—the Ibadiyyah (1) and the Berber tribes rallied around Makhlad and advanced. He was an ascetic, clad in a short patched cloak (2) and riding a donkey (3), yet they were in reality Kharijites. A large number of Sunnis and pious men joined him, and he almost took possession of the whole land. Their banners (4) were planted at the Great Mosque of Kairouan bearing the words: “There is no god but Allah; judgment belongs to Allah alone.”
Two yellow standards read: “Help from Allah and a near victory.”
Makhlad’s personal banner declared: “O Allah, grant victory to Your friend over those who revile Your Prophet.” (5)

Their preacher, Ahmad ibn Abi al-Walid (6), urged them to wage jihad. They then marched out, besieged al-Mahdiyyah, and when the two armies met and Makhlad felt certain of triumph, his Kharijite nature stirred. He said to his followers, “Withdraw from the people of Kairouan so that their enemy may strike them.” They obeyed, and eighty-five scholars and ascetics were martyred. (7)

The Kharijites of the Maghrib are Ibadiyyah, attributed to ʿAbd Allah ibn Yahya ibn Ibad, who rebelled during the reign of Marwan al-Himar (8). His adherents spread through the Maghrib, asserting, “Our acts are created by us,” pronouncing those guilty of major sins to be unbelievers, claiming, “There is no particularization in the Quran,” and deeming the blood of anyone who opposed them lawful.