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Des trois branches de l’islam, on connaît généralement le sunnisme et le chiisme. La troisième, le kharijisme, constitue une catégorie beaucoup plus difficile à cerner, mais son image dans les sources majoritaires est celle de la dissidence, voire de la déviance, politique et religieuse. Les Kharijites sont très présents dans la littérature arabe pour incarner un anti-modèle, celui du chaos politique, de la révolte permanente, de l’excès de zèle religieux et dévotionnel. A tel point que leurs leaders, qui défièrent à plusieurs reprises l’Empire omeyyade, puis abbasside, sont dépeints tantôt comme des rebelles insaisissables, tantôt comme des desperados, des bandits de grand chemin ou des fous de Dieu. Nous analyserons et déconstruirons tout d’abord cet imaginaire de la dissidence, qui participe à la construction de cet islam hégémonique que devint le sunnisme au cours des premiers siècles. Occasion pour nous de revisiter quelques récits qui structurent la narration historique en islam : le règne d’Uthmân, calife de la discorde, la bataille de Siffîn, matrice symbolique des trois branches que se reconnaît l’islam, le meurtre d’Ali, qui met en jeu la question du meurtre politique… Les Kharijites ont constitué une nébuleuse dont nous tenterons aussi de cerner les caractéristiques, de comprendre le programme politique et religieux. Mais pour cela, il faudra tenter de passer de l’autre côté du miroir en essayant d’identifier les textes et les témoignages qui documentent ce courant au plus juste. Nous nous appuierons pour cela sur la production écrite des Ibadites, leurs lointains héritiers idéologiques.

Kharijism sums up all the evils that are attributed to the revolt as a form of breakdown of the legitimate order and of the unity in medieval Islam. The figure of “Kharijite” is associated with a scandalous reputation of sectarian isolationism, violence and fanaticism. This semantic prevails because it stems from the fact that this figure of dissent was transformed into a literary subject matter in the Abassid period. The Kharajite is an ambiguous figure who was alternately a desperado, a highwayman, a fanatic murderer, an individual wreaking havoc, but also an exemplary ascetic, a righter of wrongs, a victim of a power whose abuses and even the tyrannical nature were acknowledged. Kharijism appears as a political threat and outlines the legitimate order, but it also highlights the excesses of domination and the gap that separates men from the blessed time of the origins.,Le kharijisme résume tous les maux que l’on attribue à la révolte comme forme de rupture de l’ordre légitime et de l’unité en Islam médiéval. Au « kharijite » est associée une sulfureuse réputation de repli sectaire, de violence et de fanatisme. La raison d’un tel succès sémantique tient à la transformation de cette figure de la dissidence en matière littéraire dès l’époque abbasside. Figure ambiguë que celle du « kharijite », tour à tour desperado, bandit de grand chemin, assassin fanatisé, semeur de chaos, mais aussi ascète exemplaire, redresseur de torts, victime d’un pouvoir dont on reconnaît, au fond, les abus, voire la nature tyrannique. Épouvantail politique, le kharijisme dessine les contours de l’ordre légitime, mais il souligne aussi les dérives de la domination, et l’écart qui sépare les hommes du temps béni des origines.

As for the origins of Kharijites, many of Islamists have laid strss on their fanaticism and a narchy, and have attrbuted, in relaton to the effects of tue First Civil War, their origins, to the relization of the nomadic Arabs' inclination for the anarchy. Aocording to their opinions, the First Civil War was causeb by the clash of interests among vorious faction, but it's basic impulse was the reclamation of nomadic tribalism, and the outbreak of Kharijites movement should be considered as an expression of anarchistic tribalism. My opinion is that the origions of Kharijisnom was a form of Islamization of nomadic Arabs (“The First Civil Wat and the Kharijites”, World of Islam, VI, Tokyo, 1968, pp. 11-34). Many treatises on the Kharijites discussed the problem from the viewpoint of Itlamic Government. But in the present monograph I like to amplify my opinion in the former article on the tignificance of the First Civil War and the origins of Kharijites as examined from the nomadic Arabs' viewpoint, so as to find that the basic impulse of the First Civil War was not the tribalism, but the economic motives, and that the origins of Kharijism was based on the Islamization of nomadic Arabs.

AL-Qa'da of the Kharijites, Their Principles and Ideas From Their Inception Until the End of the Reign of Yazid Ibn Mu'awiyah (41-64 / 661-683)

In the traditional framework of Islamic historiography, the Kharijites are constructed within the broader narrative as the very antithesis of a centralizing Islamic polity and an increasingly “orth…

The following is an important, yet little known, document. It is one of the earliest Kharijite critiques of the radical movement of the Azariqa. It was written by Najda ibn ‘Āmir (d. 692), the foun…

The role of the woman in “Al-Khawarij” movement was unlike the role of any other woman in any other movement , Party or human community as the woman here had left clear fingerprints in the history of “Al-Khawarij” politically , ideologically and in military contribution . This contribution was an active reason behind the continuation of this movement for long . This role handled by the Kharijiite woman had not emerged in a vacuum . Her mentally deep – rooted belief in herself made her response positively to this movements needs practicing alive participation which offered her absolute liberty , a type of participation which could not be compared by any woman in any other movement . The woman was not forced to do things she rejected , and through this participation several life roles were created which had been played with unlimited distinction at all levels : in politics , army , literature and ideology . In some cases she appeared as a decisive fighter in the battles carrying her sword fighting the enemies with bravery like a lion on a prey , in other cases , she led the Kharijiite men and women in the battlefields ; besides , the Khawarij had permitted the Imama of a woman and even having a position of a caliph whose duty was leading the armies at the time of the wars . The woman had the role of nursing as well gaining this position through her effect on men with high efficiency . There was , however , on better evidence of the caliph , Ali Bin abi Talib , who was medically treated by a Kharijiite woman . A Kharijiite woman shwed a political rejection of some trends in the movement , and sometimes she manifested her dissatisfaction of the movement’s beliefs in preventing the men to go to wars for fear of facing death to keep her family safely united . The Kharijiite woman was a figure of power and a good communicator . She usually had talks and discussions with the caliphs and rulers expressing her opinion freely without fear or hesitation and this represented her great challenge , conceit and courageous attitude in speech . The Kharijiite woman , however jeopardized herself for the sake of the ideology in which she believed. Sometimes she nobly allowed to receive the adherents (followers) of the Kharijiite thought in the Arab Eastern lands holding secret meetings and sessions in her house so that they might be far off the caliph’s eyes and detectives . In this case the movement was protected against various sorts of dangers ; in this way , the movement remained united and could circulate its principles every where. Concerning the literary and ideological attitdes , so many Kharijiite women had experience in producing poetry distinctively , in that she was equal to men which reflected her innovative aspects by using enthusiastic verses to encourage the men to fight bitterly and take revenge for the dead . the Kharijiite poetesses were sophisticated in expressing novel feelings towards the dead. The status of a woman in the literature of this movement was depicted as a symbol for love , struggle and inspiration as in that of men’s poems and lives . its apparent that the Kharijiite woman made an important part in both states of Abaddhiya and Midreriya in the Arab Magrib politically , religiously , scientifically , culturally , and economically . She was a politician , a scientist inviting scientists in her house , a theologian knowing the Islamic canons , a wise woman consulted by rulers and commanders in their political affaires giving her opinions out of deep experience in life , a good housewife at home and a hard worker in farms . She was a good dressmaker and having a big ability in manufacturing neatly – knitted carpets . Finally , the Kharijiite woman affected others in her community and was affected by the theological judgements coming from the Kharijiite judges . Some judgements decided by Al-Khawarij permitted her to hold a position of Imama and leadership although she was some times oppressed by some judgments as forcing her to marry a man of close kinship rather than a man of her choice and this tradition is frankly forbidden by the massage of Islam . And all this had its negative influence on the woman herself , the family and the community . It is concluded that the Kharijiite woman had actually been the master of her age (era) obtaining a historic status which she deserved in the Islamic Arab history and even in the political , military and ideological history of Al-Khawarij.