Kutub - Books 139

These extremist, terrorist groups are modern manifestations of an ancient radical sect who expelled the companions of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) from Islām, revolted against them and assassinated two of the first four caliphs of Islām – ʿUthmān and ʿAlī. Both were sons-in-law of the Prophet and from the best and most righteous of the Muslims. These renegades also attempted to assassinate Muʿāwiyah and ʿAmr bin al-Āṣ, another two companions who were delegated rulers over Syria and Egypt respectively. The appearance of this group was prophesised by Muḥammad (peace be upon him) and the Prophetic traditions regarding them and their traits are well-documented and famous. They appeared only 25 years after the Prophet. The Prophet stated that they will be youthful and foolish-minded, with little understanding of the religion, having outward devotion which does not really touch their hearts at all, and will depart from Islām and kill Muslims. They were labelled as the Khārijites, which means “extremist renegades” who depart from the main body of Muslims. Their ideology is as follows: They excommunicate the Muslim leaders on account of perceived or actual injustices in social and economic affairs, accusing them of not judging fully by God’s law. They then claim that the lands ruled over by these ‘apostate’ Muslim rulers are lands of disbelief whose inhabitants, rulers and ruled, must be fought and killed to enable them to establish “legitimate authority” in the form of a caliphate. Their terrorism is directed primarily at Muslims whom they consider the “near enemy”. Their acts of terrorism in the West are only spill-over activities and are not primarily intended. Their war is fundamentally against Islām, Muslim rulers and their subjects and they operate as insurgents. They are very much like the 19th and 20th European revolutionary movements which came out in the name of “social justice”, used the masses to topple monarchies and once in power began to slaughter those whom they feared could launch counter-revolutions against them. The Khārijites are the same except that they add the cloak of religion and emotional rhetoric as a means of recruiting the ignorant into their cause. The vast majority of their followers are ignorant, disillusioned youth who have had next to no instruction in religion.