The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1286 page)

 
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(Arab.,
kharaja
, ‘go out’). Early schismatics in the Muslim community (’umma). The details of their origin are obscure, but are connected by Muslim historians with the arbitration at the battle of Siffin (see
‘AL
B. AB
T
LIB
). Protesting that ‘judgement belongs to God alone’ (
l
ukma ill
li-’ll
hi
), they rejected both ‘Al
and
Mu‘aw
yya
, and began a fierce and often brutal rebellion. Defeated by ‘Al
at Nahraw
n in 658 (AH 38), they nevertheless persisted into the
‘Abb
sid
caliphate (and down to the present day as the ‘Ib
diyya, a religious movement). Holding a strict view that a Muslim who sins grievously has become
murtadd
(apostate), they reject all (so-called) caliphs (
khal
fa