![:: Khawarij: A History of Violence and Extremism::
========================================
[In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful]
The title KHWARIJ comes from the Arabic root word “KHURUJ”, meaning “REVOLT” or “INSURRECTION”.
The Beginning of the Khawarij:
-----------------------------------------
During the time of the fourth Caliph, Hazrat Ali, raziAllahu anho, (who ruled from 656 – 661 CE) there was a political war between him and another man named Mu’awiyah. Both were Companions (sahaba) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Ali, raziAllahu anho, was also the Prophet’s son-in-law and cousin.
At one point, Ali and Mu’awiyah had ceased fighting and began a process of arbitration to bring about peace. Arbitrators were selected from the two sides to bring an end to hostilities, based on the Qur’an and sunnah (traditions of The Prophet). However, among these people was a group who believed that arbitration was a sin, based on their own understanding of the verse of the Qur’an which states:
"The decision is only for Allah . He relates the truth, and He is the best of deciders."
[Qur’an 6: 57]
The group accused Ali, razi'Allahu anho, of sin and disbelief and told him to repent. He defended himself, and said of them:
“The sentence is right but what (they think) it means is wrong. It is true that law-giving (hukm, judgement) is God’s alone, but these people say that governance is God’s alone…In short, the law does not get put into practice all by itself; there must be someone, or some group, who tries to put it into practice.”
The group was adamant that Hazrat Ali, razi'Allahu anho, had sinned. In short, they believed that if Ali was following the truth, he had to kill Mu’awiyah and all his men for their insurrection. And if he was not following the truth, then Mu’awiyah and his men should have killed him.
6000 of them split away from Hazrat Ali’s, razi'Allahu anho, rule and formed their own tribe. They became known as the Kharijites, or Khawarij. The title comes from the Arabic word “khuruj”, meaning “revolt” or “insurrection”. This group was the first group to exhibit extremist tendencies and the first sect to split away from mainstream Islamic thought—even before the Sunni-Shia split.
Features of the Khawarij:
---------------------------------
Initially, Ali, razi'Allahu anho, left the group alone. In his wisdom, he did not want to force people to reform their beliefs or overpower them. He told them that they could practice however they wished, so long as they did not spread corruption in the land.
However, the extreme, overzealous practices of the Khawarij are what drove them into constant conflict and bloodshed. They would kill anyone who did not believe in their extremist ideology.
Eventually, the Kharijis argued that sins themselves were a form of kufr (disbelief in God). They argued that if you commit a sin, you are in effect a disbeliever in God and thus could be fought and killed, even if you were a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ or a caliph. Furthermore, if you disagreed with their belief that sins are disbelief, you are by default a disbeliever and could be fought and killed.
Khariji beliefs did not have much basis in actual Islamic theology. Takfir (declaring people disbelievers) is in fact a very specific and rare thing in mainstream Muslim belief, with the majority opinion, as stated in the‘Aqida of Imam al-Tahawi, being that the only thing that invalidates someone’s status as a Muslim is openly declaring that they do not believe that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. Thus most of the Kharijis were not educated people well versed in the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet. The majority were desert Bedouin raiders who made up for their lack of understanding of Islam with a strong zeal for Khariji beliefs, no matter how intellectually shallow they were.
In line with their beliefs, Kharijis attempted to assassinate all the political leaders who took part in the arbitration that led to their establishment. They failed in their attempts to kill Mu’awiya and ‘Amr ibn al-’As, who supported Mu’awiya and ruled Egypt in his name. But in 661 they succeeded in killing the caliph, ‘Ali, in Kufa. The assassination of the Prophet’s cousin and son in law brought about the end of the Rashidun era of the caliphate and the beginning of the Umayyad Caliphate, led by Mu’awiya.
In short, much of the Khawarij belief stemmed from an overzealous sense of righteousness. Their intention was noble: they were concerned for the purity of the religion. However, their extremist tendencies were incompatible with the realities of life, and showed a disregard for the maxim of Islam that calls for mercy and peace first and foremost.
MODERN TIMES:
------------------------
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that this group would continue to come and go until near the Day of Judgement. He described the Khawarij of our times like so:
“There will come towards the end of time a group of people, young men, they have the most grandiose visions, they are speaking the best speech that you will ever hear of any man. But they will leave Islam like an arrow leaves its prey.” (Muslim)
AND
Abu SaEid Al-Khudri narrates that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,
“There will be differences and splits in my ummah. My ummah will split up, and a group will come out who are good in their speech but terrible in their actions. Their speech is flowery; their speech is attractive, but their actions belie their very words. They shall recite the Qur'an, but it will not leave their throats. They call to the Book of Allah but they have nothing to do with it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)
And there are many-many more of them.
There are a few noteworthy things to take from that hadith:
• They will be young men. Meaning they will be comprised mainly of overzealous young men. You won’t see the old and wise among their ranks.
• They will have the most grandiose visions. They will, as young men do, dream of changing the world and will be able to inspire others with their dreams—though their dreams will be incompatible with reality.
• They will be speaking the best speech. Meaning, as the Prophet said before, they will call to Islam and to the Book of God, but their actions will be outwardly evil.
In our times, groups like ISIS have weaved a grand illusion in which they consider themselves the representatives for Muslims everywhere. And yet they act in ways similar to the Khawarij. And what groups like ISIS have failed to realize is that blatant acts of violence and bloodshed are not the foundations of a just society.
Among the most obvious traits that modern groups share with the Khawarij is the lack of insight into their own actions. They do not see beyond the scope of their rifle.
When Ju’hayman al-Otaybi and his group held the Ka’bah hostage in 1979, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people, did he think that he would win the hearts of people by threatening them at the holiest place in the world?
When Khalid Islambouli assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, did he think that peace would immediately flow out of the dead president’s body? Rather, Sadat was replaced with Hosni Mubarak and the rest of that is history.
When the Gamat Islamiya (Group of Islam) killed 62 tourists in the 1997 Luxor Massacre, did they imagine the world would suddenly respect them and fear them? Rather, their own people and government hunted them down.
And in our times, with Al Qaeda strapping bombs to their chests, and Boko Haram kidnapping young girls, and ISIS beheading journalists…
To what end do they see their barbaric actions? Do they think that their bombs, guns and beheadings will make people love God, love Islam, love Prophet Muhammad? Do they not see how out of touch they are with reality?
Perhaps they should learn their own history.
SUCCESS COMES FROM ALLAH AND ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST
=====================================================
SOURCES:
---------------
1• http://lostislamichistory.com/who-were-the-kharijis/#more-1902
2• http://www.aljamaat.org/islam/articles/a35.htm
3• http://www.islam21c.com/politics/conclusive-scholarly-opinions-on-isis/
4• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_seizure
5• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sixliGz9zhI
6• http://www.al-islam.org/polarization-around-character-ali-ibn-abi-talib-ayatullah-murtadha-mutahhari/how-khawarij-came
7• http://muslimvillage.com/2014/09/08/57598/the-khawarij-the-forefathers-of-todays-violent-extremists/](https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p526x296/10952351_1621629498057921_7795459582704178730_n.jpg?oh=80301aa6b1b2264921f7b28cbf62730d&oe=55683B02&__gda__=1428706473_80db05afd33596ea61f09a8f29c1f00d)
:: Khawarij: A History of Violence and Extremism::
========================================
[In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful]
========================================
[In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful]
The title KHWARIJ comes from the Arabic root word “KHURUJ”, meaning “REVOLT” or “INSURRECTION”.
The Beginning of the Khawarij:
-----------------------------------------
During the time of the fourth Caliph, Hazrat Ali, raziAllahu anho, (who ruled from 656 – 661 CE) there was a political war between him and another man named Mu’awiyah. Both were Companions (sahaba) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Ali, raziAllahu anho, was also the Prophet’s son-in-law and cousin.
At one point, Ali and Mu’awiyah had ceased fighting and began a process of arbitration to bring about peace. Arbitrators were selected from the two sides to bring an end to hostilities, based on the Qur’an and sunnah (traditions of The Prophet). However, among these people was a group who believed that arbitration was a sin, based on their own understanding of the verse of the Qur’an which states:
-----------------------------------------
During the time of the fourth Caliph, Hazrat Ali, raziAllahu anho, (who ruled from 656 – 661 CE) there was a political war between him and another man named Mu’awiyah. Both were Companions (sahaba) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Ali, raziAllahu anho, was also the Prophet’s son-in-law and cousin.
At one point, Ali and Mu’awiyah had ceased fighting and began a process of arbitration to bring about peace. Arbitrators were selected from the two sides to bring an end to hostilities, based on the Qur’an and sunnah (traditions of The Prophet). However, among these people was a group who believed that arbitration was a sin, based on their own understanding of the verse of the Qur’an which states:
"The decision is only for Allah . He relates the truth, and He is the best of deciders."
[Qur’an 6: 57]
[Qur’an 6: 57]
The group accused Ali, razi'Allahu anho, of sin and disbelief and told him to repent. He defended himself, and said of them:
“The sentence is right but what (they think) it means is wrong. It is true that law-giving (hukm, judgement) is God’s alone, but these people say that governance is God’s alone…In short, the law does not get put into practice all by itself; there must be someone, or some group, who tries to put it into practice.”
The group was adamant that Hazrat Ali, razi'Allahu anho, had sinned. In short, they believed that if Ali was following the truth, he had to kill Mu’awiyah and all his men for their insurrection. And if he was not following the truth, then Mu’awiyah and his men should have killed him.
6000 of them split away from Hazrat Ali’s, razi'Allahu anho, rule and formed their own tribe. They became known as the Kharijites, or Khawarij. The title comes from the Arabic word “khuruj”, meaning “revolt” or “insurrection”. This group was the first group to exhibit extremist tendencies and the first sect to split away from mainstream Islamic thought—even before the Sunni-Shia split.
6000 of them split away from Hazrat Ali’s, razi'Allahu anho, rule and formed their own tribe. They became known as the Kharijites, or Khawarij. The title comes from the Arabic word “khuruj”, meaning “revolt” or “insurrection”. This group was the first group to exhibit extremist tendencies and the first sect to split away from mainstream Islamic thought—even before the Sunni-Shia split.
Features of the Khawarij:
---------------------------------
Initially, Ali, razi'Allahu anho, left the group alone. In his wisdom, he did not want to force people to reform their beliefs or overpower them. He told them that they could practice however they wished, so long as they did not spread corruption in the land.
However, the extreme, overzealous practices of the Khawarij are what drove them into constant conflict and bloodshed. They would kill anyone who did not believe in their extremist ideology.
---------------------------------
Initially, Ali, razi'Allahu anho, left the group alone. In his wisdom, he did not want to force people to reform their beliefs or overpower them. He told them that they could practice however they wished, so long as they did not spread corruption in the land.
However, the extreme, overzealous practices of the Khawarij are what drove them into constant conflict and bloodshed. They would kill anyone who did not believe in their extremist ideology.
Eventually, the Kharijis argued that sins themselves were a form of kufr (disbelief in God). They argued that if you commit a sin, you are in effect a disbeliever in God and thus could be fought and killed, even if you were a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ or a caliph. Furthermore, if you disagreed with their belief that sins are disbelief, you are by default a disbeliever and could be fought and killed.
Khariji beliefs did not have much basis in actual Islamic theology. Takfir (declaring people disbelievers) is in fact a very specific and rare thing in mainstream Muslim belief, with the majority opinion, as stated in the‘Aqida of Imam al-Tahawi, being that the only thing that invalidates someone’s status as a Muslim is openly declaring that they do not believe that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. Thus most of the Kharijis were not educated people well versed in the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet. The majority were desert Bedouin raiders who made up for their lack of understanding of Islam with a strong zeal for Khariji beliefs, no matter how intellectually shallow they were.
In line with their beliefs, Kharijis attempted to assassinate all the political leaders who took part in the arbitration that led to their establishment. They failed in their attempts to kill Mu’awiya and ‘Amr ibn al-’As, who supported Mu’awiya and ruled Egypt in his name. But in 661 they succeeded in killing the caliph, ‘Ali, in Kufa. The assassination of the Prophet’s cousin and son in law brought about the end of the Rashidun era of the caliphate and the beginning of the Umayyad Caliphate, led by Mu’awiya.
In short, much of the Khawarij belief stemmed from an overzealous sense of righteousness. Their intention was noble: they were concerned for the purity of the religion. However, their extremist tendencies were incompatible with the realities of life, and showed a disregard for the maxim of Islam that calls for mercy and peace first and foremost.
MODERN TIMES:
------------------------
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that this group would continue to come and go until near the Day of Judgement. He described the Khawarij of our times like so:
------------------------
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that this group would continue to come and go until near the Day of Judgement. He described the Khawarij of our times like so:
“There will come towards the end of time a group of people, young men, they have the most grandiose visions, they are speaking the best speech that you will ever hear of any man. But they will leave Islam like an arrow leaves its prey.” (Muslim)
AND
Abu SaEid Al-Khudri narrates that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,
“There will be differences and splits in my ummah. My ummah will split up, and a group will come out who are good in their speech but terrible in their actions. Their speech is flowery; their speech is attractive, but their actions belie their very words. They shall recite the Qur'an, but it will not leave their throats. They call to the Book of Allah but they have nothing to do with it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)
“There will be differences and splits in my ummah. My ummah will split up, and a group will come out who are good in their speech but terrible in their actions. Their speech is flowery; their speech is attractive, but their actions belie their very words. They shall recite the Qur'an, but it will not leave their throats. They call to the Book of Allah but they have nothing to do with it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)
And there are many-many more of them.
There are a few noteworthy things to take from that hadith:
• They will be young men. Meaning they will be comprised mainly of overzealous young men. You won’t see the old and wise among their ranks.
• They will have the most grandiose visions. They will, as young men do, dream of changing the world and will be able to inspire others with their dreams—though their dreams will be incompatible with reality.
• They will be speaking the best speech. Meaning, as the Prophet said before, they will call to Islam and to the Book of God, but their actions will be outwardly evil.
• They will be young men. Meaning they will be comprised mainly of overzealous young men. You won’t see the old and wise among their ranks.
• They will have the most grandiose visions. They will, as young men do, dream of changing the world and will be able to inspire others with their dreams—though their dreams will be incompatible with reality.
• They will be speaking the best speech. Meaning, as the Prophet said before, they will call to Islam and to the Book of God, but their actions will be outwardly evil.
In our times, groups like ISIS have weaved a grand illusion in which they consider themselves the representatives for Muslims everywhere. And yet they act in ways similar to the Khawarij. And what groups like ISIS have failed to realize is that blatant acts of violence and bloodshed are not the foundations of a just society.
Among the most obvious traits that modern groups share with the Khawarij is the lack of insight into their own actions. They do not see beyond the scope of their rifle.
When Ju’hayman al-Otaybi and his group held the Ka’bah hostage in 1979, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people, did he think that he would win the hearts of people by threatening them at the holiest place in the world?
When Khalid Islambouli assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, did he think that peace would immediately flow out of the dead president’s body? Rather, Sadat was replaced with Hosni Mubarak and the rest of that is history.
When the Gamat Islamiya (Group of Islam) killed 62 tourists in the 1997 Luxor Massacre, did they imagine the world would suddenly respect them and fear them? Rather, their own people and government hunted them down.
And in our times, with Al Qaeda strapping bombs to their chests, and Boko Haram kidnapping young girls, and ISIS beheading journalists…
To what end do they see their barbaric actions? Do they think that their bombs, guns and beheadings will make people love God, love Islam, love Prophet Muhammad? Do they not see how out of touch they are with reality?
Perhaps they should learn their own history.
Among the most obvious traits that modern groups share with the Khawarij is the lack of insight into their own actions. They do not see beyond the scope of their rifle.
When Ju’hayman al-Otaybi and his group held the Ka’bah hostage in 1979, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people, did he think that he would win the hearts of people by threatening them at the holiest place in the world?
When Khalid Islambouli assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, did he think that peace would immediately flow out of the dead president’s body? Rather, Sadat was replaced with Hosni Mubarak and the rest of that is history.
When the Gamat Islamiya (Group of Islam) killed 62 tourists in the 1997 Luxor Massacre, did they imagine the world would suddenly respect them and fear them? Rather, their own people and government hunted them down.
And in our times, with Al Qaeda strapping bombs to their chests, and Boko Haram kidnapping young girls, and ISIS beheading journalists…
To what end do they see their barbaric actions? Do they think that their bombs, guns and beheadings will make people love God, love Islam, love Prophet Muhammad? Do they not see how out of touch they are with reality?
Perhaps they should learn their own history.
SUCCESS COMES FROM ALLAH AND ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST
=====================================================
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