to fight the Muslims and were killed by the Muslims. Their land then becomes booty for the Muslims: one fifth is divided into five shares, while the remaining four fifths belong to those who fought and are divided among them. Alternatively, the ruler may levy land tax on the Muslims and leave the land undivided, just as ‘Umar conquered the Sawād by force and made it an endowment for the Muslims. Thus, Ahmad treated land captured from the Khawārij in the same way as property captured from the disbelievers.

In short, this approach is unquestionably correct. Both the scriptural evidence and scholarly consensus distinguish between these two cases, as does the conduct of ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him. He fought the Khawārij on the explicit instruction of the Messenger of Allah, rejoiced in doing so, and was opposed in this by none of the Companions. As for the fighting at Siffīn, his aversion to it and his condemnation of it were manifest.

Concerning those who fought at the Battle of the Camel and others, he said: “They are our brothers who rebelled against us; the sword has purified them.” He offered funeral prayers for the slain of both sides.

As for the Khawārij, the two Sahīh collections report that ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say:

‘Near the end of time, a people will emerge, young in years and foolish in judgment, who utter some of the finest words spoken by mankind. Their faith will not go beyond their throats. They will pass out of the religion as an arrow passes through its quarry. Wherever you encounter them, kill them, for whoever kills them will be rewarded on the Day of Resurrection.’”

Sahīh Muslim also reports from Zayd ibn Wahb that he was in the army that