Among the Companions who were treated according to the principle of (baraah) were Talhah b. Ubaidullah and al-Zubair b. al-Awwam. They merited baraah for breaking the pledge of allegiance, and fighting against the legal caliph, Ali b. Abi Talib.132 A'ishah, the Prophet's wife, although she took part in that strife and was present in the battle of the Camel, was exempted from (baraah) as she repented for her fault and thereby maintained the state of (walayah).133 It has been reported by Jabir b. Zaid the first Imam of the Ibadhis, and one of the pupils of A'ishah, that being admonished by him and his friend Abu Bilal Mirdas for her activities in the battle of the Camel, she repented and begged forgiveness of God.134 Ali b. Abi Talib was also treated with (baraah) for accepting the arbitration of men in a matter pre-decided by the Qur'an. The Qur'an clearly says: "If two bodies of the faithful were at war, then make ye peace between them; and if the one of them wrong the other, fight against the party which doth the wrong until they come back to the precepts of God."135 According to the Ibadhis, Mu'awiyah and his supporters were the rebellious party and Ali had to fight them till they reverted to God's commandment, i.e. the rule of the legal caliph. The acceptance of arbitration by Ali meant his deposition from the caliphate - a fact which displeased a group of Muslims and obliged them to choose a new Imam, Abdullah b. Wahb al-Rasibi. The Ibadhis hold that Abdullah b. Wahb and the people of al-Nahrawan were right, ad Ali b. Abi Talib was wrong for accepting arbitration in the first place, and secondly for fighting the people of al-Nahrawan.136

As regards Mu'awiyah b. Abu Sufyan, and Amr b. al-As, they were treated with (baraah) throughout for their rebellion against Ali the legal caliph.137 The former was described by Abdullah b. Ibad in the following words: "We do not know anyone of the peoples who was more callous to the distribution of wealth according to the laws laid down by God than he, nor anyone more indifferent towards the commandment of God than he, nor anyone more blood-shedding than he."138

Needless to say, this baraah of the Ibadhis from such Companions concerned only their political activities and not their knowledge of the religion. Ibadhi jurists as is evident from the Ibadhi sources presenting legal and theological opinions from Ali b. Abi Talib, Uthman b. Affan and others accept their legal opinions. Even Mu'awiyah, of whom the Ibadhis strongly disapprove, was one of the persons from whom the Ibadhis strongly disapprove, was one of the persons from whom Jabir b. Zaid narrated Traditions of the Prophet.139

Concerning the Companions who reserved their opinions about the civil strife (fitnah) and refused to fight with Ali, such as Sad b. Abi Waqqas, Abdullah b. Umar, Mohammad b. Maslamah and Zaid b. Thabit, the Ibadhis have two opinions; one is baraah from them, and the other is of 'reservation' about