The ‘Azzabah Institution (Part 2)

The duties of the halaqah

The ‘Azzabah council has precise duties for which it is responsible on account of it being a formal body. These duties are as follows:

1)    Supervision of education and the preparation of facilities for such purposes; facilitating some sort of education for all children, so that they memorize a part of the Qur’an and acquire sufficient knowledge of their religion. This is the least that can be granted to a child. If the child’s family is too poor to avail itself of such modest efforts, or if it does not have the means to support him for classes, it is their duty to assist him financially.

2)    Watching over the social affairs of people, facilitating life for the poor and the weak, providing employment for all by demanding from the rich and well-to-do to employ the poor for tasks in return for payment, in most cases agreed by members of the ‘Azzabah.

3)    Solving problems that arise between people, arbitrating in these matters, issuing rulings with regard to disputes and guaranteeing the rights of individuals in such cases.

4)    Managing the endowments of the mosque, the funds of the halaqah, recording import and export, making sure all expenditure is legitimate, promoting the development and maintenance of endowments, and using it properly.

5)    Supervising markets and protecting them from illegal transactions and dubious or suspicious money.

6)    Providing national protection for people’s property, such as farmland and livestock so that it is not stolen, seized or damaged.

7)    Judgment and punishment of sinners and criminals, the declaration of dissociation from them, and the severing of relations with them until they repent and return to God.

8)    Conducting and organizing foreign relations, whether they be for war or peace.

        These are some of the tasks incumbent upon the ‘Azzabah council on account of it being an official body responsible for society before God and before people. It is also the council’s duty to assign tasks among its members according to the ability and capacity of each: the Shaykh performs this duty after the halaqah has given its agreement.

Where is halaqat al -‘azzabah established?

The ‘Azzabah can be set up in any country or town: its members are the ones who supervise the private affairs of the country or the town. If an important matter arises or an event that concerns more than the town or country, it is presented before the High Council of the ‘Azzabah, headed by the Grand Shaykh or the Mountain District Ruler, as was the case in Jabal Nufusa. Such a matter may be something like the establishment of borders or what concerns national security or other matters too complicated to be dealt with at local level. The High or General Council of the ‘Azzabah is the one headed by the Grand Shaykh, who necessarily heads an ‘Azzabah in his own town and stands in for the imam during the concealment phase. The members of the ‘Azzabah alongside him are the Advisers, who are also the Shaykhs of ‘Azzabahs in their own districts: their headquarters are the centre or capital of a country, and they hold regular meetings with the Shaykh, once every three months, or whenever the need arises. The rulings of this council have legal force in all districts and all halaqahs are financially or morally obliged to this council, which represents the real authority over Ibadi society. The other halaqahs are auxiliary to it and put its rulings into effect. The Grand Shaykh is obliged to have his offices in the centre of the country. If he chooses to reside elsewhere, then he has to rule from the place of government and not his residence, as was the case with Abu Harun Musa b. Harun, Abu ‘Abd Allah b. Jaldasan al-Laluti and Abu Yahya al-Arjani, and others.

        The Shaykh of the ‘Azzabah in Ibadi society has the authority of a just imam. He carries out all his duties, every one of them, within the limits permitted by the conditions of life at the time. He is tied to the State Council without whose agreement he cannot issue any decision, except in specific matters in Islamic religion. He is permitted to seek the assistance of another, who acts as a mufti to him. The purpose of this mufti is the precise formulation of the content of the rulings taken from the noble law and the giving of preference to one opinion in controversial matters where legal views diverge. The purpose of the mufti is not to inform the Shaykh of rulings which he does not know, since, the Shaykh of the ‘Azzabah has to be one of the most, if not the most, knowledgeable of all the elders.

        At the regular meetings, held every three or six months, representatives from each of the different halaqat al-‘azzabah participate and put forward their problems, and collectively examine the status of the society. They take the necessary decisions in this capacity and make plans for the future. Each halaqah, however, has the right to contact the High Council individually and to convene a meeting if there is justified cause; it also has the right to consult the Grand Shaykh over its particular problems and seek his advice and opinion.

        Each halaqah is represented by its Shaykh and some of its advisers, except in emergencies where he is not able to perform this task.

Choosing the members of the halaqah

When putting together the ‘Azzabah, it is important (in addition to individuals meeting the necessary qualifications) that the members represent all the tribes and districts of a country. However, it is not absolutely necessary to have general equality: if in a particular tribe the qualifications for individuals cannot be met, then appointment can be made from another tribe. When the ‘Azzabah needs to supplement its halaqah with another member, they can acquire him in one of two ways: either they demand from the tribe from which the representative is sought to put forward a number of candidates who fulfil the conditions for membership, have the desired qualifications, a reputation for integrity, God-fearing, chastity, uprightness, benevolence, altruism, self-sacrifice and working for the good of all. The Council then selects one of these. Or, they demand from the Irwan organization (see below) to provide a person for them to fill the vacancy.

        When the candidate becomes a member of the ‘Azzabah, he is summoned to its official headquarters, where the Shaykh informs him of the conduct and comport that is expected of him, and emphasizes to him that one of the most important duties expected of him is that he practices Islamic conduct and adorns himself with its noble manners, such as uprightness, integrity, chastity, devotion to serving the community, regular attendance at the mosque, abstinence from the pleasures of this world, except out of necessity, devoutness in worship, humility before Muslims, severity towards sinners and criminals; that he sets an example for people in his words and deeds; and that he seeks his livelihood with diligence, choosing farming as a profession, since trade brings him into direct contact with people, where he is more likely to get mixed up in evil. They sum up their position on this in a well-known and often-repeated phrase:

‘that he be not in a mosque, halaqah or house other than his’. When he is apprised of all the duties and rights that apply to him, together with his tasks and responsibilities, he is then asked to declare his acceptance or refusal. If he accepts, and this is what actually happens, he is given practical tasks, such as teaching or staffing the mosque, or participating in the supervision of a dead person’s affairs. As far as I know, he is considered the most junior of the ‘Azzabah, even if he happens to be older than some of them, and he is obliged to serve them. He then asks his predecessor, that is, the member of the ‘Azzabah who was the most junior before this new recruit, to accompany him for three days in order to train him in the service of the ‘Azzabah, since he is considered directly above him and when the ‘Azzabah convene, he has to sit before him. The arrangement of the seating places of the ‘Azzabah is important: the junior one cannot sit before the senior one. The member of the ‘Azzabah is considered a chief wherever he goes, having the exclusive right of initiating discourse in public sessions and concluding it, as well as directing the discussion, etc. No student or member of the public can do any of this unless he gives him permission.

The punishment of a member of the ‘Azzdbah

A member of the ‘Azzabah is expected to set an example of integrity. For this reason, what is considered minor in the way of offences committed by others is deemed grave when committed by him, and he should guard himself against such offences and avoid them. This is the case even in matters concerning manners, and the way he conducts himself with people. If fate decrees that he commits error, the Council will consider his case: if the matter is grave and concerns sin against God, and brings ill-repute to the ‘Azzabah, or brings shame to the mosque, and disregards the law etc., they must sever relations with him (bara’ah) with witnesses, as is done with other people. Relations are not restored until he declares his repentance openly. Even so, after that he can never return to the ‘Azzdbah Council, since the person who is expelled from it by bara’ah cannot return to it again, even if he repents and his repentance is sound. He becomes like all other Muslims in respect of rights and obligations. If the offence is minor and does not require repentance, a special rehabilitation session is convened for him in secret, which may suspend him from the ‘Azzabah Council for a length of time, depending on the nature of the offence committed. His offence is kept secret from the public.

        The reason for such action is that the members of the ‘Azzabah most exemplify Islam and its manners, something which has been summarized by one of the Shaykhs in the following elegant statement, ‘the person in charge of people is like milk: it can be spoilt by anything that falls into it’. 

Reference:

Ibadhism in History: The emergence of the ibadi school; by Ali Yahya Muammar; pg: 72-75