The ‘Azzabah Institution (Part 1)

Meaning of the term al-‘azzabah

Al-‘azzbah is a body consisting of a small number of individuals, representing the best and most knowledgeable men of the country. This body supervises all aspects of Ibadi society: religious affairs, education, social matters and politics. During the manifestation and defence periods, it represents the council of state of the imam or his agent and his representative; but during the periods of exposure or concealment, it stands in for the imam and carries out his duties.

        The ‘Azzbah body elects a shaykh who becomes known as shaykh al-‘azzabah, being the most knowledgeable and the best qualified from among them, but not necessarily the eldest. The Shaykh heads the body during council sessions, represents it in all its functions, speaks in its name, executes its decisions and supervises directly all the affairs of the country or the community. All problems and incidents are reported to him, and after the decision of the council, his ruling in all cases is carried out.

The derivation of the term al-‘azzabah

The term is derived from al-‘uzub or al-‘izabah, meaning ‘isolation’ and ‘alienation’, ‘asceticism’, ‘practicing night vigil’ and ‘withdrawal’ into mountain tops. In this case, it denotes ‘withdrawal’ in order to serve the general good, abstention from the pleasures of the self, and separation from life’s distractions in the form of kin, property and children. The ‘Azzabi gives only very little of his time and energy for these, expending all his energies on the cause of God and the service of Muslims, anticipating no remuneration or other reward for his work, since his reward and account shall be from God.

The meaning of the term halaqah

Halaqah is another term for the ‘Azzabah council, indeed synonymous with it. It is derived from tahliq, meaning ‘being ring-like/ circular’, for the ‘Azzabah during their formal meetings sit in the shape of a ring or circle, which is the best arrangement for exchanging opinions and examining different points of view. Moreover, this is the best position for studying and reciting the Qur’an, and for turning towards God in supplication.

The headquarters of the ‘Azzabah

The official headquarters of the ‘Azzabah is the mosque. As such, it is necessary that within the mosque buildings a part is set aside for the ‘Azzabah, preferably away from where people tend to gather, so that their conversations are not overheard. This area is exclusively for them and no one is permitted to enter it. It is the duty of the newer members among them to clean it, guard it, furnish it and maintain it. In it are held all the documents, which must be concealed from everybody else. All the conversations, discussions and inquiries which are conducted inside are considered secret and are not to be taken outside or divulged for any reason, except for executive decisions, which the Shaykh must announce, though he may (on occasion) be represented by any other member. It is not permitted for any members of the ‘Azzabah to discuss anything outside their official headquarters. After they have come to a decision on a particular issue, they have the right to move to another location in order to put that decision into effect, if the matter requires it. If they issue a ruling concerning the social affairs of the community, such as fixing dowries or prices or commencing work in the cultivation season etc., and the populace do not accept their ruling, they take refuge in their headquarters and remain in the mosque, abandoning their usual duties, staying away from shops and towns, until the community does recognize their ruling and puts it into effect. This scenario did not take place among the Ibadis in Libya, except in one or two cases, where people adopted the ‘Azzabah’s ruling as soon as they could and where, in fact, upon receiving such news from the ‘Azzabah, they used to hurry to convince each other and send back confirmation of their acceptance to the council before it was time for the next prayer, so that things functioned normally.

The number of members in a halaqah

The number of members varies between ten and sixteen. Duties are assigned to them in the following way:

1)    The Shaykh of the ‘Azzabah: the most knowledgeable of them, the strongest personality and the most capable of solving problems.

2)    The advisers: they are exactly four, attached to the Shaykh and without whose agreement he cannot execute a decision.

3)    The imam: one person who leads prayer; this can be one of the four advisers.

4)    The mu’adhdhin: one person responsible for the times of prayer and making the call to prayer; this too can be one of the four advisers.

5)    Managers of endowments (wukala’ al-awqaf): two members are appointed to supervise endowments and the funds of the halaqah, to record imports and exports, and the management and development of the endowments. In addition to the general requirements pertaining to membership of the halaqah, these two members are required to be of modest means, but not impoverished or destitute.

6)    Teachers: three or more members, according to need, are assigned the task of supervising education and cultural welfare, organizing classes and looking after students in lectures, which are teaching seminars, or in internal departments, etc.

7)    The rights of the dead: four or five members are appointed to look after the rights of the dead, supervising the washing of the corpse, funeral preparation, prayers for the dead, burial, the execution of their wills, and the allotment of their bequests according to Islamic law.

        If the dead person was one from whom Muslims had dissociated, and who died a sinner, then the ‘Azzabah does not look after his rights, since believers are not obliged towards a sinner; but they permit anyone from outside the halaqah to carry out these rights, for the performance of duties towards a dead person is a collective duty (fard kifayah), when carried out by a few it cancels the obligation for the remainder.

The conditions for membership

Conditions of membership of the ‘Azzabah include the following:

1)    That the person knows the Qur’an by heart.

2)    That he completes all the stages of study in sequence.

3)    That he adopts the official uniform of students during his studies, and the official dress of the ‘Azzabah when he becomes a member.

4)    That he is refined, cultured, intelligent, diplomatic and skillful in handling matters.

5)    That he enjoys and seeks study, pursues knowledge and teaches.

6)    That he is not distracted by many worldly matters, so that he does not frequent shops or mix with the public in a way that would detract from his station and diminish his prestige.

7)    That he washes himself with water and ‘washes his heart with water and sidr’ (‘lotus leaf): this is an idiomatic expression meaning that a person should be free of handling, consuming or eyeing other people’s wealth. He should also be free of all the illnesses of the heart, inwardly as well as outwardly pure.

        Abu ‘Ammar ‘Abd al-Kafi explained this expression thus: ‘As for his body, he should cleanse it of the dirt in human beings, and as for the heart, he should cleanse it of imposture, arrogance and the like which necessarily cancel good deeds.’ As you can see, the expression is very subtle and it carries more than what I have indicated and what the learned Abu ‘Ammar has stated. Ponder it. For, each time you ponder it you will find a new meaning in it.

        The elders have stressed the importance of a believer cleansing his heart, since, impurities of the heart are worse than those of the body. For this reason, they deem it necessary for him to wash his body with water and his heart with water and sidr, which is a metaphor for making sure that the inside is cleaner than the outside: he whose mind is pure conducts himself purely, and his affairs are upright and he holds himself to account frequently and is wary of his behaviour: success results from this.

Reference:
Ibadhism in History: The emergence of the Ibadi school; by Ali Yahya Muammar; pg: 69-72.