The Religious Classifications of Human Beings and the Development of the Concepts of kufr al-ni'ma and nifaq in Eastern Ibadite Thought

Abstract

In this article, the author examines the religious classifications of human beings and the development of the concepts of kufr al-ni'ma (translated as "ingratitude" in English) and nifaq (hypocrisy) in the eastern Ibadite, a sect separated from the Kharijite in the early Islamic history, analyzing their epistles and theological works. After reviewing the meanings and usages of these terms in the Qur'an and Hadiths, the author discusses the claim that the eastern Ibadite scholars try to discern nifaq from shirk (polytheism) in the second/eighth century and classify human beings from the viewpoint of both monotheist and polytheist positions, as well as the present world and Hereafter. The author also clarifies that in this process they use the term "nifaq" to refer to those who profess the unity of God but commit mortal sin or neglect religious duties, while "kufr al-ni'ma" for those who misinterpret the Qur'an in the Islamic Community. Against the arguments by some modern scholars in which these two terms were equal or equivalent in the Ibadite thought, the author concludes that it is difficult to say that the relationship is as such in the early times, although they are closely connected and linked with each other.