Here are a collection of limericks, short and snappy, through which a variety of religious themes and faith-based issues are served-up as quirks, curiosities and, of course, food for thought: I A lad who watched Starsky & Hutch, Then got the Khawarij-like touch. As his raged unfurled, He said: 'I must change the world. 'I…
Khawarij Ideology, ISIS Savagery: Caliphate & Jihad
The first instalment of this blog (here) charted the rise of Islam's first heterodox sect, the Khawarij, who were described by the Prophet ﷺ as being: 'the worst of mankind and beasts'1 and 'dogs of Hellfire.'2 We saw how their defining traits were: (i) rebellion (khuruj) against legitimate state rule; (ii) declaring Muslims to be apostates (takfir) for sins or opinions…
Takfir: Its Dangers & Rules
Takfir - accusing a fellow Muslim of apostasy; of having left the fold of Islam and being a disbeliever (kafir) - is indeed a grave affair in Islam. It is a fitnah, or "sedition," whose flames were historically put out by the defeat of the Kharijites (khawarij), only to be set alight again in our times, on a global scale,…