Part 2
By Abdullah Arab
There is little doubt that the chief reason for the defeat of the Daeshi Khawarij, and for their failure to fulfill the lofty ambitions and sweeping claims they proclaimed, lay in their own ideological and methodological deviation.
From the outset, they presented themselves as heirs to al Qaeda’s legacy and as its leaders. They insisted that they were operating according to the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. Yet it did not take long for profound doctrinal distortions to emerge. As these deviations became increasingly visible, the distance between them and mainstream Ahl al-Sunnah widened dramatically.
Before long, their true nature stood exposed. No serious doubt remained. While they portrayed themselves as defenders of Sunni Muslims and guardians of their lives and property, their beliefs bore no real resemblance to Sunni doctrine and in fact stood in direct opposition to it. This very departure in method and creed caused ordinary Muslims across the Islamic world to turn away from them. Their collapse unfolded with the same speed as their rise. What follows highlights several of the most significant contradictions between the conduct of the Khawarij and the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah.
One of the gravest of these contradictions centers on the issue of declaring fellow Muslims unbelievers. Guided by the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah, Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah approach matters of takfir with extreme caution. They permit it only in the clearest circumstances and only when supported by strong legal proof. This restraint draws directly from the warning of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), who said that when a person labels his Muslim brother an unbeliever, the judgment returns to one of the two.
Such caution reflects a deep commitment to preserving the unity of the Muslim Ummah and shielding it from fitna. Prominent Sunni scholars, including Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam al-Shafi’i, repeatedly emphasized the necessity of avoiding reckless declarations of takfir.
The Daeshi Khawarij adopted the opposite course. They brand as apostates any Muslims who fail to conform to their extremist views and proceed to declare their blood and property lawful.
This approach did far more than contradict Sunni belief. It fueled widespread bloodshed among innocent Muslims and drove the Ummah toward fragmentation. A movement that claimed fidelity to the Sunnah thus came, in practice, to resemble the earliest Khawarij of Islamic history, whose excesses in takfir ultimately pushed them beyond the bounds of the very Ummah they claimed to defend.
Another stark contradiction appears in their stance toward the sanctity of Muslim life and the protection of civilians. Sunni belief, grounded in well-established prophetic traditions, emphasizes that Muslim life is inviolable and that indiscriminate killing is forbidden even in times of war. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
«المسلم من سلم المسلمون من لسانه و یده»
“A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe.”
Sunni scholars, among them Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, likewise emphasized the necessity of observing Sharia rules in Jihad. They warned against harming noncombatants and held that even in confrontation with enemies, women, children, and the elderly must be protected.
The Daeshi Khawarij operated in direct defiance of these principles. They carried out mass killings of Muslims and non-Muslims alike and were responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Such conduct departed entirely from Sunni methodology and echoed the historical fitnah sparked by the early Khawarij, who, while claiming to defend Islam, inflicted catastrophic harm upon the Muslim Ummah and consequently lost public support.
A third point of divergence lies in the treatment of the People of the Book and other religious minorities. Sunni doctrine, rooted in Qur’anic proclamations such as “There is no compulsion in religion,” stresses tolerance and the safeguarding of non-Muslim rights. The Prophet’s dealings with the Jews of Medina stand as a living historical example of this ethic. Sunni scholars, including Imam al-Ghazali, emphasized that while jizyah could be levied lawfully, the security of protected communities was inviolable and that any aggression against them was categorically forbidden.
The Daeshi Khawarij followed a radically different path. Through overt abuse and violence, they targeted religious minorities such as Christians and Yazidis, killing and persecuting them while trampling upon their rights.
This departure from Sunni methodology did more than tarnish Islam’s public image. It convinced much of the Muslim world that the group could not possibly represent Islam in any authentic sense. As a result, the movement unraveled far faster than many observers had anticipated.