The Position of Ibāḍiyya about Khawarij

Not all of what have been written so far under the title of the doctrine of Khawarij is agreed by them. Actually it is hard to find a collection of agreed positions among Khawarij. What really connects them together is their common history as well as the thought lied in their slogan of “ there is no command except that of Allah”. Otherwise, the two main divisions of Khawarij, extremists and moderates, are so segregated from each other that it would be out of caution to talk about the viewpoints of Khawarij without mentioning the exceptions and places of dispute. In Ibāḍiyya sect, since whatever God obligates His servants with is a part of faith, those who commit a major sin could not be recognized as believer and they are just considered as monotheists. According to Ibāḍiyya, Imamate and government are considered as crucial issues, though their approach toward them is mostly jurisprudential and historical. Ibāḍis owe their sect^, s survival and capability of government to their quadriaxial definition of levels of Imamate i.e. Emergence (Dhuhoor), Defense (Difa), Shira, (Purchase) and Kitman (Denial), and the way they deal with their opponents. In addition, other theological thoughts of Ibāḍis regarding definition, destination and target of Imamate, and election, requirements, and attributes of Imam could also be of significance.