Azariqa

The Azariqa (Arabic: الأزارقة, romanized: al-ʾAzāriqa) were an extremist branch of the Kharijites who followed the leadership of Nafi ibn al-Azraq. Adherents of Azraqism participated in an armed struggle against the rulers of the Umayyad Caliphate, and they declared those who avoided this duty infidels (kafirs) and allowed their murder. Nafi ibn al-Azraq even permitted the killing of women and children of his opponents. At the same time, the Azraqites did not extend the principle of killing "apostates" to Christians and Jews, since they believed that they did not betray the teachings of the prophets Jesus and Moses. In terms of law, the Azariqa, like the Haruriyya, rejected the hadith. Like all Kharijites, they declared Muslims who committed great sins (al-Kabā'ir) to be unfaithful, and claimed that they would eternally suffer in hellfire. The Azraqites denied the principle of "prudent concealment of faith" (takiya). They recognized the imamate as "worthy" (أفضل ʾafḍal), that is, the applicant who would come up with arms and call people to fight "unbelievers" and would not allow the imamate to be "surpassed" (مفضول mafḍūl). Based on this, they declared the caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib, Uthman ibn Affan and their adherents unbelievers. The Azraqites considered the territories beyond their control to be the "land of war" (دار الحرب Dār al-Ḥarb).