Authored by: Muntaha Athir
The Kharijites possess a long and history replete with extremism in Islam. Their central ideology revolves around the notion that a Muslim who commits a major sin becomes a disbeliever.
The inception of the Kharijite group initially transpired during the disagreement between Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Muawiya (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the punishment of Uthman’s (may Allah be pleased with him) murderers. This discord resulted in the unforeseen martyrdom of countless Muslims.
Subsequent to this, Ali and Muawiya (may Allah be pleased with them both) assigned envoys for the purpose of reconciliation. Each side designated their advocates, endowing them with full authority and pledging to abide by the verdicts rendered by the arbitrators.
This action marked the rise of the Kharijites. They considered Ali’s decision to appoint representatives as contrary to Islam and separated from him under the leadership of Hurqūs ibn Zuhayr, proclaiming the slogan: “There is no judgment except Allah’s.”
Initially, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not confront them. However, upon witnessing their hypocrisy, extremism, and the spreading of discord among Muslims, he decided to confront them. In the year 38 AH, during the Battle of Nahrawan, the majority of the Kharijites perished in a fierce confrontation led by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), thus safeguarding the Islamic community from their malevolent actions in that period.
Following Ali’s martyrdom, the surviving Kharijites from the Battle of Nahrawan sought refuge in the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent regions, subsequently resurfacing during the Umayyad Caliphate. They rose in rebellion against rulers such as Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, Walid ibn Abdul Malik, and others.
Adhering to their misguided beliefs, they harbored enmity towards Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, contending that the caliphate should not be hereditary. They branded all Umayyads as apostates. Abdul Malik ibn Marwan engaged them in fierce battles, ultimately suppressing this major rebellion and restoring relative peace.
During the reigns of Sulaiman ibn Abdul Malik, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, and other Umayyad caliphs, the presence of Kharijites persisted, though their activities remained limited to remote locales.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, Kharijites were present in areas such as Khorasan and Iraq, but their influence was minimal and did not pose a significant threat to the Muslim state. Similarly, extremist groups like the Kharijites existed during the eras of major Muslim empires such as the Almoravids, Seljuks, and Ghaznavids, occasionally weakening Islamic states.
The Kharijites did not exist during the Ottoman Caliphate, but smaller extremist groups with similar ideologies emerged, spreading rigidness and extremism. Later, in 2013, a new Kharijite group, known as ISIS (Daesh), emerged in Iraq.
These modern-day Kharijites, akin to their predecessors, embraced extremism and radicalism, perpetrating the deaths of numerous Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, by the grace of Allah, the establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan eradicated ISIS, shielding oppressed Muslims from their atrocities.
