SERMON 127
About the Kharijites
If you do not stop believing
that I have gone wrong and been misled, why do you consider that the
common men among the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.a.h.p.)
have gone astray like me, and accuse them with my wrong, and hold them
unbelievers on account of my sins.
You are holding your swords
on your shoulders and using them right and wrong. You are confusing those
who have committed sins with those who have not.
You know that the Prophet
(PBUH) stoned the protected (married) adulterer, then he also said his
burial prayer and allowed his successors to inherit from him. He killed
the murderer and allowed his successors to inherit from him. He amputated
(the hand of) the thief and whipped the unprotected (unmarried) adulterer,
but thereafter allowed their shares from the booty, and they married
Muslim women.
Thus the Prophet (PBUH) took
them to ask for their sins and also abided by Allah's commands about them,
but did not disallow them their rights created by Islam, nor did he remove
their names from its followers.
Certainly you are the most
evil of all persons and are those whom Satan has put on his lines and
thrown out into his wayless land. With regard to me, two categories of
people will be ruined, namely he who loves me too much and the love takes
him away from rightfulness, and he who hates me too much and the hatred
takes him away from rightfulness.
The best man with regard to
me is he who is on the middle course. So be with him and be with the great
majority (of Muslims) because Allah's hand (of protection) is on keeping
unity. You should beware of division because the one isolated from the
group is (a prey) to Satan just as the one isolated from the flock of
sheep is (a prey) to the wolf.
Beware; whoever calls to
this course, kill him, even though he may be under this headband of mine.
Certainly the two arbitrators were appointed to revive what the Qur'an
revives and to destroy what the Qur'an destroys. Revival means to unite on
it (in a matter) and destruction means to divide on a matter.
If the Qur'an drives us to
them we should follow them, and if it drives them to us they should follow
up. May you have no father! (Woe to you), I did not cause you any
misfortune, nor have I deceived you in any matter, nor created any
confusion.
Your own group had
unanimously suggested in favour of these two men and we bound them that
they would not exceed the Qur'an but they deviated from it and abandoned
the right although both of them were conversant with it.
This wrong-doing was the
dictate of their hearts and so they trod upon it, although we had
stipulated that in arbitrating with justice and sticking to rightfulness
they would avoid the evil of their own views and the mischief of their own
verdict (but since this has happened the award is not acceptable to us).
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