Question Summary:
Who are the Khawarij?

Question Detail:

What is KAHRJI? what are thier signs accroding to Quran or Hadith? and is the kharji present in today's world?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
There is reference to the Khawarij in the following hadith of Bukhari:
 
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو اليَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الخُدْرِيَّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ يَقْسِمُ قِسْمًا، أَتَاهُ ذُو الخُوَيْصِرَةِ، وَهُوَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اعْدِلْ، فَقَالَ: «وَيْلَكَ، وَمَنْ يَعْدِلُ إِذَا لَمْ أَعْدِلْ، قَدْ خِبْتَ وَخَسِرْتَ إِنْ لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْدِلُ». فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، ائْذَنْ لِي فِيهِ فَأَضْرِبَ عُنُقَهُ؟ فَقَالَ: «دَعْهُ، فَإِنَّ لَهُ أَصْحَابًا يَحْقِرُ أَحَدُكُمْ صَلاَتَهُ مَعَ صَلاَتِهِمْ، وَصِيَامَهُ مَعَ صِيَامِهِمْ، يَقْرَءُونَ القُرْآنَ لاَ يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ، يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ، يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَصْلِهِ فَلاَ يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى رِصَافِهِ فَمَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَضِيِّهِ، - وَهُوَ قِدْحُهُ -، فَلاَ يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى قُذَذِهِ فَلاَ يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، قَدْ سَبَقَ الفَرْثَ وَالدَّمَ، آيَتُهُمْ رَجُلٌ أَسْوَدُ، إِحْدَى عَضُدَيْهِ مِثْلُ ثَدْيِ المَرْأَةِ، أَوْ مِثْلُ البَضْعَةِ تَدَرْدَرُ، وَيَخْرُجُونَ عَلَى حِينِ فُرْقَةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ» قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ: فَأَشْهَدُ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ هَذَا الحَدِيثَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَاتَلَهُمْ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ، فَأَمَرَ بِذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ فَالْتُمِسَ فَأُتِيَ بِهِ، حَتَّى نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ عَلَى نَعْتِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِي نَعَتَه[3]
Translation: Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri Radiallahu Anhhu narrates that we were in the company of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam while he was distributing booty. Zul Khuwaysarh, a man from Banu Tameem, came to him and said “oh messenger of Allah be just” so he said “may you be destroyed! Who will be just if I am not just? Verily you are deprived and in loss if I’m not just”. Umar Radiallah Anhu said “oh messenger of Allah give me permission to cut his head off”. He replied “leave him for he has companions that one of you would consider your Salah insignificant compared to theirs and you would consider your fasts insignificant compared to theirs. They read the Quraan but it does not go beyond their throats. They will deviate from Deen the way an arrow deviates away from the target. Its shaft will be looked at and nothing will be found in it, then its spine will be looked at and nothing will be found in it. Then its head will be looked at and nothing will be found in it, then its fletching will be looked at and nothing will be found in it. It would outstrip the intestines and blood. Their sign will be a black man, one of his upper arms will be like a breast of a woman or like a piece of flesh that is hanging. They will come out at a time when the people are divided.
Abu Saeed Radiallahu Anhu said “I bear testimony that I heard this hadeeth from Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and I bear witness that Ali Radiallahu Anhu fought them while I was with him and he ordered that this person should be found so he was brought. I witnessed that he was exactly the way Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam described him.
Zulkhuwaysarh was the forefather of the Khwarij as can also understood from the hadith below:
فَلَمَّا وَلَّى قَالَ: " إِنَّ مِنْ ضِئْضِئِ هَذَا، أَوْ: فِي عَقِبِ هَذَا قَوْمًا يَقْرَءُونَ القُرْآنَ لاَ يُجَاوِزُ حَنَاجِرَهُمْ، يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ مُرُوقَ السَّهْمِ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ، يَقْتُلُونَ أَهْلَ الإِسْلاَمِ وَيَدَعُونَ أَهْلَ الأَوْثَانِ، لَئِنْ أَنَا أَدْرَكْتُهُمْ لَأَقْتُلَنَّهُمْ قَتْلَ عَادٍ "[4]
Translation: and when he (Zulkhuwaysarah) turned away he (Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said verily from the back of this person will come out a nation that will read the Quraan but it will not go beyond their throats. They will deviate from Deen the way an arrow deviates away from the target. They will wage war against the Muslims ignore the idol worshippers. If I were to find them I would destroy them as the nation of Aad was destroyed.  
The Khawarij were the first people to go against Hazrat Ali Radiallahu Anhu. [1] At that time they were divided into twenty different sects. Hazrat Ali Radiallahu Anhu waged war against the Khawarij who fit the description in the hadith. [2]
Some of the corrupt beliefs of the Khawarij are:

 
The Khawarij are also present today as Ibadiyyahs who are mainly found in Oman and the Eastern African countries.[4]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ismail Dawoodjee
Student Darul Iftaa
Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net 
الملل و النحل ص106 العلمية[1]
الفرق بين الفرق ص72 مكتبة ابن سينا
 صحيح البخارى ج1 ص509 قديمى[2]
صحيح البخارى ج1 ص472 قديمى [3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khawarij[4]