The Ibadi "stages of religion" re-examined: Tracing the history of the Masalik al-Din

With few exceptions, scholarly presentations of the Iba i “stages of religion” (masalik al-din) and their corresponding Imams (i.e. imam al- uhur, imam al-difa , imam al-shira', and imam al-kitman) propose a simplified overview of the institution that is based on post-Iba i renaissance thought on the Imamate. This paper investigates the pre-renaissance usages of the masalik al-din by comparing sixth/twelfth-century Arabian and North African Iba i texts on the subject. It demonstrates that Eastern and Western Iba is manipulated the concepts central to the later masalik al-din ideal to reflect the particular needs of each respective community. While the articulations of the masalik al-din differed according to region, they simultaneously utilized a similar vocabulary. This convergence implies an earlier and inherited conceptual system (most likely from the earliest Basran Iba i umma) that was adapted in the medieval period to fulfil the unique needs of each community.