Part 5
By Ehsan
Other Characteristics of the Khawarij That Reached Their Peak in Daesh
The four characteristics of the Khawarij discussed in previous articles are by no means the only ones. Their deviant movement has many other defining traits, each of which, on its own, is enough to identify today’s takfiri groups. These very characteristics have appeared in Daesh with even greater intensity, in a more organized and systematic form. In this article, we will look at those characteristics that were not discussed earlier, completing a clearer picture of the group’s ideology and conduct.
The Fifth Characteristic: Ostentation in Worship
The Khawarij went to extremes in outward acts of worship, prayer, fasting, recitation of the Holy Quran, and night prayers. Yet these acts were not rooted in sincerity. They performed them to impress others and to present themselves as more righteous than everyone else.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said about them:
“Compared to their prayer, your prayer will seem insignificant, and compared to their fasting, your fasting will seem insignificant.”
This hadith shows that the Khawarij became so excessive in outward worship that the worship of others appeared insignificant beside theirs. Yet those same outward displays separated them from the true spirit and objectives of the Sharia.
Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA), one of the greatest scholars among the Companions, said after meeting the Khawarij:
“I have never seen a people more devoted to worship than them. Their hands had become as rough as the knees of camels from constant prayer, and their foreheads had darkened from endless prostration. Yet they are among the worst of Allah’s creation.”
The same characteristic is plainly visible in Daesh. Its members wear distinctive black clothing, perform congregational prayers with an outward display of humility and composure, and produce high-quality propaganda videos of these scenes to present themselves as the only true Muslims.
Yet these same people declare innocent Muslims apostates, behead them, enslave women and children, and destroy sacred places. The sharp contrast between the appearance of devotion and the corruption of their deeds shows that their worship is not founded on sincerity. Instead, it serves as a propaganda tool to deceive people and draw new recruits into their ranks.
The Sixth Characteristic: Arrogance, Self-Righteousness, and Disrespect for Religious Scholars
The well-known incident of Dhul Khuwaysirah is one of the clearest examples of the Khawarij’s arrogance and insolence. While the Prophet (PBUH) was distributing the spoils of war, the man rudely said:
“O Muhammad, be just.”
To speak in such a manner to the most just and noble man on earth revealed the arrogance that marked the Khawarij.
The Prophet (PBUH) replied:
“Woe to you! If I am not just, then who will be just?”
He later forbade his Companions from killing the man and said:
“From this man’s descendants will come a people who recite the Quran, but it will not go beyond their throats. They will leave the religion just as an arrow passes through its target.”
The Khawarij showed no respect for the scholars or leaders of the Muslim Ummah.
They believed themselves to be the most knowledgeable and the most pious. They felt entitled to lecture the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH), the Tabi’un, and the greatest scholars of Islam, accusing them of disbelief and misguidance while rejecting their religious rulings.
This same attitude appears in Daesh with even greater intensity. The group casually declares leading Sunni scholars apostates, branding them as taghut, “secular scholars,” and “servants of unbelieving rulers.” Daesh presents itself as the only legitimate religious authority and the only correct interpreter of the Quran and Sunnah, refusing to recognize any scholar whose knowledge stands above its own.
The Seventh Characteristic: Youth and Ignorance
In a well-known hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) described the Khawarij as “young in age and foolish in understanding.”
Because they lacked maturity and experience, they were easily deceived by emotional slogans and acted without careful thought or sound judgment.
Daesh follows the same pattern. Most of its recruits are young, inexperienced, and easily manipulated. The group exploits their passion while taking advantage of their lack of knowledge to achieve its own aims. Many of these young men know little about political realities or the complexities of society. They are deceived by false promises of Paradise and martyrdom and become trapped in the group’s ideology.
The Eighth Characteristic: Disregard for the Lives and Property of Muslims
Through baseless arguments and distorted interpretations of Quranic verses, the Khawarij declared the blood of Muslims lawful and seized their wealth. They recognized no sanctity in a Muslim’s life or property and considered killing their opponents not merely permissible, but obligatory.
Daesh has followed the same path, killing thousands of innocent Muslims across the Islamic world on the basis of weak and baseless accusations while looting their property.
In Afghanistan alone, the attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi maternity hospital in Kabul, where pregnant women and newborn babies were slaughtered, the massacre of students at Kabul University during an examination, and the deadly bombing at Kabul Airport are only a few examples of the horrific crimes committed by Daesh.
The Ninth Characteristic: The Continued Reappearance of the Khawarij Throughout History
The Prophet (PBUH) said:
“They will continue to appear until the last of them emerges alongside the Dajjal.”
The Khawarij have resurfaced at different stages throughout Islamic history. In our own time, Daesh stands as one of the clearest manifestations of that same deviant ideology.
Their continued reappearance shows that the ideology of the Khawarij has never completely disappeared. Instead, it has repeatedly resurfaced under new names and in new forms. All of these characteristics leave little room for doubt. Both in its beliefs and in its actions, Daesh is the true heir of the Khawarij and the latest continuation of that deviant ideology.
