Rāfi‘ ibn Amr al-Ghifārī, the brother of al-Hakam ibn Amr al-Ghifārī. I said, ‘What of the hadith I heard from Abū Dharr about such-and-such?’ I related the hadith to him, and he replied, ‘I too heard it from Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’”

These characteristics are found both among those whom Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, killed and among others. When we say that Alī fought the Khawārij at the command of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, this is like saying that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fought the unbelievers: that is, he fought unbelievers as a category, even though unbelief takes different forms. Likewise, polytheism takes different forms. Although the gods worshipped by the Arabs were not those worshipped by the Indians, Chinese and Turks, the term polytheism and its meaning encompass them all.

Likewise, the descriptions of departing from the religion and passing out of it apply to everyone who resembles those people. Fighting them is obligatory by the Prophet’s command, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, just as fighting those people was obligatory, even though departure from the religion and Islam takes different forms. We have already explained that the Rāfidah’s departure from the religion and passing out of it are far greater.

As for killing an individual member of the Khawārij who is under one’s control—such as one of the Harūriyyah, the Rāfidah or similar groups—the jurists hold two opinions, both transmitted from Imam Ahmad. The correct view is that it is permissible to kill an individual among them, such as one who calls others to his doctrine, and others of that kind in whom there is