Part 8
By Osama Nahzat
Throughout the history of Islam, deviant movements have repeatedly emerged, groups that exploit the name of religion for their own purposes. They raise attractive and lofty slogans, yet their actions stand in stark opposition to the ideals they claim to uphold. The earliest Khawarij of Islam were a vivid embodiment of such deception. These individuals, who recited the noble verses of the Qur’an, spilled the blood of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and drew their swords against Muslims under the banner of Islam.
Today, in our own era, the Daeshi Khawarij are walking in the footsteps of their predecessors. These misguided individuals present themselves as reformers, self-proclaimed “commanders of good and forbidders of evil.” Yet in reality, they are responsible for some of the most heinous crimes and moral outrages of modern times.
Throughout the period of their fraudulent caliphate, and even now, despite their severely diminished presence, Daesh has repeatedly proclaimed that they rose to establish Sharia and eliminate wrongdoing. However, when one examines their record, nothing is visible except bloodshed, explosions, looting, and destruction. Islam teaches that forbidding evil must be guided by wisdom, ethical conduct, and justice, yet these people, under the cover of religion, took the lives of thousands of innocent Muslims, destroyed mosques and religious schools, displaced women and children, and tarnished the sacred and peaceful image of Islam before the world.
There is no doubt that pure Muhammadan Islam identifies evil in all its forms, idolatry, oppression, corruption, and the spilling of innocent blood. But Daesh inverted these standards and turned their weapons against the very Muslims they claimed to defend. They even declared sincere mujahideen, men who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the faith, to be apostates. This intentional distortion and redefinition of Islamic principles exposes their true nature. Contrary to their public claims, they are bereft of the spirit of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, using religion merely as a mechanism for seizing power and attracting support from foreign enemies and opportunists.
Just as the Khawarij during the time of Ali (RA) stood against a rightful leader while shouting the slogan “No judgment but Allah’s,” today’s Daesh militants, under the cover of forbidding wrong, stand defiantly against the Islamic Ummah and the mujahideen walking the path of Allah Almighty.
Without question, the similarities between the historical Khawarij and those of the present era are striking. Among these are:
1. Declaring Muslims to be disbelievers.
2. Shedding the blood of the innocent.
3. Exploiting religion to advance worldly agendas.
4. Committing the gravest sins while claiming religious legitimacy.
Among the most appalling crimes committed by the Daeshi Khawarij are:
1. Killing worshippers inside mosques.
2. Assassinating religious scholars and respected public figures.
3. Carrying out bombings in Qur’anic and educational gatherings.
4. Serving the intelligence projects of hostile powers.
In conclusion, one can confidently assert that today’s Khawarij are a continuation of the same destructive movement that first appeared in the early years of Islam, individuals who donned the garments of faith while placing their swords upon the necks of believers.
Not only did they fail to prevent wrongdoing, but they became the active source and wellspring of corruption, division, and evil. It is imperative that the Islamic Ummah remain vigilant and understand that the path of pure Islam is the path of the Noble Qur’an, the Prophetic Sunnah, and the unity of the Muslim community, not the path of reckless zealots or the Khawarij of our age.
