The Khawarij in modern Islamic historiography

This dissertation discusses the Khawarij in modern Islamic scholarship. Chapter one discusses the rise of the Khawarij and the historical events that took place from the accession of 'Uthman until the death of 'Ali. A great deal of attention was given to 'Ali's reign since the Khawarij made their first appearance during his rule and in the midst of the battle of Siffin. Also, special attention was given to the events that took place after the death of 'Ali to show how the Khawarij survived by making the hijra to the Maghrib region to escape persecution on one hand, and to establish a base to continue their propagation afterwards, on the other hand.; Chapter two discusses the western historiography of the Khawarij. It seems that earlier scholars who wrote their histories of the group at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were more concerned about who the Khawarij were than why they rebelled. In contrast, later writers touched on the causes that led the Khawarij to deviate from orthodox Islam. A number of western historians who saw similarities between the Khawarij and modern fundamentalists were prompted to give the Khawarij a lengthy analysis and discussion in their works.; Chapter three discusses the Khawarij in modern Arab/Muslim historiography from three different perspectives: first, Arab historians told the history of the Khawarij as it was transmitted with criticism or favoritism. Second, the story was told based on Khariji poetry. Scholars who touched on the poetry exposed a positive history of the group. Last, the history of the Khawarij has been rewritten based on four different ideologies: nationalism, Marxism, Islamic fundamentalism, and Islamic feminism.; Chapter four discusses the similarities between the Khawarij and al-Takfir wa'l-Hijra. Both groups believed in God's governance (hakimiyyat Allah ) and objected to men's authority. They also shared two additional ideological concepts: takfir and hijra. Both groups denounced other Muslims as infidels and established their own societies. They performed the hijra to dissociate themselves from the infidels, with a plan to return to reclaim the society and establish an Islamic State.