(Part 2)
By: Ahmad Aziz
The Khawarij: From Emergence to Takfiri Ideology
To understand phenomena like ISIS, we must go back in time to the early waves of division within the Islamic world. This takes us to the first century of Hijrah and the battles of Siffin, when a major conflict arose between ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (RA) and Muʿāwiyah (RA) over the Caliphate. When the battle reached a stalemate, both sides agreed to resolve the issue peacefully through arbitration. However, this decision became a pretext for the emergence of a group that would later have a lasting impact on history.
Within the army of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (RA), a number of warriors opposed his acceptance of arbitration. They raised the slogan “La Hukma illa lillah” (“There is no judgment except for Allah”), believing that accepting human arbitration instead of Allah’s command was wrong and amounted to disbelief. As a result, they separated from the army and gathered in a place called Harura, initially referred to as Haruriyyah. Later, due to their rebellion against the Caliph of the time, they became known as the Khawarij.
In this way, the first major division in Islamic history did not emerge from external enemies, but from within the Muslim community itself. The Khawarij, with an extremely strict and literal interpretation of religion, considered themselves the only true Muslims, and anyone who disagreed with them, even the ruling Caliph of the time, was declared an unbeliever, making their blood permissible to shed. This ideology created a highly dangerous intellectual foundation, the consequences of which persisted for centuries.
This crisis reached its peak when the Khawarij turned to mass killings and widespread terror. To defend public safety, ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (RA) was compelled to confront them in the Battle of Nahrawan. Although the Khawarij were defeated in this battle, their ideology was never completely eradicated. Like an underground fire, it remained hidden throughout history, rejecting any form of compromise or tolerance, and paved the way for future religious conflicts.
Understanding this chapter of history is fundamentally important for interpreting future events. The Khawarij created a precedent in which rigid and individualistic interpretations of religion were used as a pretext to kill fellow Muslims and declare them unbelievers. Recognizing this precedent is essential for analyzing contemporary extremist groups, such as ISIS, which claims to inherit this ideology. Without understanding these historical roots, our analysis of modern events remains incomplete and superficial.
The concept of takfir, which the Khawarij supported, penetrated the body of the Islamic community like a deadly virus. With only a superficial understanding of religion and lacking depth in jurisprudence and theology, they considered themselves the ultimate judges of right and wrong. With extraordinary audacity, they even declared the greatest companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) outside the fold of faith. This mindset of self-righteousness and intolerance of others became a dangerous legacy, leaving an intellectual foundation for the emergence of extremist groups in future generations.
It is noteworthy that the Khawarij were initially regarded as devout worshippers and pious individuals. However, their weakness in religious knowledge and the dominance of dry, emotional religiosity over rational understanding led them into the pit of extremism and violence. This transformation serves as a lasting warning to all religious communities, showing how the outward appearance of piety can sometimes mask ignorance and prejudice. It reminds us to remain vigilant so that worship is never turned into a tool of terror and hatred.