Erasing the Accusation of Shirk

“During the reign of Sayyidina Ali (m ay Allah be pleased with him) an incident took
place which resulted in 16,000 people rebelling against him. These people were known as
the khawarij. They used to tease Sayyidina Ali (m ay Allah be pleased with him) by
calling him a mushrik, declaring that the blood of Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased
with him) and that of his follower’s was halal. The rulers who came after Sayyidina Ali
(may Allah be pleased with him) such as the Banu Umayyah and the Banu Abbas, to the
khwaarij their blood was known to be ‘halal’ as well. (Halal meaning it is right to
slaughter them.).” [Tarikh Tabari by Imam Tabari and Tarikh Ibn Kathir by Ibn Kathir,
Chaptre on Khawarij]
The Evidence used by the Khwarij against
Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and other rulers
Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) chose 2 arbitrators; whatever decision they
made it would be agreed and accepted. When the Khawarij heard of this they said “We
only accept Allah’s order and His command,” they then continued by saying “O Ali! By
appointing this committee and saying that you will accept their decisions is wrong! This
is kufr and shirk and you and your followers are amongst the losers.” They justified such
audacious claims by citing the following verses:
1. “There is no order but of Allah” [6.57]
2. “And we decreed for them in it that: the life for the life, the eye for the eye, the nose for
the nose, the ear for the ear, the tooth for the tooth, and an equivalent injury for any
injury. If one forfeits what is due to him as a charity, it will atone for his sins. Those who
do not rule in accordance with GOD's revelations are the Kuffar (Disbelievers)” [5:45]
3. “It has been revealed to you and to those before you that if you associate other GOD’s
with Allah, all your works will be nullified, and you will be with the losers.” [39:65]
4. “O David, we have made you a ruler on earth. Therefore, you shall judge among the
people equitably, and do not follow your personal opinion, lest it diverts you from the
way of GOD. Surely, those who stray off the way of GOD incur severe retribution for
forgetting the Day of Reckoning.” [38:26]
When Hazrat Ali ( may Allah be pleased with him) heard these verses he said “These
verses are true although the meanings you are taking from them are false.” He then
presented them with the following:
“When you arbitrate amongst people arbitrate with justice” [5:58]
Hazrat Ali ( may Allah be pleased with him) explained that this proves that Allah has
given people authority and permission to become arbitrators amongst people. If he
selected and arbitrator and accepted his decision, this was NOT against the Qur’an, and
nor did it assume that he was associating anyone with God. Despite showing this clear
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