خوارج کا فکری و عملی انحراف اور ائمہ اربعہ کے فتاویٰ کا تحقیقی جائزہ

Intellectual and Practical Deviation of the Khawarij and an Analytical Study of the Fatwas of the Four Imams

Abstract

This research article provides a critical and analytical examination of the Khawarij, a historically significant sect in Islam, with a particular focus on their intellectual and practical deviations. The Khawarij emerged during the era of Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), especially after the Battle of Siffin and the subsequent arbitration (Tahkim) crisis. Their slogan, "La Hukma Illa Lillah" (Judgment is only Allah's), initially a righteous declaration, was misinterpreted to justify rebellion against legitimate Muslim authority. The most serious deviation of the Khawarij is their doctrine of Takfir (excommunication), whereby they declared any Muslim who commits a major sin as an apostate. This stands in stark contrast to the consensus (Ijma) of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, who consider such persons as sinful (fasiq) but not outside the fold of Islam. On this basis, the Khawarij not only declared ordinary Muslims as unbelievers but also justified armed rebellion (Khuruj) against rulers, including the rightly guided Caliphs. Their extremist mindset led to the assassination of Caliph Ali (RA), marking the peak of their militant deviation. This study comprehensively analyzes the legal and theological responses of the four great Imams of Sunni jurisprudence — Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi‘i, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal — regarding the Khawarij. The research concludes that all four Imams unanimously condemned the Kharijite ideology of Takfir and armed rebellion, considering them as rebels (Bughat) and misguided extremists, not heretics in the absolute sense requiring excommunication, but as a deviant group that must be countered with justice and Islamic legal parameters.