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RITUAL OR SPIRIT ?

It is exercise in futility to dilate upon Kharijism or Kharijites as a religious issue, because today such a religion is existing nowhere in the world. However, the present debate about Kharijites and the nature of their works will serve as a warning to our people and our society. Because inspite of extinction of Kharijites' religion, its spirit has not died away. The spirit of Kharijism has transmigrated into the souls of many of us.

It is essential to say a few introductory words:

May be some religions are dead 'Ritual-wise' but they are not so 'Spirit-wise'. Likewise, the contrary is also possible, i.e., may be a religion is alive 'Ritual-wise', but it is dead Spirit-wise. Therefore, this is also possible that a man or men may be Ritual-wise followers of and adherents to one religion, but in reality may not be the followers of that faith. Its contrary is also possible, i.e., some may be actually followers of one religion but their practice may give no evidence of their faith.

For instance, as we all know after the demise of the Prophet, for two reasons Muslims were divided into two sects, viz. Sunni and Shiah. The Sunnis are within the four-corners of one belief and practice, and Shiahs are within the four-corners of the other.

A Shiah asserts that Ali is immediate successor of the Prophet. He had appointed Ali to his succession and Caliphate per Divine command, and after the Prophet he had exclusive right to this office. The Sunnis say that Islam in its legislation has not specifically anticipated the question of Immamate and Caliphate and that it has in fact left the resolution of this important issue to the discretion of the people themselves, the maximum restriction being that election must be made from amongst the Qureish.

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Shiahs make Propeht's many companions, who are considered to be men of status, stature and renown, susceptible to criticism and the Sunnis hold just the opposite of Shiahs' view. Everyone who is said to be a com­panion (Sahabi) is viewed with strange credulity. They say, "All the companions of the Prophet are just and righteous". Shiaism is based on critical appreciation, investigation, incredulity and hair splitting. Sunnism is based on credulity and excuse "God willing, it might have been a cat".

In this age, where we happen to be, whosoever says, "Ali is the immediate successor of our Prophet", we readily declare him to be a Shiah expecting nothing more from him. Let him belong to any denomination or to any way of thinking.

But if we go to the period of advent of Islam, we come across a distinct spirit that happens to be the soul of Shiaism. They were the minds capable of faithfully, accepting the behest of the Prophet about Ali and did not suffer from any disbelief or distrust. The opposite of this spirit and this way of thinking has been another mentality and school of thought who with all the completeness of faith, which they had in the Prophet, accepted the behests with a sort of reservation and with such interpretation and construction as were never intended.

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In fact schisms and divisions in Islam originated from here. One schism was in majority. They were shallow and looked only to the surface. Their vision was neither sharp nor deep so as to discern the implica­tions and the consequences of every event. They looked to the surface and attached presumption of correctness to it. They used to say, "A number of elderly companions (of Prophet), the veterans and the seniors in Islam have followed this course; therefore, it cannot be said that they have erred." But the other group who were in minority would at the same time say, "Personalities are held in esteem by us only when they themselves show respect to the truth. However, if we find that Islamic principles are being violated by the veterans, they cease to enjoy respect (with us). We uphold principles and not the personalities". Shiaism emerged with this spirit.

When we go through Islamic history in search of Salman-i-Farsi, Abu Zar Ghifari, Miqdad Kindi, Ammar-i-Yasir and the likes, we wish to know what were the factors which persuaded them to take Ali's side and to ignore the majority? We will find them to be men of principles, and the men aware of principles. They were Faithful and knew what was the Faith. They would say, "We should not hand our intellect and wisdom over to other because there is apprehension of our erring when he errs". Checked 02-01-01 page on book 60

In fact, their's was a mind ruled by facts and principles and not by persons and personalities.

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One of the Amir-ul-Momineen's (Ali's) companions, during the battle of Jamal, fell in serious doubt. He looked to both the sides. On the one side he saw Ali and stalwarts of Islam wielding their swords under Ali's Command! On the other side was Aisha a harem (wife) of the Prophet, and about Prophet's wives the Quran laying down: "His wives are mothers of the Ummah", and under her command was Talha, a senior in Islam, of happy antecedents, a sharp shooter and a veteran strategists of Islam who had a rich record of services for the cause of Islam; moreover there was Zubair with nobler antecedents than Talha's, who even on the day of Saqeefa had been among those who took shelter in Ali's house. He was awfully confused, "What is this all? After all Ali, Talha and Zobair are amongst the veterans of Islam and have been volunteers of Islam in the worst of odds. Now they have arrayed themselves against each other? Which of them is nearer to truth? What to be done in this confusing conflict?" Beware! He is not to blame much; perhaps even if we would have been in those very circumstances, where he happened to be, the personalities and antecedents of Talha and Zobair might have blurred our vision too.

Now when we visualize Ali, Ammar, Awais Qarni and others confront­ing Aisha, Zubair and Talha, we feel no hesitation to hold that the latter were a group of men of vicious countenance, i.e., impressions of vice and dishonesty were writ large on their faces. Their eyes, their appearances and their faces betrayed their ambitions. But if we would have been there and would have seen their antecedents from close quarters, haply we too could not have helped falling in doubt.

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Today, when we hold the first group to have been on the right and the second in the wrong, it is because of history's verdict, and the facts having become clearer. We, having identified the nature of Ali and Ammar on one side and the nature of Zubair, Talha and 'Aisha on the other, can make a better judgment between them, or at least even if we were not students of or experts in history we have been taught so from our childhood. However, on that day none of these factors was available.

Anyhow, this gentleman appeared before Ali and said: "Is it possible that Talha, Zubair and 'Aisha may concur on untruth. How could personali­ties like them, from among the old companions of the Prophet, err and take to wrong course? Is it possible?"

Ali replied in such a conclusive and authoritative phrase, which according to Dr. Taaha Husain, the Egyptian writer and the Philosopher, "had never been heard elsewhere-since the cessation of Divine Voice and discontinuance of revelation".

"You suffer from illusion and you have fallen in confusion. Right and wrong are not measured in scales of personalities and statures of individuals. It is incorrect to first hold personality to be a yard-stick, thereafter to measure Right and Wrong on those standards and then to hold that this thing is Right because such and such persons have acquiesced in it and that thing is wrong because such and such persons are opposed to it". Nay! personalities should not be made the measure sticks for Right and Wrong. It is Right and Wrong which should be the criterion of individuals and their personalities.

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That means, "you should be cognizant of Right and Wrong. You should not go after persons and personalities. Individuals, whether personality-wise great or small, must be compared with truth. If they are found conformable to it, accept them, otherwise do not. The question is not as to whether Talha, Zobair and Aisha can or cannot be Wrong?"

Here Ali has held Truth itself to be the touchstone of Truth. The spirit of Shiaism is nothing other than this. In fact, Shiaism is schism sequel to a specific view, which gives importance to the Principles of Islam. Necessarily, Shiahs have emerged as critics and iconoclasts.

Ali, a Youth of thirty three years, after the Prophet, led a minority of less than the number of his fingers against him were men of sixty years with majority and multitude. The logic of the majority was, "This is the course of the veterans and seniors, and the veterans never err. Hence we follow their course". The logic of the minority was, "It is Truth that never errs. The seniors must make themselves conformable to Truth".

From here it becomes obvious that how numerous are the men whose practice may be shi'ite but their precept is not.

The goal of Shiaism, like its spirit, is to recognise the Truth and to follow it, and of its greatest effects are "attraction" and "repulsion"; but not every attraction and repulsion. We have earlier said some times attrac­tion is attraction of fallacy, sin and the sinner; and repulsion is repulsion of Truth and human merits. The repulsion and attraction must be of the kind of Ali's attraction and repulsion, because a Shiah must be a copy of Ali's life-style. A Shiah must also, like Ali, be a personality with two faculties.

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This introduction was intended to realize that it is possible that a religion may be dead but its spirit may survive amongst such a people who may not only prima-facie be not its followers, but may also be taking them­selves to be its opponents. The Kharijites' religion is today dead, i.e., no significant group exists on globe who under the same title may be following it. But has the spirit of Kharijites died out? Has this spirit not transmigrated into other religions? Has, God forbid, this spirit not been breathed into us, particularly in our 'clerics' claiming piety?

These are the subjects to be separately dealt with. If we correctly identify the spirit of Kharijism, we may be in a position to answer this question. The discussion about Kharijites may also be useful only from this angle. We must know why did Ali repel them, i.e why did Ali's attraction not attract them and, to the contrary, why did his repulsion repelled them.

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Admittedly, as we will subsequently see, all those idealistic elements, which influenced the formation of the personality and spirit of Kharijites, were such as they could not withstand the thrust and impact of Ali's repulsion. Their spirit had many such prominent and brilliant merits, which could be a subject of Ali's attraction, had the same not been concomitant with a chain of dark points. But the dark aspects of their spirit were so abundant that they pushed them amongst Ali's enemies.