Qualities of the Khawarij

The Khawarij, as Ibn Taymiyya and other scholars say, are distinguished by five things:

The first sign is takfir on the basis of sins: they declare takfir on God’s servants for great sins, so they declare that the fornicator has left Islam, and likewise the drinker of alcohol. The manhaj of the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a is that we do not declare anyone to be in Paradise or Hellfire except the one for whom the Messenger (prayers and peace be upon him) has declared as such. This is with regards to the Muslims. As for the disbelievers, they are in Hellfire. We do not declare takfir on any of the people of the qibla on the basis of a sin. So with regards to the person who testifies that there is no deity but God and commits sins, we fear that the punishment will come upon him, but he is not a disbeliever. So the manhaj of the Khawarij is takfir, and this is the first thing they have been distinguished for among divisions and sects, and it is grave error.

The second sign: they only adopt from the Sunna what concords with the outward meaning of the Qur’an. If the outward meaning of the Qur’an agrees, they adopt it, as Ibn Taymiyya says, and if it contravenes, they do not adopt it. As such, they have deemed many of the Sunna’s precepts invalid. For example, since they have not found stoning to be mentioned in God’s Book, they have abandoned stoning, so stoning is not a practice for the Khawarij. When the Khawarij saw this issue is not in the Qur’an, they abandoned it, and the verse that provides evidence for this issue is part of the issue of abrogation in that it has been abrogated in recitation and remained as a ruling, and the same reasoning applies to the likes of it.

The Khawarij were held to account by Omar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz- the ascetic caliph and the reviver in the first century. Omar said: ‘Why do you not adopt the precepts of the Sunna?’ They said: ‘The Qur’an is mutawatir. As for the Sunna, it constitutes solitary narrations and lying and fabrication come into them.’ Omar said: ‘Bring me from the Qur’an the stipulation of the number of rak’as for Zuhr prayer.’ So they remained silent. He said: ‘Bring me from the Qur’an the stipulations of the nisab values of zakat.’ So they remained silent. He said: ‘Bring me from the Qur’an the stipulations of what breaks the fast for the one fasting.’ They remained silent. A large group of them returned to the right way.

The third sign: emphasis on worship at the expense of understanding. This religion is a religion of worship and a religion of being connected with God and supererogatory acts. However, that should not be at the expense of understanding, and in the Sunan of Ibn Majah it is narrated in a good chain of transmission on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (may God be pleased with them both): “One jurist is stronger against Satan than 1000 worshippers are.”

Islam is knowledge. God said: “So know that there is no deity but God, and seek forgiveness for your sin” (Muhammad 19). If you hear any person disparaging the issue of knowledge, that person is sullying Islam, and destroying Islam with his pickaxe, and disparaging the message of the Messenger (prayers and peace be upon him).

The blameworthy aspect of the Christians is that they have worshipped God in ignorance, and this is what some of the Ummah’s sects have fallen into like the extremist Sufis. The Almighty has said: “And they invented a monastic order that We did not ordain for them, but rather We only ordained seeking God’s contentment”- (al-Hadid 27).

The blameworthy aspect of the Jews is that they have gained knowledge but have not implemented their knowledge. God said about them: “Because they broke their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts harsh, as they distort the words out of their contexts”- (al-Ma’ida 17).

The fourth sign: they fight the people of Islam and leave the idolaters alone. They killed Abdullah bin Khabab on the Tigris river and left a Christian alone, as the Christian passed by and one of the Khawarij took a date from the goods he was carrying. Then the Khariji asked the scholars of the Khawarij who are ignorant: ‘I took a date from a Christian. Am I right to do so?’ He [sic: the scholars] said: ‘Seek God’s forgiveness. Woe be upon you from God. Repent to God and go back and ask for the Christian’s forgiveness because he is of the dhimmis. Then they came upon Abdullah bin Khabab who is one of the companions. They said: ‘Do you agree with Ali bin Abi Talib?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ So they slaughtered him on the river Tigris. This is due to misunderstanding on their part.

The fifth sign is that they revolt with the sword against the imams without something that makes the imams become disbelievers, and the Messenger (prayers and peace be upon him) says, as reported in Sahih Muslim: “Unless you see clear disbelief in your eyes, with the proof of it being from God.”

On the authority of Ali (may God be pleased with him): he said: I heard the Messenger of God (SAWS) saying: ‘A people will come come out at the end of time, who are young in age and foolish in their thinking, speaking words of the best words of creation. Their faith will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through this religion as the arrow passes through its target. So kill them wherever you find them, for on the Day of Judgement there is a reward for whoever kills them’ (agreed upon).

On the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Anas bin Malik, who reported that the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: ‘There will be disagreement in my Ummah, and a sect of people who speak well but do evil, reading the Qur’an and yet it does not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the religion as the arrow passes through its target. They will not go back on their ways until the arrow comes back to the place where it was strung. They will be the worst of men and animals. Blessed is the one who kills them and is killed by them. They will call to the Book of God and yet they have nothing to do with us. Whoever fights them is closer to God than they are. They said: oh Messenger of God, what is their distinguishing feature? He said: ‘Shaving’- (narrated by Abu Dawud).

And in another narration: a man with deep-seated eyes, prominent cheeks, a thick beard, a projecting brow and a shaved head came and said: ‘Oh Muhammad, fear God.’ So he said: ‘So who obeys God if I disobey God? But God makes me trustee of the people of the land and you do not trust me.’ A man asked to kill this man with deep-seated eyes, but the Messenger forbade it, so when the man with deep-seated eyes turned away, the Messenger said: ‘Among the progeny of this man will be a people who recite the Qur’an yet it does not go beyond their throats. They will pass through Islam as the arrow passes through its target. They will kill the people of Islam and leave along the people of idols. If I were to catch them, I would indeed kill them as the people of ‘Ad were killed’- (agreed upon).

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Are these the words of the Dawla [Islamic State]?! Not at all, by my Lord.

. On the Day of Judgement: most of Khawarij deny matters of the Judgement, including the path. For the Ibadis have adopted the view of denying it and saying that it is not a bridge!

Most of the Khawarij deny intercession on the Day of Judgement as regards the people who have committed grave sins, on the basis that they do not come out of the fire!

. On fate by God’s decree: among them are those who acknowledge it, those who assert the decree of fate, and those who deny it!

. On seeing God (Almighty and Exalted is He): the Khawarij deny seeing God (Almighty and Exalted is He).

. On issues of faith: the Khawarij have disagreed on the understanding of the truth of faith, for some of them say it is knowledge and acknowledge! Others of them have said that faith is acknowledgement of the heart, pronouncement of the tongue and implementing the entire law!

. On the issue of increase of faith and its diminishment: among them are those who think that faith does not increase or diminish, but rather it is firm or vanishes entirely! Among them are those who agree with the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a but have disagreed with them on the issue of the one who commits the grave sin.

. The Khawarij and takfir of those who disobey God: most of the Khawarij believe in takfir of the disobedient and consider them to be outside the path of Islam, and they have disagreed on the reason for the disbelief of the disobedient. Among them are those who think that if the disobedient one insists on the act of disobedience, that person is a disbeliever. Among them are those who say: the disobedient one is ignorant of God’s decree of fate, and if the disobedient one insists on minor sins, then that person is not a disbeliever! Most of the Khawarij have adopted the view that the one who commits the grave sin even when one goes into detail on their sects. However, the the Najadat sect is the exception, as it has distinguished in ruling between the one who insists and the one who does not insist!

Some of the sects of the Khawarij do not rule someone to be a disbeliever if that person is one of them and commits the grave sin, but if that person is of a sect besides their own, they consider him to be an idolater. One sect of the Khawarij believe that if the hadd punishment is applied against the one who has committed the grave sin, then that person is a disbeliever. If it is not applied, then that person is a believer!

NB: Some terms here require explanation:

. Takfir- declaring someone to be a disbeliever.

. Manhaj- path/way.

. Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a- ‘The people of the Sunna and the Group’ (i.e. the Sunnis).

. Qibla- the direction of prayer. In the case of Islam, performing prayer towards Mecca.

. Mutawatir- Corroborated by multiple sources, as opposed to coming from just one source. The meaning in the context here is that the text of the Qur’an was established and agreed upon.

. Nisab- the minimum value on something to be liable for zakat taxation.

. Rak’a- prostration in prayer.

. Zuhr prayer: noon prayer.

. ‘Ad- a people mentioned in the Qur’an as having been destroyed by God.

. Najadat- a group of Khawarij named for being followers of Najda bin Amir al-Hanafi.