Fatwa ID: 05509

Answered by: Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed

Question:

Assalamualykum, Can we pray behind an Ibadi (a sect in Oman)?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Ibadism, a distinct sect of Islam, exists mainly in Oman, East Africa, the Mzab valley of Algeria, the Nafus mountains of Libya, and the island of Jerba in Tunisia.  The sect developed out of the seventh-century Islamic sect known as the Khawarij, and shares with that group the belief that true Muslims are only to be found in their own sect.  Ibadis refer to themselves as “the Muslims” or “the people of straightness” (ahl al-istiqama).

Some of the main beliefs of Ibadis are as follows:

• They label Muslims who have committed a grave sin without repentance as kuffar ni‘ma– monotheists who are ungrateful for the blessings God has bestowed upon them.  They distinguish this from kufr shirk, which is the unbelief of idolatry. The Ibadi attitude toward kuffar ni‘ma, whether they be sinning Ibadis or non-Ibadi Muslims, was that one should practice “dissociation” (bara’a) toward them. Nur al-Din al-Salimi (1869-1914) stated when asked about the difference between dissociation from an unbeliever (bara’at al-mushrik) and dissociation from a corrupt monotheist (bara’at al-muwahhid al-fasiq, “Although the mushrikis farther [from the truth] than the corrupt monotheist, both are cursed.  Nonetheless, the Law allows certain things with the corrupt monotheist that it does not allow with the polytheist.”
• In theology, the Ibadis adopt the positions of the Mu‘tazila on the questions of tawhid: they reject a literal interpretation of all anthropomorphic descriptions of God
• They deny the possibility of seeing Allah in this life or the afterlife
• They reject the existence of eternal attributes of Allah that are distinct from His essence
• They believe that the Quran was created 
• They condemn the Sahabah [r] ‘Uthman, ‘Ali and Mu‘awiya
• They reject the Prophet’s [s] intercession on behalf of grave sinners
• They believe there is no possibility of rescue from hellfire as the punishment in hellfire for whoever enters is eternal
• The righteous Imamate is a topic of great importance in their literature.  They believe the Imam should be chosen for his knowledge and piety, without any regard to race or lineage, and that the last “true Imam” to unite the entire country of Oman under his power was Ahmad ibn Sa‘id (ruled 1754-1783 CE), founder of the BuSa‘idi dynasty that remains in power to this day

If an Ibadi upholds the above beliefs, most of which are in contrast to mainstream Sunni beliefs, then it will not be permissible to pray behind him.

Only Allah knows best     

Written by Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

http://islam.uga.edu/ibadis.html

وإن القرآن كلام الله، منه بدا بلا كيفية قولاً، وأنزله على رسوله وحياً، وصدقه المؤمنون على ذلك حقاً، وأيقنوا أنه كلام الله تعالى بالحقيقة، ليس بمخلوق ككلام البرية؛ فمن سمعه فزعم أنه كلام البشر فقد كفر، وقد ذمه الله وعابه وأوعده بسقر

وَالرُّؤْيَةُ حَقٌّ لأَهْلِ الـجَنَّةِ بِغَيْرِ إِحَاطَةٍ وَلاَ كَيْفِيَّةٍ كَمَا نَطَقَ بِهِ كِتَابُ رَبِّنَا :{ وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ}

وَالشَّفَاعَةُ الَّتِي ادَّخَرَهَا لَهُمْ حَقٌّ، كَمَا رُوِيَ فِي الأَخْبَارِ.

اَ نُكَفِّرُ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَهْلِ القِبْلَةِ بِذَنْبٍ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَحِلَّهُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعِ الإِيمَانِ ذَنْبٌ لِمَنْ عَمِلَهُ

وَلاَ نَرَى الـخُرُوجَ عَلَى أَئِمَّتِنَا وَوُلاَةِ أَمُورِنَا وَإِنْ جَارُوا، وَلاَ نَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ، وَلاَ نَنْـزعُ يَدًا مِنْ طَاعَتِهِمْ، وَنَرَى طَاعَتَهُمْ مِنْ طَاعَةِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَرِيضَةً مَا لَمْ يَأمُرُوا بِمَعْصِيَةٍ، وَنَدْعُو لَهُمْ بِالصَّلَاحِ وَالـمُعَافَاةِ

وَنُثْبِتُ الـخِلَافَةَ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ -صَلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- أَوَّلاً لأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ، تَفْضِيلًا لَهُ وَتَقْدِيمًا عَلَى جَمِيعِ الأُمَّةِ. ثُمَّ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الـخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ، ثُمَّ لِعُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ، ثُمَّ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ أبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ، وَهُمُ الـخُلَفَاءُ الرَّاشِدُونَ وَالأَئِمَّةُ الـمُهْتَدُونَ.

وَإِنَّ العَشَرَةَ الّذِينَ سَمَّاهُمْ رَسُولُ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- وَبَشَّرَهُمْ بِالـجَنَّةِ، نَشْهَدُ لَهُمْ بِالـجَنَّةِ، عَلَى مَا شَهِدَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقَولُهُ الـحَقُّ، وَهُمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، وَعُثْمَانُ، وَعَليٌّ، وَطَلْحَةُ، وَالزُّبَيْرُ، وَسَعْدٌ، وَسَعِيدٌ، وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَانِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ، وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الـجَرَّاحِ وَهُوَ أَمِينُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ، رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ.

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنَ القَوْلَ فِي أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ الطَّاهِرَاتِ مِنْ كُلِّ دَنَسٍ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِ الـمُقَدَّسِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ رِجْسٍ فَقَدْ بَرِئَ مِنَ النِّفَاقِ

(العقيدة الطحاوية, للإمام أبو جعفر الطحاوي رحمه الله)