Third:

They contradict what all religions and all people of sound innate disposition agree upon. Nevertheless, many of their doctrines may be obscure to many believers, who therefore suppose that the truth is with them because of the specious arguments they present. These believers believe in Allah and His Messenger inwardly and outwardly; this matter has merely become confused and unclear to them, just as it has to others among the various groups of religious innovators. Such people are certainly not disbelievers. Rather, some may be defiantly disobedient or sinful, while others may be mistaken and have their errors forgiven. A person among them may possess faith and piety that give him a degree of friendship with Allah commensurate with his faith and piety.

The fundamental position of Ahl al-Sunnah, which distinguishes them from the Khawārij, the Jahmiyyah, the Mu‘tazilah, and the Murji’ah, is that faith varies in degree and can be present in part. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever has a speck’s weight of faith in his heart will come out of the Fire.”

Accordingly, friendship with Allah likewise varies in degree and can be possessed in part.

Once the roots of religious innovation are understood, one sees that the fundamental doctrine of the Khawārij is that they declare people disbelievers on account of sin, regard things that are not sins as sinful, and hold that the Quran should be followed to the exclusion of any Sunnah that conflicts with its apparent meaning—even when that Sunnah is established by mass transmission. They declare those who disagree with them disbelievers and, because they consider them apostates, deem permissible against them what they do not deem permissible against someone who was never a Muslim. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said of them:

“They kill the people of Islam and leave the idolaters alone.”

For this reason, they declared ‘Uthmān, ‘Alī, and their respective followers disbelievers, and declared both sides at Siffīn disbelievers, along with other vile doctrines of this kind.