A Semiotic Analysis of the Actions of the Khawarij Based on the ‘Insider and Outsider” Theory of Yuri Lutman and Considering the Propositions of Nahj al-Balaghah

Semiotic studies are among the most up-to-date studies in the contemporary world, and cultural semiotics is one of its most important approaches. Yuri Lutman is one of the founders of cultural semiotics who has developed the “insider and outsider” paradigm. According to this model, whatever is not ‘insider’ is inevitably ‘outsider’ and vice versa! Today, utilization of up-to-date knowledge is an important way for analyzing religious texts. Nahj al-Balaghah is one of the texts in the context of which historical trends can be scrutinized using up-to-date knowledge. One of important movements in the history of Islam is the Khawarij about whose acts various reports have been given in Nahj al-Balaghah. This descriptive-analytical study seeks to apply the “insider and outsider” paradigm to the Khawarij movement based on the propositions of Nahj al-Balagah and to examine the acts of the followers of this movement on the basis of this paradigm. Analysis of how this movement was formed and the acts of its followers during the history on the basis of “insider and outsider” method indicates that it is a multi-faceted and intricate process.