Nur al-Din al-Salimi

Nur al-Din Abd Allah ibn Humayd al-Salimi (c. 1286 AH / 1869 CE – 1332 AH / 1914 CE) was an Omani scholar of Ibadi Islam — the distinct branch of Islam, separate from both Sunni and Shia, that has long been dominant in Oman. He is remembered as a jurist (faqih, a specialist in Islamic law), a theologian, and the historian whose Tuhfat al-A'yan bi-sirat ahl Uman ("Gift to the Notables on the History of the People of Oman") became a foundational narrative of Omani history.

He was born near Rustaq, in the village area of al-Hawqayn, and was first taught by his father. Tradition reports that he lost his sight around the age of twelve, yet went on to memorise and master a vast body of learning. As a young man he moved into the Sharqiyya region of the interior, where, with the support of the scholar Salih ibn Ali al-Harithi, he settled and taught at al-Qabil.

Al-Salimi argued that Oman should be governed by an elected Ibadi imam rather than by the British-backed Al Bu Sa'id sultans of Muscat — a contested political stance, presented here as his position, not as settled judgement. He was a key figure behind the 1913 election of Salim ibn Rashid al-Kharusi as imam at Tanuf. He died in early 1914, reportedly when his donkey stumbled during a journey, and was buried at Tanuf, not living to see the imamate fully consolidated.