Who Are the Khawarij, and How Can They Be Recognized?

Shaykh Bali explained the history: a group that broke away against Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), whose clearest sign is declaring takfir over major sins.

How the Question Comes

A person becomes a kafir over a single comment — this scene is very familiar now.

The moment someone hears that a person has fallen into sin, the verdict arrives: he has left Islam.

While passing these verdicts, the congregation is missed, the mosque is missed; in the end, one becomes separated from the Muslims themselves.

The question came to Shaykh Bali: Who exactly are the Khawarij, and how did they emerge?

The Shaykh's Answer

When you see someone calling a person a kafir because of a sin, understand — this is the thinking of the Khawarij.

They broke away against Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), declared the Companions and Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to be kafirs as well, and then fought against them. From there the Khawarij doctrine later took shape.

Their signs: committing zina makes one a kafir, drinking alcohol makes one a kafir, disobeying one's parents makes one a kafir. They would not pray with the Muslims in the mosque or at Jumu'ah, because they considered the imam himself a kafir.

Evidence — Those Whose Sunnah We Were Told to Hold Fast To

عَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ مِنْ بَعْدِي، عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ

Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me; bite onto it with your molar teeth. (Sunan Abu Dawud and Jami' at-Tirmidhi)Copy

They used to say, "The judgment belongs to Allah alone" — yet Allah Himself, in verse 95 of Surah Al-Ma'idah, entrusted the decision to two just men. With this reply of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), a third of them returned.

What to Do

1. Call a sin a sin, but do not call the sinner a kafir.
2. Do not abandon the congregation and Jumu'ah of the Muslims — isolation is the path of the Khawarij.
3. Understand verses not by your own reading, but according to the explanation of the scholars.
4. If you need to correct a mistake, do so with evidence and good manners, like Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).

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Source: Based on a talk by Shaykh Wahid Abdus Salam Bali

Translation and compilation: Raqi Faisal Ahmed Sabit — Al Qur'an Ruqyah Healing Center