Al-Julanda bin Masud

Al-Julanda bin Masud (; died 751 CE) was an Ibadi religious leader who was elected the first Ibadi imam of Oman, ruling from 749 until his death defending against an Abbasid invasion in 751 CE.

Ancestry Al-Julanda bin Masud belonged to the al-Julanda family of Azd, who had ruled Oman from the 6th century CE until their overthrow by an Umayyad army led by Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf during the reign of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. His grandfather, Jayfar bin al-Julanda, co-ruled Oman with his brother during the advent of Islam and accepted the faith after receiving a letter from Muhammad.

Biography

Election There is no mention of interactions between al-Julanda and the Ibadi school until the Ibadi revolt, during which he pledged allegiance to its leader Abdullah bin Yahya al-Kindi. Unlike the Ibadi preachers active in Oman, he does not appear to have had connections with Basra, then a centre of the school. He was elected as imam by the Ibadi ulama in 749. The election may have been motivated by a desire to secure the loyalty of his family for the new imamate, who historically opposed the school, and the tribes who traditionally respected their rule.