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The Aqeedah Difference between Ahl ul Sunnah wal Jama’at and the Khawaarij

Abu Sa’eed Al Khidree narrated:

“Imam Ali sent in his time when he was in Yemen, a particular collection from the collection to be sent to the prophet (saw). The Prophet (saw) received the wealth and it was divided between 4 men, … (4 men from different tribes not from Quraish), then someone from Quraish said: “the prophet (saw) gave to the people of najd, and not to us”, and the prophet (saw) said: “I did so in order for them to be closer to Islam, because they like money a lot, …” then one man rose, he had a big beard, 2 big cheeks with very small eyes and a forward sloping forehead, a completely shaved head and he said: “Fear Allah Ya Muhammad (saw)” the prophet (saw) said: “who could obey Allah (swt), if I disobey Allah (swt), Allah trusts me over all people of the earth, and you don’t trust me.” The man turned his back (to Muhammad (saw) while he was speaking) and left. Khalid bin Waleed, said: “Ya Rasulullah, Just give me permission to kill him.” The prophet (saw) said: “from his lineage and from his children will be people who recite Qur’an very well, but it will never reach their throats, and they will kill the Muslims, and will not fight the mushrikeen, and they will leave the deen like the arrow from the bow. If I meet them I will kill them the way the ‘Aad were killed.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Umar ibn Khattab heard about it, and went to the prophet (saw) and asked permission to kill him, the Prophet (saw) said:

“… when you see them pray, you will look to him and think they are better than you, when they fast, you will think that they are better than you, they will recite Qur’an very well but it will never reach their throats, and they will leave the deen like the arrow from the bow…”

“Imam Ali said: I heard the messenger (saw) say:

“there will be people whose recitation cannot be compared to anyone else, will be the best, whose salat cannot be compared to anyone else, will be the best, their fasting cannot be compared to anyone else, will be the best, they will recite the Qur’an, thinking that it is an evidence for them, but it will be an evidence against them. … and they will leave the deen like the arrow from the bow. … their sign is that their leader will have only upper arms, and at the top of the arms are like a small nipple. They will have arms (strong) like the chests of women…”

Imam Ali (ra) was the one who killed 70,000 of the Khawaarij in his time as the khalifah.

Al Khawaarij

JOLOUR AL KHAWAARIJ The Roots of the Khawaarij

The roots of the Khawaarij start with Zul khuwaisirah Al Tamimie, he was the man from the hadith quoted above, he was the First man of the Khawaarij and the Khawaarij was the first sect of Islam. It is learnt from them that sincerity is not enough, you must also have knowledge

Imam Shahrastani said:

“The Khawaarij is: “Anybody who has Khuruj against the rulers or the sahabah (Khalifah)””

The first Khuruj was against Imam Ali (ra) and the one who does that is Khaariji, Ibn Hazm and Ibn Taymiyyah agreed with this statement

Zul Khuwaisirah Al Tamimie was the person who accused the Prophet (saw), and the one about whom the sahabah discussed.

THE FITNAH BETWEEN ALI (RA) AND MU’AWIYAH (RA)

This fitnah began when Mu’awiyah could not accept the death of Uthman (ra), he rose to pose the question “who killed Uthman ibn Affan” and he fought Ali (ra), Aisha (ra) went with the sahabah to see what is happening and went to see Ali (ra) and fighting broke out. They both made Ijtihad for the sake of Allah (swt) and were both on the Haq. 70,000 Muslims were gathered together at this time. Imam Ali (ra) raised the Qur’an and ordered for the fighting to stop.

They had At Tahkeem (arbitration), and it was here that the people who were initially with Ali (ra) disagreed and rejected the arbitration. They made takfeer on anybody who made this arbitration and they were from the descendants of Zul Khuwaisirah Al Tamimie.

The Khawaarij believe that Imaan is one piece and not levels/branches. They believe that if you leave one you are kaafir.

It was decided that both Ali and Mu’awiyah should step down from their posts and the people should choose a new leader; the Khawaarij rejected this decision and made Takfir on anybody who accepted this arbitration. They quoted “inil hukmu illa lillah (the legislation is for none but Allah)” and accused everybody of refer to other than Allah’s law.

They said to Imam Ali,

“you know you are on the Haq (i.e. you know you are the Khalifah), so how can you accept arbitration?”

12,000 of the Khawaarij went away and gathered somewhere else, continuing to chant ‘innil hukmu illa lillah’. Their leader of their salah was the grandson of Zul Khuwaisirah Al Tamimie.

They used to believe that they were more knowledgeable than Imam Ali (ra), even though the Prophet (saw) said Imam Ali (ra) was a “city of knowledge.” they said to them (the people of the gathering) to prepare for Jihad and that

“The nearer enemy (the muslims that they called apostate) is better to be fought than the one who is far away (i.e. the kuffar)”

They claimed that the apostates are the first to be killed and met at a house. One of them said:

“It is not allowed for the one who believes in Ar-Rahman to refer to a man instead of Allah … you must command good and forbid evil, and change the Munkar by force.”

They went out to kill those who they called the “Kuffar”.

ABDULLAH IBN KHABBAB

Khabbab was the first mutilated shaheed in Islam (in Makkah), his son Abdullah was captured by the Khawaarij, they asked him who he was and Abdullah told them. The Khawaarij praised his father for being a good sahabah then asked if he went to the arbitration of Ali and Mu’awiyah, he said “Yes.” So they made takfir on him and they asked him about a hadith. He said:

“… there will come a time when sitting is better than standing…”

They killed him, and cut off his head, then they captured his wife who was pregnant, and took her and tied her to a date tree in an oasis (at that time the tree dropped a date…) they asked her,

“Did you stay with Abdullah after the arbitration?”

She said

“Yes”,

They killed her and cut open her stomach and killed her baby. They said:

“That is the punishment for Apostasy…”

Then a man from among them picked up the date that had fallen and ate it; they killed him as well for his eating of another’s date without to pay for it, they called this kufr.

They went into the market, a pig touched the food and they said “it is fasad in the earth” and they captured and killed the owner of the pig.

Upon hearing of this, Imam Ali said “I will kill all of them.” He killed 6,000 of them in that battle, but lost that battle in the end.

It was not until the Khawaarij started to fight and kill the sahabah that Imam Ali fought them, before that the people had come to Ali (ra) and said

“There are people who make khuruj against you, and they are coming to fight you.”

He said:

“Leave them, I will not fight them until they fight me.”

ABDULLAH IBN ABBAS

The Khawaarij went to ibn Abbas, and said

“Are you going to discuss with us?” they said: “we heard you are a man of good ta’weel … (they praised him) we want to ask you about 3 mas’alah”

They asked.

“What are you going to say about the one who refers to a man, instead of Allah?”

Abdullah ibn Abbas said:

“What is the use for a man when Allah’s word is already risen?”

They asked about the arbitration of Ali (ra) and Mu’awiyah (ra) and about fighting them, furthermore they asked him

“If Imam Ali does not say he is Amir ul mu’mineen, then does that make him Amir ul kafireen?”

ibn Abbas debated with them using Ayat from the Qur’an, he argued about the arbitration to the families of husband and wife if they dispute as mentioned in the ayah, he also quoted the ayah obliging taking the booty when you fight, he asked them,

“Are you going to compromise your mothers? Aisha (ra) is umm ul mu’mineen, if you kill her you will leave the deen etc.”

And he said “Regarding your saying that if Imam Ali does not say he is Amir ul mu’mineen, then does that make him Amir ul kafireen. …” he reminded them that the prophet (saw) wiped off his title of Rasulullah in the treaty with the kuffar though he knew that he was rasulullah, thus refuting their arguments.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) took 2000 out of the 6000 Khawaarij, they left them and went with ibn Abbas.

THE ASSASSINATION OF IMAM ALI (RA)

Three of the Khawaarij gathered together in Makkah conspiring to kill three sahabah: Imam Ali, Amru ibn Al Aas and another Sahabi; they did not succeed with two of them, but they killed Imam Ali (ra).

All three assassins were descendants of Zul Khuwaisirah Al Tamimie. Ibn Mulzim (one of the assassins) entered Makkah planning to kill Ali (ra), he entered the Masjid while Ali (ra) was in his salah. Ibn Mulzim struck Ali (ra) on his head with a sharp knife. The head of Ali (ra) was opened and bleeding heavily; it was a fatal wound. As ibn Mulzim was running, Ali (ra) said

“Don’t let him run away, there will be fitnah (like over Uthman ibn Affan (ra)).”

He was concerned that there will be fitnah in the ummah even at the time of his death (ra) Umm khultum said

“Oh enemy of Allah, you dare to kill him”

And he was captured, Abdullah ibn Ja’far captured him and it was asked for him to repent, he said

“no, it was the duty of every muslim.”

He accused them of fasad in the earth and said the punishment for those who cause fasad in the earth is to be crucified or to have your hands and legs cut off on opposite sides.

They cut his hand, and his leg, and then his eyes, he still did not repent, when they ordered to cut his tongue, he cried:

“No,”

Because he wanted his last words to be “laa ilaaha illallah.” After he died, they noticed that he had a sign of sujud like no other person

ASMAA’ AL KHAWAARIJ

Names of the Khawaarij

The Khawaarij a known by many names, including the following:

- Al Harouriyyah One of the descendants

- Al Nawaasib the Ambushers

- Al Nahrawaaniyyah Nahrawaan is where they fought Ali (ra)

- Al Hukmiyyah they make takfir and quote [12: 40]

- Al Maariqah the ones who leave the deen easily

ANWAA’ FIRAQ AL KHAWAARIJ
Al Khawaarij sects

The Khawaarij are divided further into a number of sect known as the following:

1- Al Muhakimah

2- Al Azaariqah

3- Al Najdaat

4- Al Safriyyah

5- Al ‘Ajaaridah

6- Al Khazimiyyah

7- Al Shu’eibiyyah

8- Al Ma’loumiyyah

9- Al Majhouliyyah

10- Al Saltiyyah

11- Al Shabibiyyah

12- Al Ma’badiyyah

13- Al Makromiyyah

14- Al Shurakhiyyah

15- Al Waqifah

16- Al Sheebaniyyah

17- Al Rashidiyyah

18- Al Haziyyah

19- Al Ibrahimiyyah

SIMAAT AL KHAWAARIJ

Signs of Al Khawaarij

1- They rise against the legitimate muslim rulers

2- They say anyone who differs with them is kaafir

a.  Because they claim that they are people of Haq and that if you differ with the people of Haq you are kaafir

b.  Because they say, they are people of Imaan and if you differ with them you are kaafir.

3- They reject arbitration of any muslim and do not go to any judge, even a muslim judge

4- They reject any Sunnah unless it is supported by an Ayah

5- They Shave their hair completely

6- They wear humble clothes, and attack others who do not

7- They call to kill the people of bid’ah

HUKM AL KHAWAARIJ
The Islamic verdict on Al Khawaarij

The Khawaarij are to be killed the way Imam Ali (ra) killed them, however this is the job of the Khalifah and not the ordinary people.

ARAA’ AL KHAWAARIJ
Some of the khawaarij opinions

1. They believe that Imaan does not increase or decrease, except by one piece, i.e. Islam or kufr, if you drop any part of Islam; you become kaafir.

2. They believe that anybody who does a big sin, he is kaafir

3. They believe that anybody who commits a small sin and insists on it, they are kaafir

4. They believe that Imaan is one piece, it can be increased but not decreased, if some is gone, all of it is gone.

5. They do not give the excuse of Ignorance at all

6. They believe in An Nusoos, about the sahabi Abu Baseer.

Abu Baseer stayed in Makkah at the time of the Hudaibiyah treaty. He then went to Madinah, the Prophet (saw) handed him back to the Makkans in accordance to the treaty, however he killed the two Makkan men, took the booty, and took it to the Prophet (saw) offering it to him. The Prophet (saw) said:

“I don’t want you to stay here, fulfil the contract.”

He stayed in between Makkah and Madinah, and raided the kuffar while staying in the mountains until the Makkans told the prophet (saw) to take him back. Abu Baseer died before the message from the prophet (saw) reached him; though his followers came back and stopped.

7. They believe that that you do not need the Khalifah to implement the Hudud, you can implement it by yourself.

8. They worship Allah by Fear

From alghurabaa.co.uk