Written by: Sahibzada Shahid Siddiq
(Anjuman Ghulzar-e-Madina International)
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Introduction:
The real beauty of Islam is that
it looks beyond the appearance — to the inner self,
measures the intention — more than the action,
and accepts sincerity — more than worship.
But in the history of Islam, a such fitnah also arose —
which trampled all these principles,
made only outward actions the foundation,
ignored the state of hearts,
and led to dividing the Ummah, issuing fatwas,
and even bloodshed.
The name of this fitnah was: Khawarij.
These Khawarij were not merely a group from the past.
In reality, they were a mindset, a temperament, a behaviour —
which is still alive today,
with different faces, different languages, and different names.
Whenever this mindset gains power in any era,
it wipes out the true spirit of the religion
and promotes only fatwas, conflicts, and sectarianism within the Ummah.
The Real Danger: Issuing Fatwas by Seeing Deeds Without Knowing Intentions
In our society, it happens repeatedly
that a Muslim performs a sacrifice on behalf of a saint,
gives charity for the reward of deceased parents,
distributes food (niyaz) associated with a wali (saint),
or sits near a grave and makes supplication —
Then, some people, without understanding his intention,
only by looking at the action, immediately issue a fatwa:
“This person is a polytheist, an innovator, a grave-worshipper, or a disbeliever.”
Whereas the Holy Prophet ﷺ
has laid the foundation of religion on intention.
The first Hadith in Sahih Bukhari is:
“Innamal a’maalu bin-niyyaat” —
“Indeed, actions are based upon intentions.”
Until the intention is known, issuing a Shar’i (Islamic legal) ruling
is neither permissible, nor wise, nor in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
Therefore, when a Shar’i ruling is given on an action without knowing the intention —
it is not a fatwa, it becomes a fitnah.
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Khawarij: Not a Group, But a Behaviour
This has been explained with great understanding and insight —
that Khawarij are not a specific historical group,
but a mindset which,
in every era, lives on
with different names, different faces, and different slogans.
Their core identity is that
they consider only themselves upon the truth,
and declare others to be polytheists, disbelievers, or innovators.
The Khariji temperament is exactly this —
that it ignores intention,
makes decisions without knowing the state of the heart,
and spreads poison in the name of religion.
They see only themselves upon truth,
declare others misguided or hell-bound,
and do not tolerate any disagreement.
The signs of this mindset keep changing,
but its soul remains the same —
Fatwa… Takfir… Humiliation…
and the division of the Ummah.
Five Dangerous Signs of the Khariji Temperament — Against the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ
Islam teaches us
that judging a person’s deed only by its outward form is not enough —
rather, the real decision is based on intention and sincerity of heart.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
“Innamal a’maalu bin-niyyaat”
“Indeed, the real value of actions is by intention.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 1)
This is the very foundation of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
In contrast, the Khariji temperament
is one that only sees the outward form,
opens its mouth before examining the intention,
and declares judgment on the faith of others.
This is the mindset that emerges as a fitnah in every age.
Below we present five fundamental signs of the Khariji mindset
which are completely contradictory to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ:
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First Sign: Issuing Rulings Without Seeing the Intention
The Khariji mindset issues judgments without considering the intention.
As soon as a certain action is seen,
they immediately declare:
“This person is an innovator,”
“or a polytheist,”
“or a disbeliever” —
Without considering what that person’s actual intention or objective was.
Whereas the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ teaches us
that without knowing the intention, no judgment can be made,
nor any fatwa can be given.
That is why the Prophet ﷺ’s first lesson is this:
The basis of actions is intention.
If the intention is for Allah, the action becomes worship.
If the intention is for other than Allah, the same action is wasted.
So, a fatwa is only correct when the intention is clear —
and until the intention is known, issuing a ruling is oppression.
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Second Sign: Opening the Tongue Without Understanding the State of the Heart
The Khariji mindset speaks without understanding the heart.
Without evidence,
without research,
they judge based only on outer appearance.
For example:
If someone prays near the grave of a saint —
those with the Khariji mindset immediately say:
“This one is a grave-worshipper!”
Whereas that person may be asking only from Allah,
using the saint as a means (waseelah),
or standing there out of respect and etiquettes of dua.
The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ teaches us:
Without knowing the heart’s state — keep the tongue silent.
The noble companions (Sahabah) would observe the intention,
understand the depth of actions,
and would not hastily issue fatwas.
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Third Sign: Considering Only Oneself on Truth, and All Others Misguided
The Khariji mindset believes
only it is upon the truth,
and all others are misguided or on falsehood.
They are unwilling to accept
that others may also be correct
based on their intention, sincerity, or independent reasoning (ijtihad).
In contrast, the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ
and the method of the Companions (Sahabah)
was that — despite disagreements —
they still respected other schools of thought.
The famous saying of Imam Shafi’i is:
“Our opinion is correct, but may be wrong —
and the opinion of others is wrong, but may be correct.”
This is the broad-mindedness
that is the hallmark of Ahl al-Sunnah —
which is completely absent in the Khariji mindset.
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Fourth Sign: Declaring Others Disbelievers (Takfir)
The Khariji mindset engages in takfir,
i.e., it declares others as disbelievers.
For them,
whoever departs from their narrow interpretation
is no longer within the fold of Islam.
This is the most dangerous attitude,
because the Prophet ﷺ said:
“If someone calls his Muslim brother a disbeliever —
and he is not — then the label returns upon the one who said it.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 6104)
The prophetic Sunnah is the opposite —
to pray for others,
to ask for their guidance,
and strive for their reform.
Issuing a fatwa requires justice and knowledge —
not anger, suspicion, or narrow-mindedness.
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Fifth Sign: Dividing the Ummah, Spreading Hatred and War
The Khariji mindset divides the Ummah,
creates an environment of hatred, takfir, fatwas, and warfare among people.
While the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ teaches us
to unite the Ummah,
to bring harmony even amid disagreements,
and to correct with love and patience.
The Prophet ﷺ in Madinah
established brotherhood and unity between the Muhajirun and Ansar,
among the Jews and the newly converted Quraysh Muslims.
But the Khariji mindset
always divides the Ummah into sects,
creates hatred between people,
and turns differences into hostility.
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Historical Background: How the Khawarij Thought — And Why They’re Still a Threat Today
In the early history of Islam,
the Khawarij were the first group
who abandoned the true spirit of the religion —
that is, intention, sincerity, and understanding —
and made outward acts the only standard,
and opened the door of takfir (excommunication) within the Ummah.
Their foundation was built upon
extremism, excessiveness,
and literalism (judging by appearance only) —
which later caused severe harm to the unity of the Ummah.
This group appeared
after the Battle of Siffin between Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Muawiyah (RA)
when the matter of arbitration (tahkeem) was settled.
The Khawarij objected, saying:
“The decision belongs only to Allah, not to humans.”
Their slogan was:
“لَا حُكْمَ إِلَّا لِلّٰہِ”
“No judgment but Allah’s”
This slogan sounded very pious and Qur’anic —
but Hazrat Ali (RA) instantly sensed the inner misguidance behind it.
He said:
“كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ أُرِيدَ بِهَا بَاطِلٌ”
“A true statement — but intended for falsehood.”
The Khawarij not only declared Hazrat Ali (RA) a disbeliever,
but also declared all those companions who were with him to be disbelievers.
To them, only those were Muslim
who followed their interpretation of Islam —
everyone else was either misguided or a disbeliever.
They applied the verses of the Qur’an
that were revealed about the disbelievers of Makkah
or about kuffar (non-believers) —
onto pious and worshipful companions like those who fought in jihad.
Hazrat Ali (RA) strongly condemned this approach and said:
“They have applied verses revealed about the disbelievers — upon the believers.”
(Tafsir Tabari, Ibn Kathir)
This was the greatest crime of the Khawarij —
applying verses of punishment, takfir, and fighting,
without considering their proper context,
onto the Muslims.
To them, the state of the heart meant nothing,
they had no respect for scholarly reasoning (ijtihad),
and no adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
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Even the Holy Prophet ﷺ warned about the Khawarij.
He said:
**“You will consider your prayers and fasting insignificant compared to theirs —
but they will leave the religion as an arrow passes through its target.”**
(Sahih Muslim)
This means:
Outwardly, they will be very devout,
but they will be cut off from the true religion.
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Even today, whenever a group, person, or “mufti”
looks only at outward actions
and issues fatwas of shirk (polytheism), bid’ah (innovation), or kufr (disbelief) —
and uses verses of the Qur’an without proper context —
Then in reality,
that person is a spiritual descendant of the Khawarij.
The only difference is:
The Khawarij wore Arabic robes and spoke the language of the Qur’an —
and today’s fatwa-givers may wear modern dress —
but the mindset remains the same: Khariji.
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Who Remained in the Ummah — And Who Perished?
The 1,400-year history of Islam bears witness
that the truth always survives —
only when its roots are grounded in knowledge, forbearance, sincerity,
and the well-being of the Ummah.
And whichever path is based on fitnah, takfir, extremism, and division —
that path eventually perishes on its own with time.
This very principle shows us today:
That Ahl al-Sunnah, Ahl al-Tashayyu’ (Shia), and Ahl al-Tasawwuf (Sufis) —
not only still exist,
but are actively contributing
in their respective domains of knowledge, spirituality, jurisprudence, and community service.
In contrast —
the Khawarij remain only as a dangerous fitnah recorded in books of history.
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Today, if we look around:
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah, the Shia school,
and the Sufi orders all have:
• Clear scholarly traditions,
• Connected spiritual chains,
• Verified jurisprudential principles, and
• A long history of serving the Ummah.
Their elders, such as:
• Imam Abu Hanifa (RA)
• Imam Shafi’i (RA)
• Imam Malik (RA)
• Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (RA)
• Hasan al-Basri (RA)
• Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA)
• Khawaja Nizamuddin Awliya (RA)
All have biographies, sayings, students,
and lasting influence that are still alive today.
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These schools of thought are not only alive
in madrasas, khanqahs, educational institutions, and mosques,
but through their character, they:
• Changed lives
• Reformed societies
• Established justice
• And deepened the faith of millions
Their legacy is a certified chain,
reaching from the Sahaba (RA) all the way to today’s scholars, Sufi elders, and muftis.
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In contrast, if we examine the Khawarij:
They were fitna-based at their core.
They had:
• No coherent system of knowledge
• No verified Imam
• No spiritual continuity
• No juridical framework
• No training institutions
• And no record of positive community service
Their only asset was rejection —
They opposed everything outside of their limited understanding.
They confined religion within their own narrow framework
and expelled from Islam anyone who differed with them.
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They had no madrasah that produced scholars over centuries,
no Sufi lodge (khanqah) that healed hearts,
no jurisprudential school that guided the Ummah,
no social order that built justice, ethics, or training.
All they had was:
Self-constructed piety —
which was actually a cloak for fitnah, takfir, and extremism.
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So, it would be wrong to say the Khawarij died out —
In fact, they physically scattered,
but their ideological mindset, their Khariji temperament, and
their extremist behaviour still live on today.
Their historical, scholarly, and spiritual continuity has perished,
but their fitna-based mentality keeps returning —
with new clothes, new slogans, and new faces in every age.
Sometimes in the name of reform,
sometimes in the name of Tawheed,
sometimes acting as well-wishers of the Ummah —
but in reality:
They carry the same Khariji soul —
that issues fatwas on others,
divides the Ummah,
and traps religion in a narrow box.
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So, the result is this:
The original form of the Khawarij perished —
but their thinking remained —
and today, it is alive in various movements, sects, and fatwa-issuing groups.
Sometimes they appear as extremists,
sometimes as “reformers”,
and sometimes under the banner of “Muwahhideen” (unitarians) —
But in reality,
they are the spiritual offspring of the Khawarij.
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In contrast,
Ahl al-Sunnah, Ahl al-Tashayyu’, and Ahl al-Tasawwuf
faced centuries of challenges,
achieved scholarly advancement,
offered spiritual purification,
and uplifted the Ummah.
Their elders’ shrines are still sources of guidance, peace, and spiritual healing.
Their books remain in the curriculum of Islamic seminaries,
their supplications are still on people’s tongues,
and their thought continues to unite the majority of the Ummah.
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history has given its verdict:
Whoever came with fitnah — perished or scattered.
And whoever stayed connected with sincerity, knowledge, forbearance, and goodness —
is still the glowing lamp of the Ummah.
Conclusion: A Message for the Ummah
In the current condition of the Ummah,
what is needed most is that:
We look beyond appearance to intention,
we choose understanding before fatwa,
we prefer forbearance before anger,
and we adopt sincerity before disagreement.
Those people —
who declare others polytheists, innovators, or disbelievers
just by looking at their actions —
they are not heirs of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,
they are the ideological heirs of the Khawarij —
no matter what name they use.
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The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ teaches us that:
• Judgment is based on intention, not on outer form.
• A fatwa is given with knowledge and justice — not with anger or ignorance.
• Uniting the Ummah is the essence of religion — and dividing it is a fitnah.
• Religion should not be narrowed — it must be embraced with broad understanding.
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May Allah protect us from this Khariji mindset that divides the Ummah,
and keep us firmly on the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ which unites the Ummah.
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Wassalam,
Sahibzada Shahid Siddiq
(Anjuman Ghulzar-e-Madina International)