ABSTRACT
Ibadhite thought has been deeply rooted in Islamic history ever since the caliphates state in the second half of the first century of the Hegira (cf. the preliminary chapter). Unlike the other main schools, the Sunnis and the Shi=ites, Ibadhism is the only doctrine, after that of the kharijites, to have insisted on maintaining over the centuries and through the imama system the application of the principles of al-ijma= wal-ta=aqd, consensus and contract. This chapter will look again at the origins and specific nature of Ibadhite thought and deal with the main questions concerning the constitution of the imama and its institutions.
