Page 201 - Arabiab Studies (IV)

The Omani Manuscript Collection at
Muscat

PART II

The Early Iba^I Fiqh Works

J. C. Wilkinson

In this article the writer intends to discuss some of the content of
the fiqh works with particular reference to the light they throw on
five subjects of particular interest for the early history of the Iba<JI
Imamate in Oman (down to the 6th/12th century), as follows:
I. Bio-bibliography;
II. The constitution of the IbadI community with special reference
to the doctrine of association and dissociation (wilayah and
bard*ah), the authority of the Imam, and relationships with
non-Iba<}Is;
III. Political History;
IV. Socio-economic History;
V. Dogma disputes (a) prior to the civil war at the end of the
3rd/9th century, and (b) concerning the respective views of the
Rustaq and Nizwa parties.
Since each of these topics forms a major subject in itself the
writer will simply confine himself to indicating the main aspects of
interest and point out where material of particular interest is to be
found.
I. BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHY
For convenience the works consulted will be divided into two
groups. The first consists of three juridicial compilations that
include major citations or complete documents from authors
belonging to the period under consideration. The second groups
works by those authors discussed by the present writer in his
article ‘Bio-bibliographical background to the crisis period in the
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