Kharijites - Page 3

610 - نهيُ الإمامِ عَن قَتلِ الخَوارجِ بَعدَهُ‏

610. THE Imam'S PROHIBITION OF KILLING THE KHARIJITES AFTER HIM

1843.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : لا تُقاتِلوا (تَقْتُلوا) الخَوارِجَ بَعدي ؛ فلَيس مَن طَلبَ الحقَّ فأخْطَأهُ، كَمَن طَلبَ الباطِلَ فأدْرَكَهُ‏1 .2

1843.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Do not fight (or kill) the Kharijites after me, because the one who seeks the truth and mistakes it for something else is not like the one who seeks falsehood and finds it. 3 ' 4

1.نهج البلاغة : الخطبة ۶۱ .

2.قال ابنُ أبي الحديد : مُراده أنّ الخوارج ضَلّوا بشُبهةٍ دخَلت عليهم ، كانوا يَطلُبون الحقّ ، ولهم في الجملة تَمسّكٌ بالدِّين ، ومُحاماةٌ عن عقيدةٍ اعتقدوها ، و إنْ أخطَؤوا فيها . وأمّا معاوية فلم يكن يطلب الحقّ ، و إنّما كان ذا باطل ، لا يُحامي عن اعتقادِ قد بناه على‏ شبهة ، وأحوالُه كانت تدلّ على ذلك ، فإنّه لم يكن من أرباب الدِّين . . . و إذا كان كذلك لم يَجُزْ أن يَنصُر المسلمون سلطانه ، وتحارَبُ الخوارج عليه و إن كانوا أهل ضلال ، لأ نّهم أحسن حالاً منه ، فإنّهم كانوا يَنهون عن المنكر ، ويَرَون الخروج على‏ أئمّة الجور واجباً . . . (شرح نهج البلاغة : ۷۸۵) .

3.Ibn Abi al-Hadid said: 'The Imam meant that the Kharijites were misled because of a misconception they had. They were searching for the truth and were relatively religious people defending their faith, although they were wrong in what they believed. As for Mu'awiah, he was not after the truth, but he was on the wrong path and was not even defending what he wrongly believed. His own lifestyle gives evidence to this fact. Mu'awiah was not a religious person, and hence it was not permissible for the Muslims were not permitted to defend his rulership. The Kharijites faught against Mu'awiah, although they were not right, but they were better than him because acted upon forbidding the wrong and considered it obligatory to rise against the oppressor.

4.Ibid. Sermon ۶۱

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