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The work which contains the
Ibadhi collection of hadith, in the real technical sense of the
term, is al-Jami'i al-Sahih, or Musnad al-Rabi b. Habib. The
original version of the book composed by al-Rabi' b. Habib is
not in common use. The current version is that rearranged by
Abu Ya'qub Yusuf b. Ibrahim al-Warijlani entitled Tartib
al-Musnad.45 This latter copy contains additional narrations
added by Abu Ya'qub. These additions occupy parts three and four
of the current editions and contain the narrations from al-Rabi'
on theological questions, all of which are included in part
three. In part four, there are the narrations of Abu Sufyan
Mahbub b. al-Rahil from al-Rabi', narrations of Imam 'Abd al-Wahhab
b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Rustam from Abu Ghanim Bishr b. Ghanim al-Khurasani,
and the maqali of Jabir b. Zaid. In these maqali, the authority
for transmission between Jabir and the Prophet is not mentioned.
As for the first two parts of
the Musnad, they contain Traditions on legal and religious
matters, arranged in the same manner as the Sunni collections of
Hadith. The Isnad (chain of authorities) of the two first parts
is as follows:
Al-Rabi' b. Habib Abu 'Ubaidah -
Jabir b. Zaid a Companion - the Prophet. The Companions are
mainly: Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Anas b.
Mali, A'ishah and others. According to al-Rabi', the Traditions
reported from 'A'ishah were 68; Traditions from Ibn 'Abbas 150;
Traditions from Anas b. Malik 40; Traditions from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
60; Traditions from Abu Hurairah 72. The marasil Traditions of
Jabir b. Zaid 180, and those of Abu 'Ubaidah 88. Traditions
through the following Isnads:
(a)
Al-Rabi’ - Abu Aiyub al-'Ansari - the Prophet;
(b)
Al-Rabi’ - 'Ubaidah b. al-Samit - the Prophet, and
(c) Al-Rabi’ - Ibn Mas'ud -
the Prophet, number 92. The rest of the Traditions added by Abu
Ya'qub in parts three and four are 261.46 The Ibadhi
collection of hadith is much less in number than the Sunni
collections of hadith. Al-Rabi' himself confirmed the
well-known statement that the total number of the authentic
Traditions reported from the Prophet is four thousand, 900 on
the 'Usul, and the rest on morals ('Adab) and history ('Akhbar).
47 The Ibadhi collection with the additions of Abu Ya'qub
contains 1005 Traditions.
The material of the Musnad of
al-Rabi' b. Habib is the same as the material reported by Sunnis
in their collections. Most of the Traditions reported by
al-Rabi' b. Habib are reported by other Sunni authorities with
the same wording, or with slight differences. Al-Salimi, in his
commentary on the Musnad, pointed out the Traditions reported in
a unique form not found in the Sunni collections, but there are
still similar Traditions expressing the same views, technically
called Shawahid. On the other hand, the Ibadhi collection
contained a number of Traditions, each reported with its sound
Isnad of the Ibadhi authorities, which nevertheless were not
accepted in the Sunni collections. Some of them have been
described as being invented (mawdu'). The same is the case with
a number of Traditions regarded as authentic by the Sunni
authorities, but which were, to Ibadhi authorities, no more than
plains lies or innovations (bida'). 48
Ibadhi jurisprudence during its
long history depended only on Ibadhi material reported by Ibadhi
authorities. The other collections of Traditions by Sunnis were
not used at any stage. In fact, the first Ibadhi scholar of
North Africa to mention certain Sunni collections of hadith in
his works was Abu Ya'qub al-Warijlani of the sixth century H.49
Up to the time of al-Barradi, Ibadhi still discouraged the use
of the Sunni collections of hadith. In his treatise, al-Haqa'iq,
al-Barradi advised Ibadhi students as far as possible not to
read them. 50 Thus the Ibadhi legal system was derived from the
material reported by Ibadhi authorities only. Throughout its
history, it developed within the limits of that material. The
nature of the Ibadhi jurisprudence can be understood only by the
study of its original material and authorities, and the
circumstance which led to the foundation of the Ibadhi movement
and directed its growth and development. Ibadhis looked on the
early period of the first two Caliphs as being the ideal age
after which innovations and worldly desires caused the
corruption on the Muslim community in religious and political
life. Their aim was to keep to the example set by the Prophet,
his two successors and the upright Companions, and to
re-establish Muslim society on the same lines as the first
Muslim community. Accordingly the Ibadhis chose their sources
among the Companions and successors living at their time, and
narrated Traditions and 'Athar only from those whom they
regarded, from their point of view, as good Muslims.
With regard to the Companions.
Ibadhis subjected some of them to criticism (al-Jarh). The
Ibadhi argument for this attitude is given by al-Warijlani in
al-'Adl wa al-'insaf. 51 Another special work was devoted to
this subject, i.e. K. al-Takhsis of the Omani scholar, Ahmad b.
'Abdullah al-Nizwi (d.557 H). As for the successors and their
successors in turn, up to the time of the establishment of the
different schools of law, they were all affected by the civil
war, and were either of Ali's party (Shi'ah) or supporters of
Mu'awiyah and the 'Umayyad dynasty, or sympathisers with the
Muhakkimah party; each party patronising only its group and
avoiding the others.52 This was how the Ibadhis categorised the
Muslim community, carefully selecting their authorities from
whom they received information about the Sunnah of the Prophet,
and the 'Athar of the Companions, on which they established
their jurisprudence.
The original material of the
Ibadhi jurisprudence is preserved in the following works:
1)
Al-Jami’i' al-Sahih of
al-Rabi' b. Habib
2)
Al-Mudawwanah of Abu
Ghanim Bishr b. Ghanim al-Khurasani
3)
al-Diwan al-Ma'rud 'Ala 'Ulama
al-Ibadhiyyah
4)
Riwayat Dumam. 53
Composed by Abu Sufrah 'Abd al-Malik b. Sufrah.
5)
Futya al-Rabi' b. Habib.
54
6)
K. Nikah al-shighar of
'Abdullah b. 'Abd al-'Aziz
7)
The books and the
correspondence of the first two Imams of the Ibadhi school,
Jabir b. Zaid, and Abu 'Ubaidah Muslim. 55
Almost all subsequent Ibadhi
works were based mainly on the material preserved in the above
mentioned works. Mss. Of these works are still extant, but not
academic study of them has ever been conducted. Critical
editions with a full academic examination of these works will be
of great value. It may be of some use here to give brief notes
on some of them, in the hope that subsequently the task of a
detailed study may be undertaken. |
