Khariji
Kharijiyyah, Kharijite, Kharijites
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Doctrines
Kharijite belief is
distinguished from that of mainstream Islam through its particular
emphasis on good actions as well as belief. For the Kharijites the mere
profession of the faith - "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the
prophet of God" - was not sufficient in itself to make a person a Muslim;
the profession had to be accompanied by righteousness and good works.
Contrary to the Sunni view and practice, the Kharijites interpreted the
Qur'anic command concerning "enjoining good and forbidding evil" to mean
the vindication of their beliefs through the sword. With regard to the
question of who should lead the community of Muslims, the Kharijites
claimed that the community could only be led by those who were pious and
righteous. It was deemed acceptable to overthrow a ruler whose conduct
fell short of these ideals.
History
Kharijiyyah emerged in the
first century of Islam as a result of disputes within the community over
the question of who should lead it. During the reign of the third caliph,
'Uthman, certain groups accused the caliph of nepotism and misrule, and
this discontent led to his assassination in 656. After 'Uthman's death
Ali, the cousin of the Prophet, was invited by the Muslims at Madina to
accept the caliphate, which he did, and thus became the fourth caliph
(656-661). Ali's rule was opposed by Uthman's nephew, Mu'awiyah, who
rebelled against Ali, but subsequently agreed to settle the issue of who
should lead the community through human arbitration. The principle of the
use of human arbitration for this purpose was opposed by certain groups
within the community, who became known to history as the Kharijites (a
term which means "those who go out, go off").
Because of their belief that the pursuit of truth was done through
the use of the sword, they embarked upon endless campaigns against the
community. Gradually they were subdued, and within two centuries of the
birth of Islam were wiped out.
Symbols
The Kharijites had no distinctive symbol system.
Adherents
The group has no
contemporary adherents. However, a moderate group called Ibadites, who
refer themselves back to the Kharijites but reject their aggressive
methods, are to be found in the sultanate of Oman and North Africa.
Headquarters / Main Centre
The
Kharijites were centred around the marshes around Basra and on the left
bank of the Tigris, a location which afforded them the opportunity to
escape to the mountainous regions of the Iranian plateaus if defeated in
battle.
Bülent Şenay
Overview of World Religions Project
Kharijites
Advanced Information
Unfortunately, we are not aware of any scholarly texts on this
subject which have yet been translated into English. We know
that a number of Arabic scholars have written wonderful texts
in Arabic, and look for the day when we will be able to add
higher quality texts to this presentation.
Also, see:
Islam, Muhammad
Koran, Qur'an
Pillars of Faith
Abraham
Testament of Abraham
Allah
Hadiths
Revelation - Hadiths from Book 1 of al-Bukhari
Belief - Hadiths from Book 2 of al-Bukhari
Knowledge - Hadiths from Book 3 of al-Bukhari
Times of the Prayers - Hadiths from Book 10 of al-Bukhari
Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer) - Hadiths from Book 20 of al-Bukhari
Pilgrimmage (Hajj) - Hadiths from Book 26 of al-Bukhari
Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad) - Hadiths of Book 52 of al-Bukhari
ONENESS, UNIQUENESS OF ALLAH (TAWHEED) - Hadiths of Book 93 of al-Bukhari
Hanafiyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Malikiyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Shafi'iyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Hanbaliyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Maturidiyyah Theology (Sunni)
Ash'ariyyah Theology (Sunni)
Mutazilah Theology
Ja'fari Theology (Shia)
Nusayriyyah Theology (Shia)
Zaydiyyah Theology (Shia)
Kharijiyyah
Imams (Shia)
Druze
Qarmatiyyah (Shia)
Ahmadi
Ishmael, Ismail
Early Islamic History Outline
Hegira
Averroes
Avicenna
Machpela
Kaaba, Black Stone
Ramadan
Sunnites, Sunni
Shiites, Shia
Mecca
Medina
Sahih, al-Bukhari
Sufism
Wahhabism
Abu Bakr
Abbasids
Ayyubids
Umayyads
Fatima
Fatimids (Shia)
Ismailis (Shia)
Mamelukes
Saladin
Seljuks
Aisha
Ali
Lilith
Islamic Calendar
Interactive Muslim Calendar
The individual articles presented here were generally first published
in the early 1980s. This subject presentation was first placed
on the Internet in December 1997.
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