BASES OF KHARIJITES DOCTRINE
The bases of Kharijism lay in a few matters:
1. To declare Ali, Osman, Mo'awiyah, the Camelists and the Arbitrationists,
those who generally agreed to arbitration, as infidels, except those who having
once agreed to arbitration subsequently expressed repentance;
2. To declare them as infidels who do not acknowledge Ali, Osman and the
rest mentioned above as infidels;
3. Faith is not only a spiritual belief, it must be translated into action
by enjoining the virtue and by prohibiting the vice;
4. Absolute and obligatory revolt against a tyrannical Ruler and Imam.
They said enjoining 'virtue' and prohibiting 'vice' is not conditional to
anything. This Divine rule must operate everywhere and without exception.
For such of their beliefs, it dawned on them that everyone else on globe was
an infidel and liable to be condemned to death and to be perpetually lodged in
Hell.
KHARIJITE'S DOCTRINE OF CALIPHATE
The only concept of Kharijites attracting the modem revisionists is their
theory about the Caliphate. They had a democratic ideology. They said,
"Caliphate should be achieved by election. The best qualified to it is the one
who has the qualities of faith and reticence. May be he is a Qureishite or
non-Qureishite. May be he is from a notable or an insignificant and backward
tribe, or is an Arab or a non-Arab".
If after election or receiving the allegiance, he (the Caliph) acts contrary
to the interests of Islamic society, he is to be dismissed from Caliphate, and
if he refuses to do so, war must be waged against him till he is killed.
They stand in opposition to the Shiahs who say that Caliphate is pre-ordained
by Allah and the Caliph is appointed by God alone. They stand in opposition to
Sunnis as well who say that the Caliphate is only for the Qureishites and adhere
to (the tradition that) "The Imams must be from the Qureish".
Obviously their idea about the Caliphate, is not contemporaneous with their
origin. Rather it proceeds from their famous slogan," (Command is from none
except Allah)". They were originally adherents of the view that the people and
society do not stand in need of an Imam or a government they should of
themselves follow the Book of Allah.
But subsequently they retraced and they themselves confided allegiance in
Abdullah bin Wahb Raasbee.
THEIR BELIEF ABOUT THE CALIPHS
They uphold the Caliphates of Abu Bakar and Omar, because according to their
view both of them were elected to the Caliphate through a fair franchise. They
did not even deviate from pursuing the right goal and committed no
transgression. They accepted the fairness of the elections of Osman and Ali.
Ultimately, they said that Osman from the end of the sixth year of his
Caliphate, deviated and ignored the interests of the Muslims, hence he was
(automatically) dismissed from the Caliphate and as he continued in office hence
a renegade and liable to be killed. And as Ali accepted the proposal to
arbitration and subsequently did not repent, he "apostatized and became liable
to death penalty. Thus they disown Osman from the seventh year of his Caliphate
and Ali from the time of arbitration.
They expressed abhorrence against all of the other Caliphs and remained at
war with them.
ELIMINATION OF KHARIJITES
This faction emerged towards the end of the fourth decade of the first Hijra
Century as a consequence of the Formidable Fraud. They did not remain in field
for more than one and a half centuries. Because of their recklessness and
desperation they were victimised by the Caliphs, and this brought themselves and
their religion to elimination and liquidation. They were totally eliminated in
the initial period of the Abbasid rule. Their dry and lifeless logic, their
aridity and harshness of manners, the divergence of •their ways from life and
last of all their courage which shunned dissimulation even in its true logical
sense, wrought their elimination. The Kharijites school was not a school which
ought to have survived. However, it has left its imprints. Their thoughts and
their ideas have influenced all Islamic denominations. Even now-a-days many
'Nahrwanis' are available. Exactly, as it was in days and time of Ali, they are
the internal, and the most dangerous, enemies of Islam. As the Mo'awiyahs and
Amr bin 'Ases had been and are always present, they exploit, to their own
benefit, the existence of the Nahrwanis though they are considered to be their
enemies.
RITUAL OR SPIRIT ?
It is exercise in futility to dilate upon Kharijism or Kharijites as a
religious issue, because today such a religion is existing nowhere in the world.
However, the present debate about Kharijites and the nature of their works will
serve as a warning to our people and our society. Because inspite of extinction
of Kharijites' religion, its spirit has not died away. The spirit of Kharijism
has transmigrated into the souls of many of us.
It is essential to say a few introductory words:
May be some religions are dead 'Ritual-wise' but they are not so
'Spirit-wise'. Likewise, the contrary is also possible, i.e., may be a religion
is alive 'Ritual-wise', but it is dead Spirit-wise. Therefore, this is also
possible that a man or men may be Ritual-wise followers of and adherents to one
religion, but in reality may not be the followers of that faith. Its contrary is
also possible, i.e., some may be actually followers of one religion but their
practice may give no evidence of their faith.
For instance, as we all know after the demise of the Prophet, for two reasons
Muslims were divided into two sects, viz. Sunni and Shiah. The Sunnis are within
the four-corners of one belief and practice, and Shiahs are within the
four-corners of the other.
A Shiah asserts that Ali is immediate successor of the Prophet. He had
appointed Ali to his succession and Caliphate per Divine command, and after the
Prophet he had exclusive right to this office. The Sunnis say that Islam in its
legislation has not specifically anticipated the question of Immamate and
Caliphate and that it has in fact left the resolution of this important issue to
the discretion of the people themselves, the maximum restriction being that
election must be made from amongst the Qureish.
Shiahs make Propeht's many companions, who are considered to be men of
status, stature and renown, susceptible to criticism and the Sunnis hold just
the opposite of Shiahs' view. Everyone who is said to be a companion (Sahabi)
is viewed with strange credulity. They say, "All the companions of the Prophet
are just and righteous". Shiaism is based on critical appreciation,
investigation, incredulity and hair splitting. Sunnism is based on credulity and
excuse "God willing, it might have been a cat".
In this age, where we happen to be, whosoever says, "Ali is the immediate
successor of our Prophet", we readily declare him to be a Shiah expecting
nothing more from him. Let him belong to any denomination or to any way of
thinking.
But if we go to the period of advent of Islam, we come across a distinct
spirit that happens to be the soul of Shiaism. They were the minds capable of
faithfully, accepting the behest of the Prophet about Ali and did not suffer
from any disbelief or distrust. The opposite of this spirit and this way of
thinking has been another mentality and school of thought who with all the
completeness of faith, which they had in the Prophet, accepted the behests with
a sort of reservation and with such interpretation and construction as were
never intended.
In fact schisms and divisions in Islam originated from here. One
schism was in majority. They were shallow and looked only to the surface. Their
vision was neither sharp nor deep so as to discern the implications and the
consequences of every event. They looked to the surface and attached presumption
of correctness to it. They used to say, "A number of elderly companions (of
Prophet), the veterans and the seniors in Islam have followed this course;
therefore, it cannot be said that they have erred." But the other group who were
in minority would at the same time say, "Personalities are held in esteem by us
only when they themselves show respect to the truth. However, if we find that
Islamic principles are being violated by the veterans, they cease to enjoy
respect (with us). We uphold principles and not the personalities". Shiaism
emerged with this spirit.
When we go through Islamic history in search of Salman-i-Farsi, Abu Zar
Ghifari, Miqdad Kindi, Ammar-i-Yasir and the likes, we wish to know what were
the factors which persuaded them to take Ali's side and to ignore the majority?
We will find them to be men of principles, and the men aware of principles. They
were Faithful and knew what was the Faith. They would say, "We should not hand
our intellect and wisdom over to other because there is apprehension of our
erring when he errs".
In fact, their's was a mind ruled by facts and principles and not by persons
and personalities.
One of the Amir-ul-Momineen's (Ali's) companions, during the battle of Jamal,
fell in serious doubt. He looked to both the sides. On the one side he saw Ali
and stalwarts of Islam wielding their swords under Ali's Command! On the other
side was Aisha a harem (wife) of the Prophet, and about Prophet's wives the
Quran laying down: "His wives are mothers of the Ummah", and under her command
was Talha, a senior in Islam, of happy antecedents, a sharp shooter and a
veteran strategists of Islam who had a rich record of services for the cause of
Islam; moreover there was Zubair with nobler antecedents than Talha's, who even
on the day of Saqeefa had been among those who took shelter in Ali's house. He
was awfully confused, "What is this all? After all Ali, Talha and Zobair are
amongst the veterans of Islam and have been volunteers of Islam in the worst of
odds. Now they have arrayed themselves against each other? Which of them is
nearer to truth? What to be done in this confusing conflict?" Beware! He is not
to blame much; perhaps even if we would have been in those very circumstances,
where he happened to be, the personalities and antecedents of Talha and Zobair
might have blurred our vision too.
Now when we visualize Ali, Ammar, Awais Qarni and others confronting Aisha,
Zubair and Talha, we feel no hesitation to hold that the latter were a group of
men of vicious countenance, i.e., impressions of vice and dishonesty were writ
large on their faces. Their eyes, their appearances and their faces betrayed
their ambitions. But if we would have been there and would have seen their
antecedents from close quarters, haply we too could not have helped falling in
doubt.
Today, when we hold the first group to have been on the right and the second
in the wrong, it is because of history's verdict, and the facts having become
clearer. We, having identified the nature of Ali and Ammar on one side and the
nature of Zubair, Talha and 'Aisha on the other, can make a better judgment
between them, or at least even if we were not students of or experts in history
we have been taught so from our childhood. However, on that day none of these
factors was available.
Anyhow, this gentleman appeared before Ali and said: "Is it possible that Talha,
Zubair and 'Aisha may concur on untruth. How could personalities like them,
from among the old companions of the Prophet, err and take to wrong course? Is
it possible?"
Ali replied in such a conclusive and authoritative phrase, which according to
Dr. Taaha Husain, the Egyptian writer and the Philosopher, "had never been heard
elsewhere-since the cessation of Divine Voice and discontinuance of revelation".
"You suffer from illusion and you have fallen in confusion. Right and wrong
are not measured in scales of personalities and statures of individuals. It is
incorrect to first hold personality to be a yard-stick, thereafter to measure
Right and Wrong on those standards and then to hold that this thing is Right
because such and such persons have acquiesced in it and that thing is wrong
because such and such persons are opposed to it". Nay! personalities should not
be made the measure sticks for Right and Wrong. It is Right and Wrong which
should be the criterion of individuals and their personalities.
That means, "you should be cognizant of Right and Wrong. You should not go
after persons and personalities. Individuals, whether personality-wise great or
small, must be compared with truth. If they are found conformable to it, accept
them, otherwise do not. The question is not as to whether Talha, Zobair and
Aisha can or cannot be Wrong?"
Here Ali has held Truth itself to be the touchstone of Truth. The spirit of
Shiaism is nothing other than this. In fact, Shiaism is schism sequel to a
specific view, which gives importance to the Principles of Islam. Necessarily,
Shiahs have emerged as critics and iconoclasts.
Ali, a Youth of thirty three years, after the Prophet, led a minority of less
than the number of his fingers against him were men of sixty years with majority
and multitude. The logic of the majority was, "This is the course of the
veterans and seniors, and the veterans never err. Hence we follow their course".
The logic of the minority was, "It is Truth that never errs. The seniors must
make themselves conformable to Truth".
From here it becomes obvious that how numerous are the men whose practice may
be shi'ite but their precept is not.
The goal of Shiaism, like its spirit, is to recognise the Truth and to follow
it, and of its greatest effects are "attraction" and "repulsion"; but not every
attraction and repulsion. We have earlier said some times attraction is
attraction of fallacy, sin and the sinner; and repulsion is repulsion of Truth
and human merits. The repulsion and attraction must be of the kind of Ali's
attraction and repulsion, because a Shiah must be a copy of Ali's life-style. A
Shiah must also, like Ali, be a personality with two faculties.
This introduction was intended to realize that it is possible that a religion
may be dead but its spirit may survive amongst such a people who may not only
prima-facie be not its followers, but may also be taking themselves to be its
opponents. The Kharijites' religion is today dead, i.e., no significant group
exists on globe who under the same title may be following it. But has the spirit
of Kharijites died out? Has this spirit not transmigrated into other religions?
Has, God forbid, this spirit not been breathed into us, particularly in our
'clerics' claiming piety?
These are the subjects to be separately dealt with. If we correctly identify
the spirit of Kharijism, we may be in a position to answer this question. The
discussion about Kharijites may also be useful only from this angle. We must
know why did Ali repel them, i.e why did Ali's attraction not attract them and,
to the contrary, why did his repulsion repelled them.
Admittedly, as we will subsequently see, all those idealistic elements, which
influenced the formation of the personality and spirit of Kharijites, were such
as they could not withstand the thrust and impact of Ali's repulsion. Their
spirit had many such prominent and brilliant merits, which could be a subject of
Ali's attraction, had the same not been concomitant with a chain of dark points.
But the dark aspects of their spirit were so abundant that they pushed them
amongst Ali's enemies.
DEMOCRACY OF ALI
Amir-ul-Momineen dealt with Kharijites in an extremely liberal and democratic
manner. He was their ruler and they were his subjects. They, to their capacity,
indulged in all political activities without his sending them to prison, nor he
lashed them. So much so he did not even cut the stipends of the impudent from
the public exchequer. He viewed them in the same manner as he viewed all others.
Such instances may not be foreign in Ali's biography, but they are no doubt
found less elsewhere in the world. They were everywhere free to express their
beliefs. Ali himself and his companions faced them without any curb on their
freedom of belief. They held moots. The parties argued their own cases and
rebutted the other side's arguments.
Perhaps this much of liberty that a government should be so democratic to its
opponents goes in -the world without a precedent. They would come to mosque
interfere in the sermons and discourses of Ali. One day Ali was on the pulpit a
man came there and posed a question to which Ali gave a prompt reply. A
kharijite from 'amongst the people cried out, "God may kill him, what a wise he
is". Others wanted to manhandle the Kharijite but Ali said, "Leave him. He has
abused me alone".
Kharijites would not offer their prayers if Ali led the congregation, because
they held him to be an infidel. They would come to mosque and would not offer
prayers with Ali, and thereby caused him anguish. One day Ali was leading the
congregation, a Kharijite with the name of Ibn-i-Kawa came there and with
insinuations at Ali loudly recited the verse of the Quran which addresses the
Prophet, "It has been revealed to you and to your precursors that if you get
Polytheists all your achievements will be ignored, and you will be from the
losers". By reading this verse Ibn-i-Kawa warned Ali, "I am aware of your
antecedents in Islam. You are the first Muslim. The Prophet opted you as
brother. On the eve of migration your dedication was inspiring, when you slept
in Prophet's bed. You left yourself at the mercy of the swords. Finally your
services in the cause of Islam cannot be ignored. But God has warned the Prophet
himself, 'If you go Polytheist your achievements will be ignored'. As you have
now become infidel, so you have effaced your past record".
What was Ali's reaction? He assumed silence till Ibn-i-Kawa recited the verse
to its end. As soon as the verse was complete, Ali continued with the prayers.
Inb-i-Kawa once again repeated the same verse, and Ali instantly resumed
silence. Ali would keep silent because the Quran says: "When the Quran is being
recited, lend it your ears and be silent". For this very reason during the
prayers the led are supposed to be silent and attentive when the Imam is busy
reciting.
After repeating the verse, a few times Ibn-i-Kawa wanted to disturb the
formation of the prayers. Ali recited this verse, "Be patient. Allah's promise
is true. It must materialise. These men devoid of faith and conviction cannot
harass you, nor they can impair your determination". He took no further notice
and continued the prayers.
KHARIJITE'S INSURGENCY AND REVOLT
To start with, the Kharijites were peaceful and would feel contented with
free dialogue and criticism. Ali had also been extending the same treatment to
them as we have alluded to above. He in no way interfered with them. So much so
that he did not cut their dues from the Public Treasury. But gradually when they
became disappointed of Ali as he would not repent, they changed their policy and
decided to wage a 'revolution'. They gathered in the house of one of their
collaborators. He made a fiery and provocative speech and invited his friends to
rise in arms and to launch revolt in order to enjoin Virtue and enforce
Prohibitions. He said in his speech:-
"After His praise. I swear by God! it is not befitting of that people
who have faith in the merciful
God and accept the commands of the Quran that the sordid world be more
attractive for them than the decree to do good and to avoid evil and the words
of Allah may be that they (the decree and the Divine words) bring losses and
involve risks. Whosoever has fallen in loss or risk in this world he will be
rewarded by Divine pleasure and a life of heavens on doom's day. My brethren!
Let us leave this city of the tyrant's seat for the hills or for some other
cities, so that we may rise up and arrest these innovations of mis-guidance".
By these words their inflammable spirit got more volcanic. They moved from
that place and rose up in revolt and rebellion. They threatened the peace of the
routes. They adopted dacoity and mischief as a profession. In this way they
attempted to weaken the integrity of the state and to dislodge the sitting
government.
From here onward no more latitude could be given to them; because it was not
a matter of expression of belief, it was rather a question of disturbance of
social peace and tranquility and of an armed insurgency against a legitimate
government. Hence Ali pursued them. Along 'Nahrwan' he confronted them. He
addressed and advised them and served them with the final warning. At that time
he gave the banner of peace to Abu Ayub Ansari, and whosoever rallied under it
he was protected. Out of twelve thousand rebels eight thousand retraced their
steps. The rest showed resistance. They suffered a defeat and but for a few, no
one survived.