Ibadhiyah is a distinct school of thought of Islam, neither Sunni nor Shi'ite, that emerged in the early Islamic period and remains today in small pockets of Africa and dominant in Oman.
"Ibadi Islam has played a pivotal role in the history of Islamic thought and practice, and continues to be an influential force in the contemporary Middle East and Africa."
Brannon Wheeler, author of “Mecca and Eden: Ritual, Relics, and Territory in Islam,” in his review of Valerie Hoffman's book "The Essentials of Ibadi Islam."