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al-Husainiyah
are the followers of Ahmad b. al-Husain al-Atrabulsi b. Abi
Ziyad.220
According to the late Shaikh Muhammad b. Yusuf Atfiyish, Ibn al-Husain
is from Tarabulus al-Sham, but there is no evidence to support
this view. On the other hand, there is strong evidence that Ibn
al-Husain came from Tripoli, Libya, for his followers were no
Ibadhi groups in Syria at any time. The earliest Ibadhi source
which mentioned Ibn al-Husain is the book of Ibn Sallam. When
speaking about the Ibadhi scholars of the West (al-Maghrib) Ibn
Sallam said, "And in the city of Tripoli are Ammar and his
brother al-Hasan b. Ahmad b. al-Husain al-Atrabulsi b. Abi Ziyad.
I met him in Ajdabia, after the year 260 A.H. on his way back
from the Hajj." he further added, "Ibn al-Husain Ahmad and his
party and companions adopted analogy (qiyas)."221
In this quotation it is clear that Ibn al-Husain was of the
Ibadhi scholars of Tripoli - Libya, and that he lived to the end
of the third century A.H.
According to
Shammakhi, Ahmad b. al-Husain and Ibn Umarah, both adopted
analogy (qiyas) and followed Isa b. Umair in theology and Ibn
Ulaiyah in jurisprudence.222
Shammakhi also reported that he saw a number of books written by
Ibn al-Hussain, he added that the best of them are K. al-Maqalat
on theology, and K. al-Mukhtasar on jurisprudence.223
Unfortunately neither of these two books is extant today. The
latest author to mention their existence is al-Shammakhi in the
above quotation. It is reported that the books of Ibn al-Husain
were extant in Warijlan in the beginning of the fourth century
A.H.224
Among the Ibadhi authors of Nufusah who quoted from K. al-Maqalat
is Abu Tahir Ismail b. Musa al-Jitali, in his book Qawaid
al-Islam.225
One of the early Ibadhi scholars is reported to have said, "if
it had not been for Amrus b. Fath and Aflah b. Abd al-Wahhab who
refuted the views of Naffath b. Nasr and Ahmad b. al-Husain,
they would have won the people of the 'West (al-Maghrib) to
their schools."226
Most of the
sources which dealt with the subject speak about al-Husainiyah
and al-Umairiyah together. Ibn al-Saghir al-Maliki regarded al-Husainiyah
as a continuation of al-Umairiyah, the followers of Isa b. Umar.227
This view is also confirmed by Abu Amr Uthman b. Khalifah
al-Sufi, who presented the views of the two groups together,228 and
by al-Shammakhi, who stated that Ibn al-Husain adopted the
theological views of Bin Umar.229
According to Abu Zakariya, Umairiyah was an independent schism
from the beginning, and has no connection with the Ibadhi
school, though they claim to be Ibadhis.230
he also stated that they ascribed most of their legal opinions
to Abdullah b. Mas’ud, the Companion of the Prophet.231
As for Isa b. Umair himself, not much is known about him.
Shammakhi mentioned that his disagreement with the Ibadhi
Shaikhs took place during the time of Abu Ubaidah Muslim b. Abi
Karimah at the same time as Abdullah b. Yazid.232
The
following are the views on which these two groups differed from
the original Ibadhi movement.233
1) He
who denies everything but God is not a polytheist.
2)
People are not obliged to know the Prophet Muhammad, They are
only asked to know what is called so!
(.(يسع
جهل معرفة محمد عليه السلام وليس على الناس إلا معرفة المعبّبر عنه
هكذا
3)
Those who maintain wrong opinions mistakenly are polytheists.
4) The
'proof' of God can be obtained by contemplation.
5) God
has ordered the polytheists nothing but believing in the Unity
of God, and He has not forbidden them anything except
polytheism. If they believe in His Unity, they are subject to
the other obligatory duties, and forbidden other sins.
6)
Love, blessing, friendship, quittance, hate and anger in
relation to God are all actions and not attributes.
7) Jews
are hypocrites, and Muslims who maintain wrong opinions based on
wrong interpretation are polytheists.
8) Each
Prophet is sent by God with a special sign (alamah) by which he
will be recognised and distinguished from the others, and he is
not to be taken as a proof (hujjah) from God and as His
messenger without such a sign.
9)
Those who observe unknown prohibitions are to be punished.
10) It is
permissible to observe certain prohibitions unless it is proved
that they are prohibited by reason.
11)
Committing adultery, and consuming the property of the other
persons is permissible to those forced to do so for 'religious
dissimulation (taqiyah), but they should make restitution
afterwards.
Apart from
the above mentioned points, there are five more developed and
maintained by Ahmad b. al-Husain;
i)
Superior merit as between people lies in capacity, (istita'ah),
and assumption of religious obligations only and not in
intelligence.
ii) The
Apostles' fear of God arises out of respect for Him, and not out
of apprehension of His punishment.
iii) The
inhabitants of Paradise live in eternal fear and hope.
iv) Dead
bodies will be consumed by the earth, except the coccyx from
which they will be recreated.
v)
Walayah and baraah provided certain conditions to be observed
(bi al-shariah) is lawful.
The
Husainiyah group were to be found in the Eastern part of Jabal
Nufusah, then they were won back to Wahbi school by Abu Yahya
Zakariya b. Ibrahim al-Baruni.234 |
