Ibadiyah - Oman's legal school of Islam of religious tolerance

Jabir bin Zayd, the founder of the Ibadi school of law, was born in Nizwa in Oman in 93 AD (711 AD). He later went to Iraq, where he settled. The Ibadi philosophy is based on the principle of religious tolerance and the avoidance of conflict. Other religious opinions or models of interpretation must be considered, but bloodshed due to theological differences is considered harmful.

While the Sunnis originally appointed imams from the members of the tribe of the Prophet Mohamed, the Quraish, and the Shiites only referred to the successors of the Caliph Ali when electing the imam, the origin of an imam to be elected was of no importance to the Ibadis from the very beginning.

The Ibadis assume that every devout and theologically educated Muslim is a potential candidate for the office of imam, the religious and secular leader with full governing power. In their eyes, the imam is »first among equals«, since as a human being he is a vessel of God among other vessels of God.

The Umma, the community of Muslims, chooses a believer from its ranks who they believe is best qualified for the office. If no one can fulfil the high demands of the office of imam, it should remain vacant for the time being. An elected imam who does not fulfil the expectations can be dismissed accordingly.

The system of imamate lasted until the end of the last century. Sunnis and Shiites have always lived in harmony and concord with the Ibadis. The Ibadis still make up the majority of the population in Oman, but there are also Ibadis in other countries, such as Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and the states of East Africa.