Discussions between Abu Hanifa and Khawarij
http://www.darultawhid.com/en/forum/index.php?topic=2060.0
The Khawarij who based their thoughts on rebelling against the leader of the
Muslims, accuse the sahaba -especially Abu Musa al-Ashari (ra) and Amr b As
(ra)- with ‘committing kufr’ because they witnessed the hakam incident, they
also oppressed the ulama among the tabi’in generation.
“When Dahhak b Kays who is among the khawarij, came to Kufa, he visited Abu
Hanifa and asked him to repent. Abu Hanifa asked him what he was supposed to
make tawbah from.
Dahhak said: ‘Make tawbah from your view which you permit the referring
(appointing) the issue of Ali and Muawiyah to the arbitrators for the peace
(agreement).’ Abu Hanifa said:
‘Are you going to kill me or, just discuss with me?’ Dahhak said:
‘I am going to discuss with you.’ Abu Hanifa said:
‘Who is going to be arbitrator between us –if we come to an opposition-
regarding the matter we are going to discuss?’ Dahhak said:
‘Appoint someone as an arbitrator as you wish.’ Therefore Abu Hanifa asked one
among the companions of Dahhak:
‘Have a seat. You are going to be the arbitrator between us –if we come to
opposition- regarding the matter we are going to discuss.’ Then he turned to
Dahhak and said:
‘Do you accept him being an arbitrator between us?’ When Dahhak said: ‘Yes’ Abu
Hanifah said:
‘So you also accept (the permissibility of) appointing an arbitrator.’
Dahhak, who could not find anything to reply with, left the gathering and went
away.”
[Takıyyuddin b. Abdilkadir at-Tamimi, Tabaqatu’s-Saniyye fi
Tarajmi’l-Hanafiyya, I, 151-2.]
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“A group among the khawarij who perform takfir towards the Muslim who commit
sin, came to Abu Hanifa and said:
‘There are two janazah (dead) in front of the masjid. One of the death bodies
belongs to the one who filled his stomach with alcohol and gurgled nosily in
his throat and the other one belongs to a lady who performed fornication and
suicide when she realized that she was pregnant. What do you say regarding
their situation according to their iman?’ Abu Hanifa said:
‘Which religion did the man and the lady belong to? Were they Jewish?’ They
said:
‘No.’ Abu Hanifa asked:
‘Were they Christians?’ They replied:
‘No.’ Abu Hanifa asked:
‘Were they Mazdean?’ They said:
‘No.’ Abu Hanifa said:
‘So which religions did they belong to?’ They said:
‘They were among the millah (nation) who had witnessed that there is no god but
Allah, and Muhammad (saw) was His messenger and His slave.’ Abu Hanifa asked:
‘Would you tell me is this shahadah (witnessing) 1 out of 3; or 1 out of 4; or
1 out of 5 of the iman?’ They replied:
‘There will not be 1 out of 3, 4 or 5 of the iman.’ Abu Hanifa asked:
‘How much of the iman is shahadah?’ They said:
‘It is the complete iman.’ Abu Hanifa said:
‘You gave the answer of the question which you asked me regarding a group whom
you took under suspicion with empty claims. You accepted that they were (among
the) mu’min.’
When the khawarij could not respond to Abu Hanifa, they left this angle of the
issue and opened a new discussion. They asked regarding whether jannah or
jahannam the man and the lady will go. Therefore Abu Hanifa said:
‘Regarding this matter I say, as same as the prophet Ibrahim (as) who said the
following regarding a community whose sins were bigger than these: “He then who
follows my (ways) is of me, and he that disobeys me,- but Thou art indeed
Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Ibrahim 14/36] Also I say the same as Prophet
Isa (as) said regarding a group of people who committed a bigger sin than
these: “If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servant: If Thou dost forgive
them, Thou art the Exalted in power, the Wise.” [al-Maeda 5/118] Again I say
the same words of the Nuh (as) when his tribe told him: “Shall we believe in
thee when it is the meanest that follow thee?” [ash-Shuara 26/111] he (as)
responded them with saying: “And what do I know as to what they do? Their
account is only with my Lord, if ye could (but) understand. I am not one to
drive away those who believe. I am sent only to warn plainly in public.”
[ash-Shuara 26/112-115] “Nor yet
do I say, of those whom your eyes do despise that Allah will not grant them
(all) that is good: Allah knoweth best what is in their souls: I should, if I
did, indeed be a wrong-doer.” [Hud 11/31].
[Muhammad Abu Zahra, Abu Hanifa Hayatuhu wa Asruhu-Arauhu wa Fıqhuhu, p. 24,
footnote #1]
