A Document of Ibadi Fiqh Governing the Architecture of Mosques

Abstract

In spite of a long-standing interest in the Ibadi community and its historical, social, religious and architectural legacy, its Ibadi scholarly literature remains largely unknown. The present research continues in the footsteps of the pioneering works of Joseph Schacht (Schacht, 1954) and Pierre Cuperly (Cuperly, 1988) on Ibadism. It aims to cast light on the Ibadi literature that represents an authentic source of information for the study of Ibadism past and present. This article analyzes an Ibadi manuscript from the twelfth century written by the scholar Abul’Abbas Ahmad. This document has been the primary reference for the most important sources of Ibadi legislation still in use by the community in its three main centers: M’zab, Djerba and Oman. The study of this document, along with other Ibadi scholarly literature on this topic, shows that this jurisprudence has regulated in detail the design, construction and management of mosques, and that this level of careful attention was due to the importance of the mosque for the instruction and organization of the community.

The Craft of Stucco Mihrab carving in Oman in the 13th to 17th centuries

“…As mentioned in earlier research, this whole practice of Mihrab decoration is not "encouraged" in the Ibadhi jurisprudence related to the mosque architecture (Benkari-Boudidah, 2014;Benkari, 2016Benkari, , p. 60, 2019. But it seems that such practices were tolerated in some regions of Oman (Benkari, 2016). However, this tolerance was not the same everywhere and always.…”

“…Moreover, due to the limitation of the publication length, it was not possible to further develop the understanding of the social and professional networks that prevailed in the production of these Mihrabs. Further research is also needed to discuss the practice of Mihrab decoration with figurative images in the light of the Ibadi jurisprudence which clearly prohibits any ornamentation in the construction, especially in the Qibla wall (Benkari, 2016). Finally, this research also opens the opportunity to further explore the practical integration of the identified style and typology in the Mihrab decoration in Oman or the region.…”

“…In the sultanate, they are distributed geographically following the areas of influence of this Madhab. Previous research have detailed the main characteristics of these mosques (Benkari-Boudidah, 2014;Benkari, 2019) and some others have even interpreted these characteristics following the precepts of the Ibadi doctrine and linked them to other examples of this religious architecture in other regions where this Madhab was or still is predominant (Benkari-Boudidah, 2014;Benkari, 2016). The main specificities of the Ibadi mosques consist in their pure volumes, the modesty of their architecture and simplicity of their interior spaces.…”

“…2022, Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València has been initiated by the work of the Arabist E. Baldissera (Baldissera, 1994) and Archeologist and Art historian M. Kervran (Kervran & Bernard, 1996). These early works were followed by a more comprehensive documentation and descriptive study by Costa (P. Costa, 1997;Costa, 2001), then a comprehensive comparative investigation by Benkari (Benkari-Boudidah, 2014;Benkari, 2016Benkari, , 2019. The focus on the stucco-carved Mihrabs, has been continued with the research of Bandyopadhyay (Bandyopadhyay, 2008(Bandyopadhyay, , 2010, Goffriller (Goffriller, Hongjiao, Bandyopadhyay, & Henderson, 2015), Kanaan (Kanaan, 2014) and some Omani writers amateur of the local architecture (Al Hadhrami, 2019).…”

The Formation and Influence of the Military Architecture in Oman During Al-Ya'ariba Period (1034-1162 Ah/1624–1749 Ad)

“…Second, the same local materials and construction techniques that the Omanis use for their residential buildings were used in these forts and palaces. Finally, as the Ibadi religious rules required, there was no excess in the size or ornamentation of the forts and palaces built by Al-Ya'ariba [67]. Therefore, it made it possible for the Omanis to use their architectural language in their buildings.…”