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The increasing and continuing
oppression of the members of the Muhakkimah party in Basrah by 'Ubaidullah
b. Ziyad obliged some of the members to react violently, and led
the authorities to further persecution of their fellow Muslims.
60 The faced all sorts of cruel treatment ranging from
imprisonment to death. 61 Even women were subjected
to cruel punishment. 62 This situation made it
impossible for the leading personalities of the party to lead a
peaceful life, let alone have any chance to propagate and teach
their views. At this stage the principle of shira', sacrifice
of one's life, was introduced into the movement under special
rules, and was carried out by forty members of the movement
under the leadership of Abu Bilal Mirdas, who made it clear that
he intended to fight only those who fought against him, and that
he would not take anything of spoils except the pensions ('ulyat)
which he was entitled to take. 63 This was in fact
an open rejection of the policy of 'isti'rad, which was
practised by some of the Khawarij prior to Abu Bilal, who was
known for their sympathy with the Muhakkimah party. 64
It was also a practical execution of the policies of shira',
sacrifice of one's life and qu'ud, remaining quiescent under the
rule of tyrants and not going out for jihad against their rule,
during the 'stage' of kitman, secrecy. In so doing, Abu Bilal
did not reject qu'ud or taqiyah. In fact he himself approved of
the principle of taqiyah and advised al-Bathia to hide her
beliefs when he heard that 'Ubaidullah b. Ziyad had decided to
punish her. 65 However, Abu Bilal and his followers,
after they defeated an army of two thousand, were all killed in
another battle while performing their prayers. 66
Ibadhi authorities reported that this revolt of Abu Bilal was
planned and approved of by Jabir b. Zaid, the Imam of the
Ibadhis at that time. 67 It is also reported that
Abu Bilal, when leaving Basrah, asked Jabir to join him, 68
but Jabir stayed in Basrah and continued his policy of avoiding
violence. The relation between Ibadhis and their Muslim
opponents was established on the basis of the following
principles:
a)
Ibadhis should fight only
those who fight against them and must not adopt the policy of 'isti'rad.
b)
The property of Muslims
should not be taken as spoils and their women and children
should not be killed or taken in captivity (saby). This
principle is based on the example and the proactive of the early
Muslims in their fight against 'Uthman and his supporters, and
on the practice of 'Ali in his war against Talhah and al-Zubair
when 'Ali was the legal Caliph. 69
c)
Khuruj is not obligatory,
and Muslims can live under the rule of tyrants resorting to
religious dissimulation, taqiyah, when necessary.
d)
Shira', sacrifice of
one's life, is a voluntary duty for a group of forty, and more
than forty persons, when they imposed it on themselves.
These principles became the
recognised policy (Sirah) of the Muslims, which should not be
changed. Ibadhi authorities supported these principles with the
analogy of the Sirah of the Prophet throughout his struggle to
establish the Islamic community and the Islamic State according
to the command of God. 70 They also claimed that
these principles were not violated until the revolt of Nafii' b.
al-'Azraq who took actin contrary to them. Or, as Ibn Ibadh
himself put it, "...But in the Name of God we dissociate
ourselves from Ibn al-'Azraq and his followers, when they
revolted, it seemed to us that they were on the path of Islam,
but they deserted Islam afterwards and became infidels".71
The move of Ibn al-'Azraq was
the first serious split in the Muhakkimah party. The doctrines
introduced by Nafii b, al-Azraq created different reactions to
them by the leading members of the Muhakkimah party. 72
Both Jabir b. Zaid and 'Abdullah b. Ibadh opposed the views of
Nafii' and defended and propagated the old principles of the
Muhakkimah. |
