Ibāḍī

The Ibāḍī community developed in Basra, where Jābir ibn Zayd was an influential early scholar, before spreading to Oman and North Africa. In Oman, religious scholars traditionally selected an imam with both spiritual and temporal authority.

In 1624 Nāṣir ibn Murshid was elected imam and began uniting Oman's tribes against the Portuguese. His Yaʿrubid successors drove the Portuguese from Muscat and extended Omani power along the East African coast.