Suri Kinzbrunner. In a previous thread (which was closed, so Im posting here) you had asked what to call extremists who profess to follow Islam, but commit violent acts. I suggested that the best term for them, is Khawaarij. Kharaja, literally means to exit something. The Prophet Muhammad predicted that certain members of his nation would become so extreme in their understanding, that they would exit the Religion the way an arrow exits its target (due to the extremism of pulling back the arrow too far!). It is a condemned group in Islamic theology and Law, and by the Prophet himself. I said Id give you a list, so here it is! Great care must be taken not to use this term lightly. It cannot be applied even to the most conservative of people, who do not use their conservatism to physically restrict the rights and lives of individuals through force. Imam Suhaib Webb, in his recent condemnation of ISIS, listed these qualities of the Khawaarij, gleaned from various Islamic texts and traditions: 1. They judge the hearts and intentions of people, holding their assumptions about them to be the truth. Thus, they speak to the objects of their assumptions in wretched ways and treat them with distain. All based on their suspicions, not clear texts or proofs. Thus, the word munfaiq and kafir ooze from their mouths like water from drainage pipes. 2. They distance themselves from the larger body of Muslims, undermining their institutions and leadership. 3. They focus on verses of Quran and sayings of the Prophet (sa) that contain threats, leaving those of promise and hope. 4. They seek to undermine religious scholars and leaders. 5. They use the concept of inviting to the good and forbidding the evil to kill and harm the innocent, even Muslims or, at the least, mistreat them. 6. They will help the False Messiah. When Sayyidunā Ali (ra) had eliminated them, a person said, All praise be to God, who by their elimination has given rest to his servants. Sayyidunā Ali responded, Nay! There are still remnants of them in the loins of men. They will fight with the False Messiah. 7. They love the Sunna until it fails to agree with their desires. 8. Their worship is plentiful and their fashion for faith high, but they are the worst of creation and the dogs of hell, as noted in an authentic hadith of our beloved Prophet (sa). 9. They do more to harm the truth in the name of truth, pushing people in droves away from the light of God (swt). 10. They have a sickness in their heart that causes them to lust for power and control, using religion has a gown to cover their illness. This is in the hadith of Abu Umāma (I will translate soon; God Willing) where the Prophet (sa) describes them as such. 11. They use verses and hadith that bring fear to the hearts, ignoring those that inspire hope. Once Sayyidina ‘Ali saw a man crying over his sins. He said, “What is wrong with you; God’s grace is greater than your sins!” 12. They undermine the scholars, the pious, and activists. One of them said to the Prophet (sa), “Be just (you are not just).” They worked to undermine the scholarship of Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar and ‘Aisha (ra), and they were rude and harsh with Sayyidinā Ali (ra). Today we find folks with the same traits. They speak ill to, and about, the people of knowledge and those who work for God 13. They use verses of the Qur’an and hadith, but do not have the skills to interpret them correctly, or interpret them wrong to fight their insecure desires. The will devalue Arabic and the fundamentals of interpretation, strengthening their desires as interpretive instruments 14. They use verses of the Qur’an and Hadith that talk about the rejecters of faith and the people of Hell, applying them to Muslims as was noted by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ra) 15. They distance themselves from the Muslim community - living in cults. Imam al-Shāttibi wrote, “Historically, those who brought the greatest trials to humanity were those who thought they were the saved sect.” A glance at history proves that the greatest carriers of falsehood, the greatest underminers of the people of good, were those who claimed to be on the truth, exclusive to others. Today you will find them denouncing every mosque and Imam in their city, preferring to obey the 27 whispers of the desires, instead of gaining the 27 blessings for praying in the mosque with the congregation. They will create blogs to attack Imams, ignoring the Islamophobes and others. They suck the capacity from the Umma, forcing it to address them instead of other things. For that reason the Prophet (sa) said, They are the worst of creation; the dogs of Hell. 16. They take the explicit meanings of sacred texts, ignoring interpretation and analogy. 17.They claim to follow only two foundations from the foundations of Shari’ah, The Qur’an and Sunna, ignoring ‘Juristic Union,, Analogy, Public Interest, Juristic Preference and Presumption of Continuity 18. They are quick to label others as Disbelievers and Hypocrities although the latter was never used by the Prophet (sa) or the Salaf. Declaration of Disbelief is left to a qualified Mufti or Qadi 19. They do not respect institutions or institutional work. This is rooted in their hatred for the community of the Prophet (sa) - The Umma - who they claim to love when it serves their destructive ambitions. They murdered Sayyidanā Uthmān and Sayyidanā Ali (God be pleased with them both) in the name of the Umma 20.Their outward adherence to faith increases their arrogance towards others. Ibn Jawizi wrote, “How many of them boast about having their pants above their ankles (in a literal interpretation concerning not being extravagant with long flowing clothing while in prayer), while looking down at those who don’t. Foolish; they cancel the adherence to the sunna with a disease in their hearts.” Glossary: Sunnah: The life, wisdom, and pattern of living and thought of the Prophet as passed on as a living tradition by his companions and the scholars of Islam as an oral tradition, a partially preserved in the Hadith sciences and collections as a written tradition. Mufti: An Islamic scholar qualified to give rulings on a legal issue Qadi: An Islamic scholar who presides as a Judge
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 21:21:47 +0000