Critical Analysis of Kharijites Attitude toward Women's Issues

The emergence of Kharijites in battle of Siffin and their continual presence led to formation and growth of new issues in different religious subjects. Raising doctrinal, political and social issues on problem such as the verdict of committing deadly sins, political thoughts, social opinions, religious beliefs and women’s issues led to disagreements and divergence of Kharijites into different sects including Azariqa, Najadat, Safariyyah, Abadiyyah, Waqifiyyah, Akhnasiyyah and Shabibiyyah. Therefore, some issues and innovations among different sects of Kharijites regarding women remained vague and with partial knowledge, for instance: sanction or prohibition of stoning and permitting or banning marriage with unbelievers, especially among Shabibiyyah. Thus, the question of the present paper is: What are Kharijites’ attitudes, especially Shabibiyyah, toward different issues regarding women? It seems they have innovated many religious laws regarding women, like other religious issues. In the present paper the attitudes of Kharijites on women will be presented in order to reach a deeper understanding of them in the history of Islam. The applied methodology is an analytical – historical method which led to these Women’s presence in social affairs, having the right to become Imam for women and the condition of Hijarat (migration) in marring women.