III KHALAFIYAH

Khalafiyah, followers of Khalaf b. al-Samh, grandson of Abu al-Khattab Abd al-A'la al-Ma'afiri, first Imam of the Ibadhi state of North Africa.194 Al-Samh, the father of Khalaf, was the wazir of Abd al-Wahhab b. Abd Al-Rahman b. Rustam. At the request of the people of Jabal Nufusah Abd al-Wahhab appointed him governor of the Jabal.195 After the death of his father, Khalaf tried to establish an independent Imamate in Jabal Nufusah and the surrounding areas.196 His view was that the distance between the Jabal and the Capital of the Imamate in Tahert was too far, and divided by large areas ruled by Aghlabids, which made the administration ineffective.197

According to Abu Amr Uthman b. Khalifah, this was the only point of difference between the Khalafiyah and Wahbi Ibadhis, i.e. the Khalafiyah held that every area or territory (hawzah) should have an independent Imam and other Imams should not interfere with its affairs.198 Khalaf started his movement during the last years of the Imamate of Abd al-Wahhab (end of the 2nd century A.H.) he ruled the Eastern part of the Ibadhi territory between Jadu and Tripoli, and gained the support of both banu Yifrin and Zawaghah.199 He fought two major battles against the Governor of the Jabal, Abu Ubaidah Abd al-Hamid al-Jannawani, the last of which took place in the year 221 A.H./835 A.D.200 He also fought the successor of Abu Ubaidah, al-Abbas b. Aiyub.201 After his death, his followers continued their opposition to the Governor of the Jabal and the Imamate of Tahert until the powerful leader of Nufusah, Abu Mansur Ilyas defeated them and forced them to flee to Jerba Island where he surrounded their forces and captured their leader al-Taiyib b. Khalaf.202 It is reported that al-Taiyib repented and spent the rest of his life in the Jabal.203

A minority of the followers of Khalaf held to their views while yet living with other groups of Nukkarites and Husainiyah in the Eastern part of Jabal Nufusah in Yifrin, Babal, Takbal, and Kikklah204 up to the time of Abu Yahya Zakariya b. Ibrahim al-Baruni, (second half of 5th century A.H.) who gained them back for the Wahbi school.205

IV AL-NAFFATHIYAH

The other splinter group which appeared for reasons of a political nature was al-Naffathiyah, followers of Naffath,206 Faraj b. Nasr. They were also called al-Kitmaniyah.207

Naffath was of Nufusi origin. he studied in Tahert under the Rustamid Imams and other Ibadhi scholars of Tahert.208 A contemporary student of his, was Sa'd b. Abi Yunus, son of the governor of Qantrarah.209 They went together