major sins.80 Minor sins become major by constant repetition,81 which fact makes it obligatory for the believers to declare baraah from the sinner.

Baraah from individuals takes place in one of the following circumstances:

i) When a person confesses that he has committed a major sin or persisted in committing minor sins,82 and when a person regards his erroneous opinions as the true religion of God, considering those Muslims who disagree with him as Polytheists.83

ii) When a believer sees a person actually committing a major sin or persisting in minor sins.

iii) The testimony of two persons of equity that a certain individual merits baraah obliges the believers to declare baraah from him. This principle was established and put into practice by Jabir b. Zaid, the first Imam of the Ibadhis.84

The testimony of one person is not enough to necessitate baraah from the believer. On the contrary, it leads believers to dissociate themselves from that person if he cannot support his accusation of the believer by the testimony of another person of equity.85 So if one (waliy), along reports that another 'waliy' has committed a major sin, the believers must declare baraah from the accuser. It is the same with non-Ibadhi Muslims, if one, or even a group of these, ascribes a major sin to a 'waliy', the believers should reject the accusation and dissociate themselves from them.86

iv) The believers must declare baraah from the activities of a malefactor.87

2) Baraah from the tyrant, (al-sultan al-jair): Believers must declare baraah from him and from all who support his rule; but this should not include everyone under his rule because true believers may be under a tyrant's rule, yet not oppose him out of religious dissimulation, (taqiyah). Any country governed by tyrants and unjust rulers must be declared land of tyranny and injustice, (dar al-jawr wa al-zulm). The believers, in addition to declaring baraah from such rulers and their followers, must not take any one of them as a 'wvaliy.'88

3) Baraah from apostates, (murtaddun): for God Says, "..... And whosoever of you turns from his religion and dies disbelieving - their works have failed in this world and the next; those are the inhabitants of the Fire; therein they shall dwell forever."'89 The Prophet also said, ""Whosoever changed his religion, you must kill him."90 It is agreed among all Muslim scholars that the Prophet, in this tradition, was referring to the apostate.91 In accordance with this Tradition, the Ibadhis held that the person who abjures Islam and adopts polytheism deserves 'barah' and execution, (al-baraah wa al-saif).,92 But it is reported that the second Caliph, Umar b. Khattab, gave the apostates three