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Milestone·Rashidun

Kharijites Leave Ali's Army

Date
657 CE37 AH1,369 years ago
Place
Harura, near Kufa
People
Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah ibn Wahb al-Rasibi

Some of Ali's soldiers rejected the arbitration with Muawiya and argued that only God can judge. They gathered at Harura near Kufa and declared that Ali had broken his oath. They became known as the Kharijites, from a word meaning those who go out. Ali first tried to reason with them and then fought them. The group remained a source of violence for decades.

Why it matters

The Kharijites became a lasting movement, and several of their revolts targeted both Ali and later Umayyad rulers.

kharijitessecessionalisectarianism