Law and Order
Law and Order
This chapter describes the establishment of the new Imamate state order, and in particular the role of Abû 'Abdullah, son of the last Basran leader, Abu Sufyân. The confrontation with the conservative Omani ‘ulama’ is characterized by the acrimonious theological debate over the Creation of the Qur'ân and the suspect nature of Mu'tazili influence. Abû 'Abdullâh's role in developing the principles for selecting an Imam, the issue of wuqûf (suspending judgment), advising other Ibâḍi communities, but above all in harmonizing Islamic principles with the pragmatic needs of daily life in Oman are illustrated. The establishment of a maritime legal code commensurate with expanding maritime trade is described, including discussion of the re-conquest of Socotra as a base on the African coast, whose interest in the Muslim world at this time was as a source of slaves from both Abyssinia and increasingly Bilâd al–Zanj. An attempt is also made to reconstruct the early history of the Imamate in Hadramawt.
Keywords: Abu 'Abdullâh Muhammad b. Mahbûb, Wuqûf, Qur'ân, Mu'tazili influence, maritime law, Hadramawt, Imamate, Oman
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