God's friendship is immutable36.

As a result of their opposition to any sort of anthropomorphism, Ibadhis maintained that the so-called attributes of God are of His essence and there is nothing but He. 37.

The allegorical method which was used for interpreting anthropomorphic expressions in the Qur'an was also used for matters connected with the Last Day, such as 'the scale' (mizan) and 'the bridge'(sirat)38.

ii) Problems concerned with the relation between God and Man.

Under this second group come two main questions; the question of divine decree (qadar), and the question of free will and predestination. Here also the Traditions reported from the Prophet were the basis of the Ibadhis attitude to the problems. The following are some of the Traditions reported in the Ibadhi collection of Hadith concerning divine decree (qadar):

1. The Apostle of God said "I declare myself before God quit of the Qadarites, I declare myself before God quit of the Murjiites, as God and His Apostles acquitted them"39.

2. "The Qadarites are the Magians of the community. Do not visit them when they are ailing, nor pray over them when they are dead"40.

3. "Two groups of my community (ummah), will not enjoy my intercession on the day of Resurrection, God accursed them by the works of seventy Prophets before me." They said, "Who are they, O Apostle of God?" He said, "The Qadarites and the Murjiites." They said, "Who are the Murjiites?" He said, "Those who say that faith is sayings without deeds, and the Qadarites are those who commit sins and say it is a compulsion from God, for if God willed, we would not associate any thing with Him, nor would we commit sins"41.

4. "There would not be an infidelity, (Kufr), without dis-belief in the divine decree (qadar) being its key"42.

5. "The first thing God created was the Pen. He said to it, 'Write'. It said, 'What shall I write?' He said, 'Write down what is fated (al-qadar)', so it wrote all that would take place up to the Day of Judgement"43.

6. When the sperm falls into the womb, God reveals to the angel of the wombs that he should write. He says, 'O Lord, what shall I write?' He says, 'Write happy or unhappy with his deeds, and write down the trace to be made by him (atharahu), his work, his term of life, and his sustenance'"44.

7. "Jabir b. Zaid said, 'Ibn Abbas was asked about him who says that he can perform what God ordered and refrain from what God forbade him without God creating his actions. He said, 'Suraqah b. Jasham asked the Apostle of