Do not kill game while you are on pilgrimage...

Do not kill game while you are on pilgrimage, and whoever among you shall kill it intentionally, the compensation (of it) is the like of what he killed, from the cattle, as two just persons among you shall judge. (5/95)” The Khawarij said that on the massacre of Muslims qiyas (conjecture) cannot be done and, then, who is `Amr ibn al-`As? Until yesterday, we were considering him as an unjust (unreliable) person and fighting with him. How could he be just today?

They said that two persons have been named the arbitrators in the matters of Allah, but when Mu`awiyah and his men rebelled; Allah’s Command was to kill them or seek their repentance! Instead of doing either of the two things, you people have made a truce with them although, after the revelation of the verse of Bara’ah, there is no question of truce with the aggressors until they agreed to pay the jizyah.

In this time Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) arrived and finding Ibn `Abbas busy in conversation, he said, “I had asked you not to start any argument! “Then he turned towards the Khawarij and said, “Why have you rebelled against us? “They said, “We differ in the matter of the arbitration!” `Ali (a.s) said, “You will remember that when the Syrians raised the Holy Qur’an on their spears, I had told you people that those men neither had anything to do with the Faith nor with the Book.

To save themselves from the ignominy of defeat they were taking shelter behind the Qur’an. But you said that you are satisfied with the verdict of the Qur’an and forced me to stop the battle, that I stop fighting and accept the arbitration although I did not like the idea. When I had to accept the arbitration because of your adamancy, I imposed a condition on the arbiters that their verdict has to be only on the basis of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

If they gave a verdict against these conditions, it will be turned down.” The Khawarij said, “All this is true, but you should not have agreed with us and rejected the proposal of the arbitration. We do accept that supporting the arbitration we committed infidelity. But we are now repentant about our attitude then. As we have accepted our act of infidelity, you too should accept that you committed infidelity and express repentance!

Then we shall enter your bay`ah and obey you!” The Imam (a.s) said, “How I have I become an infidel by accepting the arbitration, when Allah himself has permitted appointment of arbitrators.