Islamic heritage books is full of stories and debates which were held by early Kharijites, who appeared during the first century of Islam. Among the most famous debates were the ones held by Abdullah Bin Abbas and Omar Bin Abdulaziz. These two debates were the most famous to the extent they over shadowed other debates, in which scholars sat approaches based on the teachings of Al-Quran, to debunk the claims of Kharijites. One of these debates was between Wahb Ibn Munabbih and a man called Zu Khawlan from Yemen, who showed sympathy with the Kharijites, paying them their compulsory annual money (Zakat).
We chose to highlight the entire text of the debate to touch on the Quranic approach that Ibn Munabbih used to convince Zu Khawlan of the lack of foundations of the argument of the Kharijites, and his attempt to convince him to abandon them and their group. This debate and advice might entail many wonderful hints which speak of radicals such as Taliban al-Qaeda and ISIS and whoever adopts their radical exclusive ideology.
The debate text
A Yemeni Muslim named Dawud Ibn Qays said: ‘I had a friend of Khawlan, from Hadoor, called Abu Shaamir Zu Khawlan. I left San’aa headed towards his village, and as I approached I found a letter with a seal on the back reading: “To Abi Shamir Zu Khawlan”.
So I went to him, and discovered him franticly sad. I asked why he was in that state. He said, ‘A messenger from San’aa came and he mentioned that some friends of mine wrote to me, but the messenger had lost it. So I sent with him a servant of mine, someone who could search for it. To search between our village and San’aa, But they did not come up with it. So I have become sorrowful due to that.’
I said: ‘I have found this letter.’
He said: ‘The praise is due to Allah who facilitated you to find it!’ He opened it.
I said: ‘Read it to me.’
He said: ‘I will introduce you to something as if you were a child.’
I asked: ‘What is it?” ‘A smote on their necks’, he replied.
I said: ‘Perhaps it was written to you by some of the Kharijites, about the Zakāh (charity).’
He said: ‘From where do you know these people?’
I said, ‘My friends and I we sit with Wahb Ibn Munabbih, and he tells, “O you inexperienced ones, beware of the Kharijites. Do not allow them to submit you to their devious views. For verily, they are scabies of this Ummah”.’
So he handed me the letter and I read it. This is what it said:
“With the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. To Abi Shamir Zu Khawlan, may peace be upon you. We praise Allah for you. The one whom there is nothing worthy of worship besides him. And we commend you to have taqwá (fear/reverence) of Allah alone He has no partners. For verily, the Religion of Allah is sensible and guidance in this world, and a rescue and a success in the Hereafter. The Religion of Allah is obedience to Allah and indifference to those who deviate from the Sunnah of His Prophet and his Sharīʿah (legislation). So if this writing of ours reaches you then consider that you give – if Allah wills – what Allah has made obligatory upon you from his rights. Deserving from that the friendship of Allah, and the friendship of Allah friends, and may the peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah”
I said, ‘I prohibit you from them’.
He said: ‘How can I take your advice, and leave the advice of one older than you?’
I said: ‘Would you like me to take you to visit Wahb Ibn Munabbih, so that you can hear him yourself and he can tell you about them exactly?’ He said, ‘Yes.’
So I went to San’aa and he came with me. We left early so as to bring him to see Wahb.
He continued: “So we entered and discovered there were already some people in his company. Some of them asked me: ‘Who is the Shaykh?’ I told them, ‘This is Abu Shamir Zu Khawlan of Hadoor. He has a special request for Wahb Ibn Munabbih.
They asked, ‘Won’t he say it, please?’
I said, ‘It is a request that he would like to consult with him about some personal matters.’ So the people left.
Wahb said: ‘What is it you need, O Zu Khawlan?’ So he stuttered and refrained.
So Wahb went on saying to me, ‘Speak for this Shaykh of yours.’
I said, ‘Okay, Abu ʿAbdullah (Wahb Ibn Munabbih), verily Zu Khawlan is from the people of the Qurʾān and goodwill, as far as I know, and Allah knows best about that which is hidden. He told me that he made acquaintances with some Kharijites of San’aa, and they have said to him, “The zakāt you pay the leaders, goes un-rewarded. As far as what is between you and Allah, because they don’t put it in its proper place. So render it to us, and we will see that it gets where it should, by distributing it among the needy Muslims, and establish the bounds.”
‘So I felt, O Abu ʿAbdullah, that your speech would be more healing than mine. He has informed of how he gives them a fruit for every one hundred firaq, for his cattle, and how he sends it to them with his servant.’
Wahb said unto him, ‘O Zu Khawlan, do you want to be from the Kharijites in your old age now, declaring that those who are better than you are lost? What will you say tomorrow when Allah takes you?
‘He who you testified against, Allah has attested to the faith of, he who you attested to his disbelief. And Allah has witnessed the guidance of he who you have witnessed his deviance, so where do you fall if your opinions and testimonies are contrary to Allah’s Decree and Testimony?
‘Tell me, Zu Khawlan, what do they say to you?’
He said to Wahb, ‘They order me not to be charitable to anyone who doesn’t agree with them, nor seek forgiveness for them.’
Wahb said, ‘You are right, this is their phony love.’
‘As for their remark about charity, it has reached me that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) once mentioned that a woman from Yemen entered the fire because of a kitten. She didn’t give it food, nor did she leave it to eat the dirt off the ground. Isn’t a man who worships Allah and designates him alone, and doesn’t take any partners with him in worship, more beloved to Allah than feeding from hunger, or a kitten? Allah says in his book: “And they give food, in spite of their love for Him, to the poor, the orphan, and the captive. Saying, ‘We feed you seeking Allah’s Face only. We don’t wish from you any reward or thanks. Verily we fear from our Lord a day hard and distressful, which will make the face look horrible (from extreme dislike).’” [al-Insān 76:8-10]
‘He says, a day difficult and harsh upon the people who sinned to incur his anger:
“So Allah saved them from the evil of that day and gave them a light of beauty and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments because they were patient. Reclining therein on raised thrones, they will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold. And the shade thereof is close to them and the bunches of fruit will hang low within their reach. And amongst them will be passed round vessels of silver and cops of crystal, crystal clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure thereof as they wish. And they will be given to drink a cup of wine mixed with ginger, A spring there is called Salsabeel. And round about them will serve boys of everlasting youth. If you see them you would think they are scattered pearls. And when you look at Paradise you will see a delight and a great dominion. Their garments will be of fine green silk and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink.” [al-Insan 76:11-22]
Wahb continued, ‘Nor will Allah cease to disburse these attributes which He prepared for them of the bounty in Paradise.
‘As for their saying, “Don’t seek forgiveness those who disagree with us.” Are they better than the Angels are? Allah says “’Ayn-Seen-Qaaf: “Nearly the heavens might be rent asunder from above them (by His Majesty), and the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask forgiveness for those on the earth. Verily Allah is al-Ghafoor al-Raḥim”.” [al-Shurá 42:5]
‘I swear by Allah, the Angels were not given the choice to do that, nor do they do it until they had been commanded to do so, because Allah says: “They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on His command.” [al-Anbiyaʾ‘ 21:27]‘
Don’t you see, O Zu Khawlan, that I have arrived at the heart of Islam?
By Allah the Kharijites were never a jamāʿah (united body), except that Allah split them up into their worse condition. Nor has anyone of them opened his mouth except that Allah smote him on his neck. Never has the Ummah united under a man from the Khawarij.
If Allah had given the Khawarij authority then the world have certainly been corrupted, the roads would be closed, thus the Pilgrimage (ḥajj) would cease. Then what was once Islam would end as jāhilīyyah (ignorance). Until the people would wind up beseeching the mountaintops as they did in the time of Jāhiliyyah. And at that time there would arise more than ten or twenty men, where would not be one among them, except he would claim to be the Caliph. Each one of them would possess ten thousand fighting men, fighting each other, attesting to one another’s disbelief. A believing man will become fearful for himself, his Religion, blood, family, and money; not knowing where he will be, or with whom he is with.
Except that Allah, out of His Wisdom, Knowledge, and Mercy, looked at this Ummah and made good His consideration of it. So he gathered them and united them in their hearts under one man, not of the Khawarij. So Allah injected him in their blood, covered them and their children with him, gathered their sects together with him, secured their roads with him, fought the enemy with him with the Muslim Cavalry, established with him the legal boundaries, was just to their oppressed with him, and opposed their oppressors with him. As a mercy from Allah he was merciful to them with him. He said in his book: “…And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another the earth would indeed be full of mischief, but Allah is full of bounty to all that exists.” [al-Baqarah 2:251]
“And hold fast to the rope of Allah together, and don’t divide among yourselves. And remember Allah’s favor upon you, for you were enemies of one another, but he joined your hearts together, so that by his grace you became brethren, and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, and he saved you from it. Thus Allah makes clear His signs to you, that you may be guided.” [Al ʿImran 3:103]
And Allah said: “Verily we will indeed make victorious our Messengers and those who believe, in this world’s life and on the day when the witness will stand forth.” [al-Ghafir 40:51]
So where are they in the light of this statement? If they were true believers, they would have triumphed, and He said: “And verily, Our word has gone forth of old for Our slaves, the Messengers, That they verily would be made triumphant, and that Our hosts! They verily would be victors.” [al-Ṣaffat 37:171-173]
So if they were the soldiers of Allah, they would have triumphed, even if it were just once in Islam. Allah says: “And indeed we did send Messengers before you to their own peoples. They came to them with clear proofs, then, We took vengeance on those who committed crimes, and as for the believers it was incumbent upon us to help them.” [al-Rum, 30:47]
If they were true believers, they would have been triumphant. And He said: “Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to the present rulers in the land. As he will grant them the authority to practice the religion which he has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And he will surely, give them in exchange a safe security after their fear, provided that they worship me and do not associate anything with me…” [al-Nur 24:55]
‘So where are they in the light of this statement? Has anyone of them ever been more informed of Islam with no Caliph, nor jamāʿah, nor nadhr from the days of ʿUmar Ibn al-Khattab, and Allah said: “It is he who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it superior over all religions…” [al-Tawbah 9:33]
And I bare witness that Allah already bestowed upon them what He had promised them what He had promised them of success, and triumph over their enemies and those who deviated from the way of the jamāʿah.
O Zu Khawlan, aren’t the people of Tawḥīd, and the Qiblah, and those who affirm the Laws of Islam, its Sunnahs, and obligations more sufficient for you than what Nuḥ could handle of the idol worship and disbelievers of his time? As his people said to him: “They said, “Shall we believe in you and the meanest of people follow you?” He said, “And what do I know of what they used to do? Their account is with my Lord if you only knew.”” [al-Shuʿaraʾ 26:111-113]
Or don’t they suffice for you more than what Allah’s Prophet and Beloved, Ibrahim, could take of the afflictions he suffered of idol worship. Allah said,
“And remember when Ibrahim said, “O my Lord! Make this city one of peace and security, and keep me, and my offspring away from idol worship. O my Lord! They have indeed led many astray. But whoever follows me, then he is of me. And whoever disobeys me, then still You are Ghafoor, Raheem…”” [Ibrahim 14:35-36]
Or don’t they suffice more for you than what was enough for ’ʿIsá of the disbelievers who took him as an object for worship without Allah. Verily Allah has been pleased with Nuḥ, Ibrahim, and ’ʿIsá. Saying until the Day of Resurrection, the believers will hold fast to this statement: “If you punish them, then they are your slaves and if you forgive them, then verily, You, only You are al-ʿAziz, al-Ḥakim.”” [al-Maʾidah 5:118]
And neither will they differ a saying, or the opinion held by the Prophets. So whom will he follow if he won’t follow the Book of Allah, or the statement of His Prophets and the opinion they held?
And know that your visiting me has been a mercy for you, if you heard my advice and took it. If you abandon it and return to the Harooraa however, it will be a held against you in the future when you meet Allah.’
Zu Khawlan, ‘What do you order me to do?’
Wahb said unto him, “Consider the zakāt, which has been made upon you obligatory, and give it to the one who Allah has placed in authority over this Ummah. And unified the Ummah together, under him. For verily all sovereignty is from Allah, and it is in His Hand alone. He bestows it to whom He wills and he takes it from whom He wills. So whomever Allah has made sovereign, then none can take it from him except Allah. So if you gave your zakat to the one in charged, then you have relieved yourself of this burden. If it is excess, then relatives, bondsmen, neighbors, those in need of it, or a man who may have hosted you, allow them to benefit.”
So Zu Khawlan arose to his feet, and said, ‘Bear witness that I have relinquished my dealings with the Kharijites. And have affirmed what you have said.’
After this Zu Khawlan didn’t live but a short while, until he died.”
*Dr.Tarik Ladjal is Professor of History at Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
