of the same kind as those two parties; for ‘Alī’s party was closer to the truth than Mu‘āwiya’s party.

Concerning the Kharijites who break away, he said:

“One of you would consider his prayer insignificant compared with theirs, his fasting compared with theirs, and his recitation compared with theirs. They recite the Quran, but it does not pass beyond their throats. They pass out of Islam as an arrow passes through its quarry. Wherever you encounter them, kill them, for whoever kills them will have a reward with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.”

In another wording:

“If those who fight them knew what reward had been promised them through their Prophet, they would desist from good works.”

Muslim narrated the hadiths concerning them in his Sahīh through ten chains of transmission. Al-Bukhārī also narrated this through several chains, as did the compilers of the Sunan and Musnad collections. These reports are widely transmitted from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and have been received with acceptance. The scholars of the Muslim community, from among the Companions and those who followed them, unanimously accepted them, and the Companions agreed on fighting these Kharijites.

As for “those who fought at the battles of the Camel and Siffīn,” a group of the Companions fought on one side, whereas most of the leading Companions fought on neither side. Those who refrained from fighting cited the numerous reports from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—concerning abstaining from fighting during civil strife, and explained that this fighting was indeed civil strife.

‘Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—was glad to fight the Kharijites and would relate the Prophet’s hadith commanding that they be fought. As for the fighting at “Siffīn,” however, he stated that he had no explicit revealed text to support it; rather, it was a judgment he had reached. At times, he would praise those who did not consider fighting appropriate.