from among these groups who has been apprehended, they have not differed over the obligation to kill them if they offer resistance. For fighting has a broader scope than putting someone to death: attacking aggressors and transgressing rebels are fought, even though, once apprehended, an individual among them may be punished only as Allah and His Messenger have commanded.

The scholars have included within the scope of these mass-transmitted reports from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning the Khawārij—whether by their wording or their meaning—those followers of deviant inclinations who resemble them in departing from the law of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Muslim community. Indeed, some of these are worse than the Harūrī Khawārij, such as the Khurramiyyah, the Qarāmitah, and the Nusayriyyah. Anyone who believes that a human being is a god, or that someone other than the prophets is a prophet, and fights the Muslims over that belief is worse than the Harūrī Khawārij.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, specifically mentioned the Harūrī Khawārij only because they were the first group of religious innovators to emerge after him; indeed, the first of them emerged during his lifetime. He mentioned them because of their proximity to his time, just as Allah and His Messenger singled out certain matters for mention because they occurred at that time, as in His words:

“And do not kill your children for fear of poverty.”

And His words:

“Whoever among you turns back from his religion—Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him.”

There are other examples of this, including the Prophet’s naming particular tribes of the Ansār, and his singling out Aslam, Ghifār, Juhaynah, Tamīm, Asad, Ghatafān, and others for particular rulings because of characteristics they possessed. Anyone who possesses those same characteristics is included with them, because