forbade
Paradise for many of the monotheists who committed
major sins, so does that mean that he forbade
Paradise for the pious?! Allah says: (That is Paradise,
which We give as inheritance to those of Our servants
who were fearing of Allah) Maryam, Verse 63, so will
he give it as inheritance to those who commit
immorality? Will he give it to those who commit
immorality?
Third: Allah divided the people into two parts: those
who are happy and those who are miserable (As for
those who were [destined to be] wretched, they will
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be in the Fire. For them therein is [violent] exhaling
and inhaling) Hud, Verse 106; (And as for those who
were [destined to be] prosperous, they will be in
Paradise) Hud, Verse 108. So, did you find in the
Qur’an a mention to those who were wretched and
then were happy to apply your saying on them (that
they will be expelled from Fire)?
Fourth, Allah told that wicked people do not miss the
Fire, so He said: (Indeed, the righteous will be in
pleasure, And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire,
They will [enter to] burn therein on the Day of
Recompense, And never therefrom will they be
absent) Al-Infitar, Verses 13-16. Allah told that the
wicked people do not disappear from the fire, so how
can it be said that they get out of it? They said they
are the wicked polytheists. We said: If the wicked are
the polytheists, then the people of major sins are
among the righteous, because there is no third section
in the verse, is this correct?
Fifth: The criminals will be mortal in the Fire (Indeed,
the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, abiding
eternally, It will not be allowed to subside for them,
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and they, therein, are in despair, And We did not
wrong them, but it was they who were the
wrongdoers, And they will call, "O Malik, let your Lord
put an end to us!" He will say, "Indeed, you will
remain.") Al-Zukh’ruf, Verses 47-77.
His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili -
may Allah preserve him - says: “Is there anyone who
says that the fornicator who died while insisting on
fornication, or one who drinks alcohol, or kills a
person, whom Allah has forbidden, unjustly, or eats
usury, or insists on committing major sins, is not one
of the criminals?!! He means here that they do not
deserve intercession.
Sixth: Allah has informed that the people of Paradise
will not be burdened with gloom or humiliation (For
them who have done good is the best [reward] and
extra. No darkness will cover their faces, nor
humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they
will abide therein eternally) Yunus, Verse 66. So, is it
possible for them to enter Hellfire, even for a second,
and not be afflicted by gloom or humiliation?
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Seventh: Allah told that those who earn bad deeds
have no protector from Allah, and they will remain
mortal in the Fire (But they who have earned [blame
for] evil doings - the recompense of an evil deed is its
equivalent, and humiliation will cover them. They will
have from Allah no protector. It will be as if their faces
are covered with pieces of the night - so dark [are
they]. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will
abide therein eternally) Yunus, Verse 27. Are not the
people of major sins of those who earned bad deeds?
Eighth: Allah, Glory be to Him, informed us that
Paradise is restricted to the righteous, and not to the
criminals and the wicked (That is Paradise, which We
give as inheritance to those of Our servants who were
fearing of Allah) Maryam, Verse 63. Allah Almighty
said also: (but the home of the Hereafter is best for
those who fear Allah) Al-An’am, Verse 32 and He said:
(And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous
And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous)
Al-Zukh’ruf, Verse 35. He also indicated that Paradise
has been prepared for the righteous in his saying: (And
hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as
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wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the
righteous) Al-Im’ran, Verse 133.
The Principle of (No Monotheist Will
            Perpetuate in Hellfire)
As for the principle on which the Ibadite opponents
built their belief that a monotheist will not perpetuate
in Hellfire, it is a false principle that contradicts the
Qur’an and the Sunnah.
There is a huge amount of evidence from the Qur’an
and Sunnah that invalidates the principle on which
they built their belief that a monotheist will not
perpetuate in Hellfire; that proves the immortality (in
Hell) of the perpetrators of major sins (not only those
who involve in atheism). I mentioned in my book
“Ibadites in The Field of Truth” forty-two proofs, and I
am mentioning here some of them to make clear to
the honorable reader the invalidity of this principle.
If a monotheist accused chaste women with adultery,
will the Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him,
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intercede for him and take him out of Fire, and Allah
informed about those who commit this sin that they
are expelled from His mercy?! He said: (Indeed, those
who [falsely] accuse chaste, unaware and believing
women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter;
and they will have a great punishment) An-Nur, Verse
23.
If a monotheist intentionally killed a believer, would
the Messenger, Peace Be Upon Him, intercede for the
killer to get him out of Hellfire, when Allah informed
his Messenger that Allah was angry with the killer,
cursed him and prepared for him a great
punishment?! He said: (But whoever kills a believer
intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will
abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him
and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great
punishment) An-Nisa’a, Verse 93. They said: The
verse was revealed about an infidel who killed a
believer. We said: It is proven in the principles of
jurisprudence (Usul Al Fiqh) that the lesson is taken by
the generality of the word, not by the specificity of the
cause.
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The transgressor in inheritance is monotheistic, and
Allah has decreed his eternity in Hellfire (And whoever
disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses
His limits - He will put him into the Fire to abide
eternally therein, and he will have a humiliating
punishment) An-Nisa’a, Verse 14. How can the
Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, intercede for him to get
out of the fire, when Allah has decreed that he will be
immortal therein?
The fornicator is monotheistic, and Allah told us that
he will be immortal in Hellfire, so he said: (And those
who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the
soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by
right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse.
And whoever should do that will meet a penalty,
Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of
Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated,
Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous
work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with
good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful) Al-
Fur’qan, Verses 68-70.
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They said: The threat is placed on the one who
combines all of these attributes, i.e. the one who
associates with Allah another deity and kills the
forbidden soul unjustly and commits fornication. We
said: Then by this saying, no one will perpetuate in
Hellfire because of polytheism until he includes the
killing of a forbidden soul unjustly and fornication!
The one who inclines toward wrongdoers people is
monotheist, and Allah has told that he has no helper,
so will the Messenger, Pease Be Upon Him, help him
with his intercession and take him out of Fire? Allah
says: (And do not incline toward those who do wrong,
lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not
have other than Allah any protectors; then you would
not be helped) Hud, Verse 113.
This one who killed himself with an iron tool or with
poison, will the Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon
Him, intercede for him to get him out of Hellfire while
he himself said: (He who kills himself with a piece of
iron will have his piece of iron in his hand and will be
stabbed with it in his belly in the fire of Jahannam
forever and ever and he who sips poison and kills
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himself will have his poison in his hand and sip it
forever in the fire of Jahannam), narrated by Bukhari
and Muslim and other by way of Abu Huraira.
The one who did not look after his flock is monotheist,
so will he obtain the intercession of the Messenger,
Peace Be Upon Him, to get out of Fire and enter
Paradise when he is the one who said: (Any man
whom Allah has given the authority to rule some
people and he does not look after them in an honest
manner, will never enter Paradise), narrated by
Bukhari.
The one who took away the right of a Muslim with his
oath, is a monotheist. Does he deserve Paradise by the
intercession of the Messenger, Peace Be Upon Him,
while he is the one who said: (Allah decrees the (Hell)
Fire and forbids Jannah for the one who usurps the
rights of a believer by taking a false oath) narrated by
Malik, Muslim and Nasa’i.
The alcoholic, the disobedient to his parents and the
cuckold are monotheists. Will they enjoy paradise
thanks to the intercession of the Messenger, Peace be
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Upon Him, while he is the one who said: (There are
three to whom Allah has forbidden Paradise; one who
is addicted to wine, an undutiful son and a cuckold
who agrees to his women-folk’s adultery), narrated by
Ahmed, Al-Bazzar, Al-Hakim and An-Nasa’i.
The one who attributes himself to a father other than
his real father, and he knows about it, is a monotheist.
Will he obtain the intercession of the Messenger,
Peace Be Upon Him, to enjoy Paradise when the
Messenger, Peace Be Upon Him, told us that: (He who
(falsely) attributes his fatherhood to anyone besides
his real father, knowing that he is not his father, will
be forbidden to enter Jannah), narrated by Bukhari
and Muslim. The prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, says:
(Whoever attributes himself to someone other than
his father, or (a freed slave) who attributes himself to
someone other than his (real) master, upon him will
be the curse of Allah, the angles and all the people,
and no charge nor equitable exchange will be
accepted from him in the Day of Resurrection),
narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.
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Those who torture people unjustly, and the dressed
women but appear to be naked, are monotheists. Will
the Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him,
intercede for them to be expelled from Fire and enjoy
in Paradise, while he himself said, “They will not find
the smell of Paradise?”. In Sahih Muslim: Abu Huraira
reported Allaha’s Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him)
having said that: Two are the types of the denizens of
Hell whom I did not see: People having flogs like the
tails of the ox with them and they would be beating
people, and the women would be dressed but appear
to be naked, who would be inclined (to evil) and make
their husbands incline towards it. Their heads would
be like the humps of the bukht camel inclined to one
side. They will not enter Paradise and they would not
smell its odour whereas it odour be smelt from such
and such distance.
The oppressive and tyrant sultan and the person
exaggerating in religion are monotheists, so will the
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,
intercede for them, while he is the one who said:
(There are two types of my nation for whom my
intercession will not attain: a tyrannical, oppressive
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sultan, and an exaggerated one in religion who bears
witness against them and absolves from them.) Sahih,
Al-Tabbarani in Al-Kabir.32
The one who killed a Mu’ahid soul (a person given
protection by a treaty with Muslims) is a monotheist,
so will the Messenger of All, Peace Be Upon Him,
intercede for him so that he may enjoy paradise while
he is the one who said as Abu Hurairah reported:
(Indeed, whoever kills a Mu’ahid that has a covenant
from Allah and a covenant from His Messenger, Peace
Be Upon Him, then he has violated the covenant with
Allah and His Messenger, so he shall not smell the
fragrance of Paradise; even though its fragrance can
be sensed from the distance of seventy autumns )
narrated by Al- Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, and
authenticated by Al-Albani.
The woman who asks for divorce without a reason is
a monotheist, and the Messenger of Allah told that
the scent of Paradise is forbidden for her, so will he
intercede for her? Thawban, may Allah be pleased
with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said: (If any woman
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asks her husband for divorce without some strong
reason, the odour of Paradise will be forbidden for
her) authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Abu Dawood.
From the foregoing, we find that the Messenger of
Allah, Peace Be Upon Him, said about some of the
people of major sins: that he is immortal in the fire,
and he expressed the immortality of others by saying
that they will not enter heaven, and he stressed the
expression on the immortality of some of them in Fire
and said: heaven is forbidden for them, and he
stressed more than that, he said: they do not smell the
scent of heaven. Some still insist that the Messenger
of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him, will intercede for them
and they will get out of Hell.
Glory be to Allah, how will the Messenger of Allah
intercede for someone to enter Paradise when he
himself has forbidden that person from entering
Paradise?! Or he said about him that he does not smell
the scent of heaven?!!
Despite all this, how can the heart of a Muslim feel
assured facing these texts with a flimsy pretext, which
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is that a sinner will not remain in the Fire eternally
unless he makes these major sins permissible, as if
Allah does not punish major sins other than
polytheism, and nullifies all the threats against other
major sins. The Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon
Him, did not imply that sinners remain in Hellfire
eternally by making these sins permissible, but rather
by committing them. He did not say that paradise is
forbidden for the one who makes alcohol permissible,
or for the one who makes disobeys one’s parents and
other major sins permissible!!
Sayyid Muhammad Rashid Ridha says: The sixth rule is
that the reward is for faith and work together,
because religion is faith and action, and it is arrogance
for someone who belongs to a prophet to think that
he will be saved from eternity in Fire just by belonging.
And the witness is what Allah told about the Children
of Israel about their arrogance in their religion, and it
was responded to them so that we would not follow
their approach, but we followed their it inch by inch
and cubit by cubit confirming what was mentioned in
the authentic hadith. We are different from them in
that their followers are not all of the Ummah but only
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part of it, the preservation of our book, the recording
our prophet’s Sunnah and the explanation of the
argument of the people of knowledge and guidance is
valid until the Day of Resurrection (1).
This is nothing but following the wishes of the Jews
and the polytheists, as they think that they will be in
the Hereafter as they are in this world, and this is as
the verse has told: (Paradise is not [obtained] by your
wishful thinking nor by that of the People of the
Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be
recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah
a protector or a helper) An-Nisa’a, Verse 123.
                         Fate
Ibadites believe that man is free in his choices and he
performs his deeds, for creation is for Allah and choice
to perform is for the servant.
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                    Our Prayers
We do in our prayers according to what was agreed
upon, so scholars from all Islamic sects unanimously
agreed on the validity of the Ibadite prayer without
holding, raising, or saying “Amen” after Al-Fatihah. Al-
Nawawi said in the explanation of Sahih Muslim: And
they are unanimously agreed that nothing of raising is
obligatory, and what is well-known among the Malikis
is praying without folding hands.
We took our prayers directly from the Companions as
our Imam Jaber bin Zaid coexisted with many of the
Companions, including seventy Badris, and if he saw
them raising or folding hands, he would not have
contradicted them in the manner of the prayer, and
this was conveyed to us. Furthermore, Omanis
converted to Islam in the sixth year of Hijrah, and the
Messenger, Peace Be Upon Him, sent them Amr ibn
Al-Aas, and there is no doubt that they learned from
him the pray as he saw it from the Messenger, Peace
Be Upon Him.
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Ibadites give one tasleema (by which ending the
prayer) according to what is narrated by the Mother
of the Believers Aisha, Salamah bin Al-Akw’a and Sahl
bin Sa’ad, may Allah be pleased with them, according
to Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ahmad that the
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to give one tasleema, and the Muhajirin (the
immigrants) used to offer one tasleema. This is the
well-known saying among the Ibadites, and the saying
of the two tasleemas exists with them as well. Imam
Al-Nawawi Al-Shafi’i said that the relied upon scholars
are unanimously agreed that only one tasleema is
required.
         “Completed by the Grace of Allah”
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