Table Of Contents

• Introduction
• The View of Fighting Rulers In Order to Usurp Authority is Corrupt and Leads to Much Greater Evil
• Allaah Does Not Order Something By Which Rectification of the Worldly and Religious Affairs Is Not Attained
• There Was Not in Any Revolt Any Rectification or Benefit For the Religion
• Fighting Against the Khawaarij is Commended in the Religion and Those Who Revolted Did So Believing They Were Enjoining the Good
• The Two Types of People That Fall Into Rebellion and Revolt And the Nature of Their Error
• The Necessity of Having Patience Upon the Injustice, Misappropriation and Self-Preferential Rule of the Leaders

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah continued:

Rather, it has been successively narrated (tawaatara) from him that he commanded fighting against the Khawaarij, the Renegades, those whom the Chief of the Believers, Alee bin Abee Taalib (radiallaahu anhu), fought against at Nahrawaan, after they had revolted against him at Harooraa. For the narrations (Sunan) from the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) were in abundance (i.e. spread, known) concerning fighting against them (the Khawaarij), and when Alee (radiyallaahu anhu) fought against them, he rejoiced with fighting against them, and he also narrated the hadeeth concerning them, and the Companions also agreed upon fighting them (7).

And similarly the people of knowledge after them, this fighting (against the Khawaarij) was not like the fighting of the people of the Camel and Siffeen and other than them, from those matters in which no text or Ijmaa' has come, and neither any praise of the noble ones who entered into it. Rather, they were remorseful about it, and also returned (i.e. recanted) from it.

And this (aforementioned) hadeeth (i.e. concerning al-Hasan) is from the signs of the Prophethood of our Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), when he mentioned about al-Hasan whatever he mentioned, and praised him for what he praised him. So whatever he mentioned and whatever he praised was in agreement with the truth that actually occurred after more than 30 years...

And this very thing is the actual wisdom that the legislator (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) was attempting to bring about and nurture in his prohibition of revolting against the rulers, and he taught abandonment of fighting in times of fitnah - even if those who fell into this considered that their intent (desire) was to enjoin the good and forbid the evil.

And it is actually from this angle (i.e. intending to enjoin good and forbid evil) that the Khawaarij made lawful the (raising of the) sword against the people of the Qiblah, until they killed Alee and others from the Muslims. And similarly, those who agreed with them in revolting against the rulers, with the sword, in general terms - such as the Mu'tazilah, the Zaydiyyah, and the Fuqahaa (Jurists), and others. Such as those who revolted alongside Muhammad bin Abdullaah bin Abdullaah bin Hasan bin Husayn, and his brother, Ibraaheem bin Abdullaah bin Hasan bin Husayn and others (8).

Notes

(7) Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said, "And the way, Seerah, of the Muslims has never ceased upon this (methodology). They did not declare them (i.e. the Khawarij) to be apostates like those whom as-Siddiq (radiallaahu anhu) fought against. And this despite the command of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) to fight against them, as occurs in the authentic hadiths, and also despite what has been reported about them in the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah, collected by at-Tirmidhi and others that they are "the most evil of those who are killed under the sky and how excellent is the one killed by them". Meaning that they are more harmful to the Muslims than others, for there are none which are more harmful to the Muslims than them, neither the Jews and nor the Christians. For they strived to kill every Muslim who did not agree with their view , declaring the blood of the Muslims, their wealth, and the slaying of their children to be lawful, while making takfir of them. And they considered this to be worship, due to their ignorance and their innovation that caused to stray..." Minhaj us-Sunnah 5/248.

Ibn Hubairah said concerning the hadeeth of Abu Sa'Eed al-Khudree, "In this hadeeth is proof that fighting the khawarij comes before fighting the pagans, mushrikeen. And the wisdom in that is that in fighting against them is a preservation of the capital of Islaam, whereas in fighting the people of Shirk there is the seeking of increase (in capital). So preserving the capital comes first." Fath ul-Bari 12/301.

'Asim bin Shumaikh said, "So I saw him - meaning Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree (who reported the hadith about the killing of the Khawarij) - after he had grown old and when his hands began to tremble, saying, 'Fighting them - meaning the khawarij - is greater to me than fighting an equal number of the Turks". Ibn Abi Shaybah 15/305 and Musnad Ahmad 3/33.

And fighting the Khawaarij is in all times, and it is obligatory to repel them, by way of the pen, tongue or sword as they will never cease to emerge until in the midst of the last of them appears the Dajjaal. The Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said, "A group will appear reciting the Qur'aan, it will not pass beyond their throats, every time a group appears, it is to be cut off, until the Dajjaal appears within them". (Reported by Ibn Maajah and it is Hasan. And see Silsilat ul-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah of al-Albaanee, no. 2455).

And the two main features of the Khawaarij are takfir by way of major sins and adopting revolt and rebellion as a methodology of reform. Sayyid Qutb's adoption of the Leninist methodology into his works was the main cause of revival of the methodologies of the Khawaarij in the 20th century.

(8) The rebellion and fighting of all these people was based upon their belief that they were enjoining good and forbidding evil.

---